Sources for the study of crime in Ireland, 1801–1921

Brian Griffin

'Sources for the study of crime in Ireland is part of an excellent series of Maynooth Research Guides under the general editorship of Mary Ann Lyons which will make life a great deal easier for researchers in Irish history at all levels, at that sometimes difficult phase of identifying and locating the main primary sources for their work', Books Ireland.

‘[This book], like those previously published as part of the Maynooth Research Guides for Irish Local History, provide invaluable detail and guidance to historical researchers about accessing, utilising and evaluating specific bodies of source material. The expertise of the authors of these guides in identifying and outlining in a succinct and insightful manner the content, usefulness and shortcomings of these important collections can come only from those with personal experience of using this material over a number of years … In setting the sources in context Griffin provides a very useful overview of the working of English law and order in Ireland during the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. The vast array of primary source material available is outlined in a clear, concise manner, and the use of case studies vividly illustrates the richness of the documentary evidence available … Griffin’s ability to identify the bias and inadequacies of some of the material that he details is invaluable to the researcher new to crime records … what emerges from these [Guides] is the enthusiasm and passion that each author has for the use of the respective bodies of source material they examine. The insights offered by each author into the potential of these sources are encouraging for researchers beginning their own studies. Both the historian of long years and those new to the discipline will glean a lot of pertinent information and guidance from these books and from this series of publications generally', Jonathan Cherry, Irish Economic and Social History (2009).