MEMBERS of the public will soon be able to view some of the most significant historical documents held by the National Archives in the Republic, including the Anglo-Irish Treaty.
To mark the centenary of the negotiation and signing of the treaty in 1921, a programme of events will take place including an exhibition at Dublin Castle.
Official documents and private papers, including the Anglo-Irish Treaty document, will be on show as part of the 'Decade of Centenaries 2012-2023 programme'.
The exhibition will first be on show at the British Academy in London from October 11, and then onto Dublin from December 6 - the dates marking the centenary of the start of the treaty negotiations and the signing of the Anglo-Irish Treaty.
A programme of workshops, curated talks and a digital programme as well as guided tours, designed to "encourage historical enquiry and the understanding of the impact and legacy of the events that occurred during the revolutionary period" will accompany the exhibition.
Orlaith McBride, director of the National Archives, said: "This will be the first time that these documents will have been on public display.
"The exhibition is for everyone, but we would particularly encourage schools and young people to come along and see everything from the Treaty document itself to records relating to life in London for the delegation from October to December 1921 as well as original cabinet minutes, correspondence, secret drafts, private papers, photographs and much more.
"I’d really encourage everybody to come along and see for themselves records relating to the foundation of the modern Irish State."
The National Archives has also appointed John Beattie as its artist-in-residence, to "engage with its collections, to reflect in imaginative ways on the contemporary resonance of particular episodes from the 1921-1923 period".
