Central Bank Archive FAQ

The Archive is situated on the ground floor of Central Bank of Ireland, New Wapping Street, North Wall Quay, Dublin 1

You can plan your journey at https://www.theaa.ie/routes/. The closest Luas stop is Spencer Dock, which is a five minute walk away.

The Archive is open by appointment only on Tuesday-Friday, 10am-4pm.

When you have selected the item(s) you would like to view on the Archive catalogue, a tab titled “Arrange an Appointment” will appear on the sidebar, where you will be prompted to fill in a web form with the following details:

• Name
• Email
• Contact Number
• Preferred Date
• Preferred Time

The Archives team will receive this information, and you will receive a confirmation of your appointment or will be notified of an alternative time available.

Please note that you will need to make the appointment two-three days in advance of your preferred date in order to provide time for the material to be prepared.

When you arrive at the Central Bank of Ireland, you will be required to present yourself at reception and sign-in using the Visitor Management System. You will then be lead into a waiting area behind reception, where you will place your bags/coats etc. in a cloakroom, and will wait until a member of the Archive team escorts you to the Reading Room.

You can request to view up to 25 files per appointment. Only five files can be provided at any given time. When you have completed your research, we will then provide you with the next five files.

If you find that you have run out of time, and have not consulted all the files you requested, it is possible for us to hold the files for you to view them within the next three days, provided there is an appointment available.

Yes, two forms of ID are required to confirm your identity – one photographic (e.g. driving licence) and the other showing your address (e.g. bank statement or utility bill). You will also be requested to complete a Reader Registration Form. The forms of identity must be originals; photocopies will not be accepted.

No. Only catalogued descriptions are available online. As the materials/files have not yet been digitised, they are not available to be viewed online.

Unless otherwise stated, the Central Bank of Ireland is the sole owner of copyright on all material. No person shall publish or reproduce the whole, or any part, of any material in the Central Bank Archive without the written consent of the Central Bank.

When quoting Central Bank material under copyright, sufficient acknowledgement must be given to identify the repository, title, author, and correct document references. Researchers will be responsible for copyright compliance.

There are no parking facilities at the Central Bank of Ireland. However, there are car parks situated at Spencer Dock, North Wall Quay, the Point Village, and at 1 Common Street, in the IFSC, all of which are within a ten-minute walk.

Yes, the building is wheelchair accessible.

No charges are placed on reproductions, as we do not provide a copying service. You may take photographs with your camera/phone/device free of charge.

Coats and bags must be stored at reception. Items permitted in the Reading Room include cameras, phones, iPads, laptops, pencils and paper.

No, not all our collections are presently online. The catalogue is added to monthly and is slowly growing. If you find that the material you would like to view is not online, you can e-mail [email protected]. We will do a search for the material and, where the material is over 30 years of age, access will be provided.

Records are generally made available to the public when they are over 30 years old. Some restrictions may apply.

Yes. Restrictions on access to records in the archive may apply. For example, the Central Bank of Ireland has statutory obligations with regard to data protection and professional secrecy that may require it to restrict access.

Also, it may not be possible to make records available for security reasons.

The Central Bank of Ireland Archive principally consist of records created in the course of business. It includes:

• Policies and procedures governing the activities and transactions of the Central Bank’s organisational units
• Analysis, reports and reviews of performance against organisational strategies and objectives
• Correspondence with the public, State agencies, international institutions, suppliers and regulated entities
• Production and issue statistics in relation to euro banknotes and coins
• Statistical data and analysis concerning the banking and financial system
• Reports on monitoring and inspection of supervised financial entities
• Records relating to the recruitment, management, remuneration, and entitlements of staff
• Specialist advice, briefings, agendas, minutes, working papers, and consultations for internal use.

Furthermore, the Archive holds collections of photographs, artefacts, maps and plans, and material relating to Currency Commission, the Commercial Buildings Company, and various properties owned by the Central Bank, dating back to 1786.

Unfortunately we cannot do research on your behalf. If the material you are seeking does not appear on the online catalogue, the Archive can conduct searches for it, but you will have to make an appointment to conduct the research yourself.

Due to the fragility and uniqueness of some of the records held here, and the care needed while handling the material, the Archive may not be suitable for children. It is requested that any person under the age of 18, wishing to visit the Archive, e-mail [email protected] prior to making an appointment.