Business archival sources for the local historian

Ciarán Ó hÓgartaigh & Margaret Ó hÓgartaigh

‘A valuable collection of the “who”, “what”, “where” and “how-to” of business history … 'brings together the expertise troika of the socio-economic historian, the accountant and the accounting historian. The authors are already well-immersed in such research: they have singly and jointly published much related work ... The footnotes are particularly informative in the practical matter of archive address, access, and opening times, and there are further valuable pointers towards catalogues and valuable published and on-line guides … this is a very readable book, well-grounded in the research expertise of its authors, clearly and logically arranged, and an invaluable guide for anyone considering the use of business records in historical research', Maura Cronin, Saothar (2011).

‘Business history is a staple component of local history which can also spill over into genealogy and feed into wider social history. From the bakery and brewery to the haberdasher and undertaker – all usually family-owned – this is a rich field of study. The local historian can run up against a twofold problem: where to find the records of such firms and how to interpret them. One of the Maynooth Research Guides for Irish Local History, this addresses both problems with chapters on the relevance and interpretation of business records, in which archives to find the sources, and how to use them', Books Ireland (Summer 2010).

‘A resource which is often overlooked by genealogists and local historians has been rendered hugely more accessible by a recent publication by Four Courts Press … this type of work is long overdue … the two appendices are excellent as they provide listings of sources in the National Archives of Ireland and the Public Records of Northern Ireland. They bibliography will be of considerable assistance to those researching particular industries, professions, trades or corporate bodies … this short book is certainly a must for any genealogist or local historian, and, no doubt, there is an enormous amount of work yet to be done to comprehensively locate and record Irish business archival sources', Michael Merrigan, Ireland’s Genealogical Gazette (August 2010).

‘A unique and an important book perhaps fortuitously timed in its publication in an Ireland suddenly aware of the importance of business and corporate governance', Caroloviana (2010).

‘... informative, easy to read and interesting ... it will be a useful and important guide, not only as a source of information regarding archive resources but also as an encouragement to use a greater level of imagination in how that research may be approached', Fionnuala Doris, Ríocht na Midhe (2011).