Two rare historical maps made available online

Lightholler

Two rare historical maps of county Clare dating from the 17th and 18th centuries have been digitised for the first time and made available online by Clare County Library via www.clarelibrary.ie. The Grand Jury and Petty's Down Survey Maps precede the first Ordinance Survey Maps of 1842 and provide historians with some of the lost information from the destroyed parish and barony maps. Clare County Library has described the maps as ‘unique’ and said that the advent of digital mapping has helped to preserve and create a newfound interest in local history.

Commissioned by the Grand Jury of County Clare in 1779 and completed by Henry Pelham in 1787, the Grand Jury Maps feature roads, rivers, townlands lakes and large houses on a scale of 1.5 inches to the mile. The Grand Jury was the most important local body in rural Ireland during the late 18th Century and early 19th Century and was empowered to raise money by means of county rates. Its responsibilities included the construction and repair of roads and bridges and the upkeep of local institutions.

The Petty's Down Survey Maps of County Clare (1658-59), meanwhile, provide unique information on the baronies of Corcomroe, Moyarta and Bunratty and is widely regarded as a precursor to the first printed atlas of Ireland (c1685). The map originated following the Cromwellian Conquest of Ireland at the beginning of the 1650's when those who helped the cause, both soldiers and financial contributors, had to be rewarded. In order to facilitate the transfer of property to the victors, William Petty was appointed in 1654 to measure and map the forfeited crown and church lands the 22 counties set apart for the soldiers. Sir William Petty used the Down Survey as the basis of his atlas of Ireland "Hiberniae Dilineatio”. The Clare map, now freely available on www.clarelibrary.ie, preserves some of the lost information from the destroyed parish and barony maps. According to County Librarian, Noel Crowley, “These new additions now join the 1842 (6 inch) Ordnance Survey Maps, giving users of the site a unique key to the county.”

“The aim of this extensive online collection of maps is to support personal and academic users in their learning, teaching and research of historical issues relating to Clare. With so much material now being published on the internet in either un-reviewed form or on a pay-per-view basis, Clare County Library has opted to promote the study of local history by publishing these priceless resources for their historical value in one place and free of charge. The digitising of these rare maps also reduces the threat of them being damaged in the future”, Mr Crowley added.

Clare County Library’s website www.clarelibrary.ie has recorded over two million direct hits since it first went live in 1998. Recent additions to the portal include Churches with Round Towers in Northern Clare by T. J. Westrop; New Literature of County Clare; Standing Stones, Ecclesiastical Remains, Windmills & Tumuli - Clare Monuments; and Census Search Forms 1841 & 1851. Reaction to the website has been very positive with online comments being posted by people worldwide. According to Frances Hammond, Reference Librarian at the State Library of Western Australia, “I'd just like say how useful the Places and Placenames section of the website is. It helped me solve a baffling geographical question for one of our genealogy clients.” Dr James McConnell, Lecturer, School of History and International Affairs, University of Ulster, Magee added, “What an excellent website you have put together. I was unaware of it until I recently started looking for teaching resources, and now intend to direct my undergraduates to it when I teach the land war in the autumn”.

County Librarian Noel Crowley stated that the advent of digital technology has enabled the Library service to present historical documents to people all over the world. “It’s encouraging to see that so many people have an interest in the history of county Clare and we look forward to adding to our impressive suite of ordinance survey and related maps”, Mr Crowley concluded.

The Grand Jury and Petty's Down Survey Maps are now available online and free of charge on www.clarelibrary.ie.

chubba1984

That website has numerous resources for people interested in local history in Clare, The 1842 Ordnance Survey maps are an incredibly detailed view f what the county looked like pre-famine. The Clare County Library should be highly commended for the effort they have put into putting the website together

www.clarelibrary.ie/eolas/coclare/genealogy/genealog.htm

www.clarelibrary.ie/eolas/coclare/history/intro.htm

Lightholler

Clare County Library’s website is the most popular Local Authority online service in the country, according to a new Internet survey. Ranked at number 58, www.clarelibrary.ie is also the only public library to be included in the listing of 340 Irish sites and finishes ahead of such popular domains as aerlingus.com, paddypower.com and vodafone.ie. The listing has been generated on www.top100ireland.com based on the amount of mentions each website address receives in multiple Internet searches.

Commenting on the success of the website, County Librarian Noel Crowley stated, “The number of Internet users – academic and personal – logging on to the website is continuing to increase. This growth in usage can be largely attributed to the free and unlimited access to the websites expansive range of historical documents, well-written history articles, thousands of photographs and suite of ordinance survey maps. The advent of digital technology has enabled the Library to host such a service, which has been availed of by thousands of people with an interest in all aspects of county Clare’s history.”

Mr. Crowley added, “The placing of www.clarelibrary.ie ahead of all other Irish Local Authority websites is a tribute to Clare County Council and the Library Service. This success is the culmination of years of hard work and a genuine interest in the promotion of local history”. The only other local authority sites included in the top 100 list are Dublin Corporation (89) and the Department of the Environment (84).

Over two million Internet users worldwide have logged on to www.clarelibrary.ie since it first went live in 1998. Recent additions to the website include Ecclesiastical Remains - Monuments of County Clare; 1841 & 1851 Census Search Forms; A Folklore Survey of County Clare by Thomas Johnson Westropp; The United Irishmen of North West Clare, 1798; and Registry of Freeholders, Co. Clare, 1841. Meanwhile, two rare historical maps of county Clare dating from the 17th and 18th centuries have recently been digitised for the first time and made available online by Clare County Library. The Grand Jury and Petty's Down Survey Maps precede the first Ordinance Survey Maps of 1842 and provide historians with some of the lost information from the destroyed parish and barony maps. Clare County Library has described the maps as ‘unique’ and said that the advent of digital mapping has helped to preserve and create a newfound interest in local history.

Reaction to the website has been very positive with online comments being posted by Internet users from such countries as Australia, New Zealand, USA, Canada and Britain. Australian Terry Cleary, who regularly uses the website, said, “The maps are just stunning. I have been researching my wife's family (Redden), who we believe came from Sixmilebridge, and it has been great finding all links in the original sources on the site. I was very keen to study the Ordinance Survey maps from here in Adelaide, South Australia and have thoroughly enjoyed all the information on the site.”

According to South Carolina native, Nancy Owens “I have been doing research on the Joyce and McMahon names in Ennis, County Clare. The library provided very good information and was instrumental in providing information that I might not have otherwise collated including the fact that my great grandfather was a member of the RIC (Royal Irish Constabulary) and my great grandmother was possibly a dress maker.”

Paddy Casey from Switzerland added, “My thanks to that compact, savvy and innovative team at Clare County Library and Local Studies Centre for making so much Clare local and family history available to the Clare Diaspora worldwide. Even if you live thousands of miles away the Library, with the help of its state-of-the art cyber links, not only provides you with a constantly discharging cornucopia of historical Clare material (databases, photos, books, newspaper extracts, you name it) but also keeps you in touch with the day-to-day goings-on in the county. By reaching out to and harnessing the Clare Diaspora, the Clare County Library has redefined the county library paradigm as a global one - a move which sets new standards for other libraries and family history centres.”

Meanwhile, Island Ireland - an Internet directory for Irish cultural issues - stated, “The Clare County Library maintains an excellent site, which includes community resources, county history and more... top marks for a great concept”.

For further information on Clare County Library contact 065-6821616, log on to www.clarelibrary.ie or email mailbox@clarelibrary.ie. For more on the top 110 website listing log on to www.top100ireland.com.