Hayes Manuscript and Periodical Sources for Irish Research

Manuscript Sources for the History of Irish Civilisation, compiled by Richard J. Hayes, is used by people when other records, such as church or census, are not available. Manuscripts about genealogy, history, science, philosophy, literature and other subjects pertaining to aspects of the intellectual and cultural activities in the country are included. Manuscript Sources helps in locating genealogical material in the National Library of Ireland and major collections of Irish interest in other repositories, both public and private, in Ireland, Britain and elsewhere. It’s an important, little-used source partly because many researchers are 1) not aware it exists, and 2) not sure how it will help in their research efforts. The intent of this article is to explain the arrangement of the 11 volumes and 3 supplementary volumes in the set.

Persons or names (volumes 1-4)
This index includes the names of people, institutions, societies and such, arranged in alphabetical order.

Subjects (volumes 5-6)
Subjects in these volumes include religious and political organizations. An extensive list of the subjects in these two volumes is at the beginning of volume.

Places (volume 7-8)
Part 1: A place index in alphabetical listing by province (Connaught, Leinster, Munster and Ulster).

Part 2: The largest part of the index is an alphabetical listing by county. Each county has a list of places (townlands, town, cities or parishes) within the county. Items without a specific place, or with multiple places, are included under the county. Note: A diocesan list is at the end of volume 8.

Dates (volume 9-10)
Date entries are arranged in chronological order from the earliest to the latest date. Listings for the same date are often, but not always, arranged in alphabetical order by the name of the repository.

Manuscripts (volume 11)
Part 1: A list of unpublished catalogs and bibliographies.

Part 2: A list of manuscripts in private collections, arranged in alphabetically by the name of the owner.

Part 3: A list of manuscripts in public collections, arranged alphabetically by the town and institute where the manuscript is deposited. This is the largest part of the volume.

Part 4: A list of Gaelic manuscripts in private collections, arranged alphabetically by the name of the town.

Part 5: A list of Gaelic manuscripts in public collections arranged alphabetically by the town an institution where the manuscript is deposited.

Parts 6-7: Lists of manuscripts arranged by centuries when they were written, such as those before 1500 and those from 1500 to 1900. They are then arranged alphabetically by the place where they are deposited.

Supplement Volumes
The three volume supplement, published in 1979, is an index to additional manuscripts sources in public and private collections identified between 1965 and 1975. The same arrangement used in the previous eleven volumes continues in the supplement.

Periodical Sources
Periodical Sources for the History of Irish Civilisation was published in 1970. Articles included in the nine volumes also relate to genealogy, history, science, philosophy, literature and other subjects pertaining to aspects of the intellectual and cultural activities in the country. The general arrangement of the volumes is similar to the manuscript index. A list of the periodicals and articles appears on pages v-vii in the front of volume 1.

A list of topics in the Subjects index is at the front of volume 6.

The Places index only includes places in Ireland. Places outside Ireland are listed in the Subjects indexes.