THE ROYAL IRISH ACADEMY IS IRELAND'S LEADING BODY OF EXPERTS IN THE SCIENCES AND HUMANITIES

The Royal Irish Academy/Acadamh Ríoga na hÉireann champions research. We identify and recognise Ireland’s world class researchers. We support scholarship and promote awareness of how science and the humanities enrich our lives and benefit society. We believe that good research needs to be promoted, sustained and communicated. The Academy is run by a Council of its members. Membership is by election and considered the highest academic honour in Ireland.

Read more about the RIA

Preserving our national heritage - Ordnance Survey Maps

18 August 2016

Ireland was mapped on the unprecedented scale of 6 inches to the mile by the Ordnance Survey which produced maps for all 32 counties.

The maps created between 1833 and 1846 describe the landscape of pre-Famine Ireland from coast to coast and provide a complete record of our cities, towns and villages.

The Academy Library holds a complete set of signed 1st-edition maps. They are a much-used, open-access resource, not only beloved by historians and genealogists but also by many members of the public who use them to research their local and family history.

Some of the volumes are in urgent need of repair and conservation. The volumes we have prioritised for conservation are Derry, Galway, Tipperary, Waterford and Wexford. To restore all five volumes, we need to match the Heritage Council grant of €4,000 we have already received for the conservation project.

Please help us to preserve these unique maps for future generations by making an online donation to the Library OS maps fundraiser. All contributions will be acknowledged and your name will be recorded in one of the volumes and in our Annual Review. 

Stay up to date with the Royal Irish Academy newsletter

Sign up now