Since 1990, the Military Archives has been the official place of deposit for records of the Irish Defence Forces, the Department of Defence and Ireland's Army Pensions Board, as defined in the National Archives Act, 1986.
Our brief is to collect material from the foundation of the Irish State up until the present day, including records from overseas missions. From as early as 1924, the National Army undertook to preserve the historical documents of that period, in recognition of the importance of the War of Independence. Some of the earliest collections preserved by the National Army's Historical Section include the Collins Papers; Civil War Operations and Intelligence files; and Captured Documents (Civil War up to 1925); which continue to be accessible today through the Military Archives.
Other major collections include the Military Service Pensions Collection; the Bureau of Military History Collection; and the Brother Allen Collection. These collections are highly significant and cover the periods before, during and after the Revolutionary era. Further collections also explore the Emergency Period in Ireland 1939-1946; the UN Peacekeeping Missions; the Department of Defence; and the various Services and Corps of the Defence Forces over the years.
Apart from serving the evidential, legal and heritage needs of the Defence Forces and the Department of Defence, the Military Archives provides public services to a broad spectrum of people. Through our website and in-person reading room, we help with family history queries, academic research and the sourcing of material for TV and radio documentaries.
We also host visits for second and third level educational groups, on request, and provide briefings on our collections to various groups. Our Irish Volunteer and 1916 Case Studies exhibitions are also available to educational institutions through temporary loans, while collection items and documents are temporarily displayed in other places of learning.
What actually happened that day? It's an age-old question that the Military Archives can help to answer. In a world in which misinformation and disinformation are rife, archives act as a vital source of original, primary documentation.
Contained within this material are the (sometimes conflicting) reports, statements, administration documents and personal letters that add depth to our understanding of the past. By making our material accessible to those in search of answers, the Military Archives collections highlight the nuance, complexity and layered nature of history.
Our collections help clarify what happened on any historically significant day, especially during Ireland's Revolutionary Period, but also during World War II (the Emergency Period in Ireland) and the UN peacekeeping missions.
We also offer access to pension and medal application files, personnel files (from 1922 onward) and many other documents that enable families to finally uncover ancestral stories, gain insights into personal history, and even clarify or correct their own family folklore (both good and bad). By carefully preserving our historical items and documents and providing access to them, we aim to contribute to society, both historically and socially.
We moved into our current home at Cathal Brugha Barracks in Rathmines, Dublin in 2016. One of the 1916 Centenary capital projects, this recently built facility is connected to the Old Hospital Block building (built in the 1840s), which still houses our Commandant Peter Young Reading Room and administration offices. Our purpose-built storage facilities are now climate controlled (in line with international best standards); our records are protected in a 972-square metre repository, with 21.6 kilometres of shelving over two floors.
Officer In Charge
Officer In Charge
Commandant Daniel Ayiotis joined the Army as a Cadet with the 79th Cadet Class in 2002, having served as a reservist with the 7th Field Artillery Regiment since 1998. In 2004 he was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant to the 27th Infantry Battalion, based in Dundalk and Monaghan. He has served with the Army in Kosovo (2009–10) and Lebanon (2012). In 2013 he was posted to the 2nd Brigade Ordnance Group in Cathal Brugha Barracks and in 2015 successfully applied for the position of Staff Officer in the Military Archives.
Daniel has a BA in Sociology, Politics and Philosophy from the National University of Ireland, Galway (2005–08), and an MA in Archives and Records Management from University College Dublin (2016). He is the author of two books, The Military Archives: A History (Eastwood, 2022) and Moral Formations: Discipline and Religion in the Irish Army 1922–1932 (Eastwood, 2024). He co-authored The Emergency: A Visual History (Eastwood, 2019) with John Gibney and Michael Kennedy, and was a member of the editorial/project board for Eoin Kinsella's The Irish Defence Forces: Servant of the Nation (Four Courts, 2022).
Staff Officer
Staff Officer
Captain Sarah Colclough joined the Air Corps as a Cadet with the 24th Regular Air Corps Cadet Class in 2003, after serving as a reservist for two years in the 5th Field Transport Group. In 2006, she was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant with the 81st Army Cadet Class and posted to the Military Training School in Baldonnel. Through the USAC Scheme, she completed her BSc in Sport Science and Health in Dublin City University (2007–2011).
From 2011–2019, she served as an Air Traffic Control Officer in 505 Squadron. In 2019, she successfully applied for the position of Staff Officer in the Military Archives and completed her MA in Archives and Records Management from UCD in 2020.
Senior Archivist
Senior Archivist
Cécile Chemin is Director of the Military Service (1916–1923) Pensions Collection (MSPC) project. She has been working as a professional archivist since 2005, starting as a Local Authority Archivist (Wicklow, Kildare and Meath) and joined the Military Archives in 2008 at the onset of MSPC.
Responsible for the project’s strategic development and promotion, she has written and talked extensively about the nature and content of this archive. Coming from a history and linguistics background (with a Licence in American and English History and Literature and a Major in Historical Linguistics at Lyon II University, France), Cécile went on to study Archives and Records Management in UCD, where she obtained a Higher Diploma and a Master’s Degree. Her areas of interest include archival theory, ethics in archives and the intersection between archives, social responsibility, accountability and public good.
Civilian Archivist
Civilian Archivist
Hugh Beckett is Head of Database Management and has worked in the Military Archives since May 2008. He has a BA in Geography (through Natural Sciences) from Trinity College Dublin and a Higher Diploma in Archives and Records Management from UCD.
Hugh’s responsibilities cover parts of the maintenance and editing of the Military Archives website and internal server, along with the creation, integration and management of the databases used by archives staff. He also focuses on the processing of the Bureau of Military History collections, while operating the Military Archives reading room in rotation with colleagues.
Repository Manager
Repository Manager
Company Quartermaster Sergeant Darren Hand is the Repository Manager of the Military Archives and is responsible for purchasing and budget management. He is the Health and Safety, Energy Management and Fire Officer, as well as liaising with external institutions for exhibitions and loans.
Darren enlisted in the Defence Forces in 2003 and served in 27th Infantry Battalion and the Defence Forces Printing Press, prior to his promotion in 2023 to Military Archives. He has served on three tours of duty including KFOR (Kosovo), UNIFIL (Lebanon) and EUTM Mali. Darren has a Higher Diploma in Business in Supply Chain Management from the Institute of Technology Carlow.
Civilian Archivist
Civilian Archivist
Noelle Grothier is Head of Private and Oral History Collections and has worked as a civilian archivist in the Military Archives since May 2008. She holds a BA in History and Political Science from TCD and a Higher Diploma in Archives and Records Management from UCD.
Noelle has responsibility for collections of private papers deposited in Military Archives by veterans and their families. She co-ordinates the Defence Forces Oral History Project and is a member of the Military History and Heritage Forum. She also operates the Military Archives reading room in rotation with colleagues.
Civilian Archivist
Civilian Archivist
Michael Keane has a BA in History and Sociology from University College Cork and a Higher Diploma in Archives and Records Management from UCD. Between 2001 and 2007 he worked as an archivist for Tameside MBC Archives and Local Studies.
He has worked as an archivist for the Military Service Pensions Collection project since 2008. As well as carrying out processing and databasing duties, he has written articles and undertaken promotional and outreach duties for the project.
Records Manager
Records Manager
Sergeant Matthew Weafer is responsible for Defence Forces records destined for storage in the Military Archives. He is also responsible for unit administration, answering internal and external queries and assisting the duty archivists in the reading room.
Matthew enlisted in the Defence Forces in 1990. He served with 2nd Infantry Battalion and 3rd Infantry Battalion, as well as the Defence Forces Freedom of Information Office, prior to joining the Military Archives. He served on four tours of duty, including Lebanon and Kosovo. He was awarded a Professional Certificate in Records Management from UCD and a Certificate in Freedom of Information in 2013.
Civilian Archivist
Civilian Archivist
Lisa Dolan is Head of Readers’ Services, Education and Outreach, and has worked in the Military Archives since 2008. She has a BA in History and Greek and Roman Civilisation and a Master’s in Archives and Records Management, both from UCD. Lisa’s main responsibilities focus on interactions with the public; she also manages volunteers that assist with the listing of records and the advancement of other in-house projects.
Lisa also processes records created by the organisation, while operating the reading room in rotation with colleagues. Collections processed by Lisa include the Collins Collection (1917¸1922) and the private papers of Lieutenant General Seán McKeown.
Civilian Archivist
Civilian Archivist
Robert McEvoy works on the Military Service (1916–1923) Pensions Collection project. He qualified with a Master's in Archives and Records Management and has over ten years of experience as a professional archivist. Prior to qualification, he achieved a Master's in History; he has a specific interest in 20th century Irish history and Northern Ireland.
Rob has been working on the Military Service Pensions Collection project since 2012. His duties include processing material for release to the public and undertaking promotional activities, as required.
Volunteer Coordinator
Volunteer Coordinator
Corporal Joseph McDermott is responsible for coordinating collections for volunteers; he also works alongside Lisa to ensure volunteers can work in a professional framework. Corporal McDermott assists on a rotating duty panel with Sergeant Weafer, acting as a duty storeman, helping the duty archivist to assist researchers, and answering internal and external queries.
Corporal McDermott enlisted in the Defence Forces in 2003 and served in the 2nd Infantry Battalion and the 7th Infantry Battalion, before joining the Military Archives team in 2019. He served on five tours of duty, including Chad 2009 (as part of EUFOR/MINURCAT), KFOR (Kosovo) 2005, 2007, 2010, and Lebanon. Corporal McDermott was awarded a Professional Certificate in Records Management from UCD and continues to upskill while serving in the Military Archives.
Civilian Archivist
Civilian Archivist
Sam McGrath has worked as a project archivist with the Military Service (1916–1923) Pensions Collection since 2017. He has a BA in History and Politics and an MA in Archives and Records Management, both from UCD. He has a particular interest in the activity of the republican movement outside Ireland during the 1919–23 period.
He is responsible for processing material in the collection and undertaking promotional activities, such as public talks and social media work.
Civilian Archivist
Civilian Archivist
Aislinn Mohan has worked in the Military Archives since August 2022. She has responsibility for managing the team of volunteers who work with us there. She has a BA in History and Nua-Ghaeilge and an MA in Military History and Strategic Studies from NUI Maynooth, and an MA in Archives and Records Management from UCD.
Aislinn is currently cataloguing our Civil War collection and also helps to operate the Military Archives reading room in rotation with colleagues.
