Heritage maps created online by university

RESEARCHERS at University of Limerick (UL) have created a new digital heritage resource centred on the early years of the Ordnance Survey (OS) in Ireland.

Marking 200 years since the beginnings of the first OS of Ireland, the project as gathered historic OS maps and texts, held in disparate archives, to form a freely accessible digital resource for academics and members of the public.

In Ireland, between 1824 and 1842, the OS completed the first ever largescale survey of an entire country, at a scale of six inches to the mile. Acclaimed for their accuracy, these maps are regarded by cartographers as amongst the finest ever produced. In addition to maps, the OS staff, both military and civilian, recorded other information such as archaeological and toponymical material, including local customs, antiquities, place names and topographical features.

However, over time, these materials have been disparately housed in various museums, repositories and archives. UL worked with Queens University Belfast, Digital Repository of Ireland, and other key partners to create the digital archive in the Irish Research Council and Arts and Humanities Research Council co-funded project. The three-year project was launched in the Royal Irish Academy in Dublin.

‘The new digital archive is not just cartograph-focused but also includes the associated written and pictorial accounts of the OS, helping us to engage with the island’s complex colonial histories. The new archive will be easily accessible to members of the public, as well as researchers studying the period, facilitating additional understanding of pre-famine Irish history,’ explained Dr Porter.