If your query relates to the service of a family member or ancestor:
please include details of where and when the person served (including whether Army, Naval Service or Air Corps) and unit, if known, as well as date of birth, service number and contemporary home address

If your query relates to previously published sources from the Military Archives or those which cite the Military Archives:
please include the exact file reference (if known), date of publication, author and title.

The preferred method of contact is by email (see below).
Alternatively, you can post a letter (address below), or phone us on 00353 (0)1 8046457. Please note that the phone is manned by the Duty Archivist during office hours on Monday and Friday. There is a facility to leave a voice message on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday as the reading room operates on those days . If you are contacting us from within the Defence Forces, staff contacts can be located on IKON under tab DFHQ, COS, Public Relations Branch.

Email

militaryarchives@defenceforces.ie

Before contacting the Military Archives, please review our FAQ section to see if your question has already been answered, or else that the information you require is available on this website.

We are currently responding to the majority of email queries within 72 hours.

Post

Address postal queries to:

Officer in Charge,
Military Archives,
Cathal Brugha Bks,
Rathmines,
Dublin 6.

 

 

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Find Us

Entrance to the barracks, by foot or by car, is only through the Military Road entrance beside St. Mary's College, off the Rathmines Road. The archives building is to your left as you enter the barracks through the main gate.

Please remember that this is an active barracks, so please do not walk around the rest of the barracks as you may be challenged by the patrol, and do not take any photographs of any of the buildings or main square.

Make an Appointment

Before contacting the Military Archives, please review our FAQ section to see if your question has already been answered, or else that the information you require is available on this website.

Reading room opening Hours:

Tuesday to Thursday, 10.00-12.30 and 13.30-16.00.

  • When making an appointment, make sure to let us know what you are hoping to research and whether you have specific file references already.
  • If you think that you will only require one of the slots on any given day, please let us know, as this could free up potential space for another researcher.
  • We sometimes fill up a week in advance, so please give us as much notice as you can when looking to make an appointment.
  • There are parking spaces available in front of our building, so if you are planning to drive to the archives, please provide us with your car registration number beforehand, as the gate policeman will require this.

Prepare for your Visit

Before contacting the Military Archives, please review our FAQ section to see if your question has already been answered, or else that the information you require is available on this website.

Once you get in contact with us, by email or otherwise, we can advise you as to whether your query can be dealt with through correspondence, or requires a visit to us.

We can then advise you as to your next step:

  • We can point you to an online collection finding aid where you will find the references numbers of files relevant to your query. If you provide those reference numbers to us before your visit, we will have them ready for you.
  • The finding aid(s) that you are looking for may only be available in our reading room, but we will have them ready for you to view and can advise you as to other potential sources if necessary.
  • Some collections may not have a full finding aid available just yet, so it may be a case that we will check for relevant files for you on the day of your visit.
  • If your query is more general, or you require assistance to get started on your research, we are happy to bring you through the type of material we have and advise as to what collections/files may be of use for your research.