History Studies: University of Limerick History Society Journal Vol (6)

History Studies, in its sixth edition, has continued to attract an eclectic selection of studies, reflective of the research being conducted in Irish institutions and the field of Irish history. The contributions to this publication represent post-doctoral and doctoral research both in its nascent and concluding stages. Volume six has, for the first time, incorporated reviews of recent additions to Irish historiography. The reviews were chosen to emphasise some of the emerging new themes within Irish historical scholarship. The range of Irish historiography has expanded greatly in the last decade and the present state of research is deemed to he healthy. However, the experience of post-graduate students in particular, suggests that the services available to researchers in this country have not evolved in tandem with this development. The repositories of historical sources in Ireland are under funded and are struggling to fulfil their function. Archival institutions are often understaffed, with many holdings inappropriately housed and uncatalogued. Limited opening hours are a further impediment to research, and prove especially problematic for scholars hased outside of Dublin and those working in provincial archives. Access to catalogued sources is often frustratingly inconsistent. Archaic cataloguing practices unnesessarily protract the retrieval of source material. There is an urgent need to embrace new technological developments. Specifically, a uniform policy in regard to digital photography and the creation of online databases needs to he implemented. This will aid in the preservation of valuable primary source material. In addition, it will allow for more efficient research thereby reducing the demands on the overstretched system. If these issues are not addressed, access to primary source material will remain erratic and will hinder the emergence of a more complete history of Ireland. John Maguire, Jennifer Moore. John O'Callaghan.