Pensions paid by the Government of what is now the Republic of Ireland to members of the IRA and other forces between 1916 and 1923 are to be made available online.
Eneclann has announced that the company has been awarded the tender for the Military Service Pension Project after a competitive process by the Irish Republic’s Department of Defence.
Eneclann says: “Work will commence next month (August 2012) and take thirty months to complete, with a team of five archivists and archival assistants involved. This project includes the processing to archival standards and databasing of a historical file series numbering in the region of 50,000 files relating to applications for, and the award of, the 1916 Medal and the Service (1917-1921) Medal. In addition, there are roughly 15,000 related special allowance or DP files.
“These combined 65,000 files form part of the Military Service Pension Project which is under way in the Military Archives in Cathal Brugha Barracks, Rathmines, Dublin 6. Further to the archival treatment above, a fully searchable online database will be added to the Military Archives’ website. This is part of the prerogative of the government to release online material relating to 1916, the organisation and structure of the IRA and other related files in 2012, with all material in the collection aimed to be released by 2016.
“The Military Service Pensions Collection is a unique collection of records, files, maps, drawings and diagrams. The files relate in the main to applications by individuals and/or their dependants for the award of pension and gratuities for veterans who served as members of the Irish Volunteers, the Irish Citizen Army, the Irish Republican Army, Cumann na mBan, the National Army/Defence Forces and kindred named organisations on active service or who were casualties or wounded while on duty during the period from April and May 1916 through to 30 September 1923.
“There are also related administration files from the Army Pensions Board, departmental files, membership rolls and other significant material dealing with the armed activities of the period in the collection. Material will be made available to the public on a staged release basis, leading up to the 1916 Centennial celebrations.”
