The Irish Newspaper Archives: 250 Years of Digitised History
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Show Notes
Welcome to another episode of pplpod! Today, we dive into the fascinating story behind the Irish Newspaper Archives (INA), the world's largest and oldest commercial online database of digitised Irish newspapers. Whether you are conducting Irish history research, looking into genealogy in Ireland, or simply curious about historical newspapers, this episode explores the ultimate online database for tracing Irish roots.
We cover the archive's humble beginnings in the 1960s when Alan Martin founded a microfilming service for publishers and libraries throughout Ireland. We then trace its evolution into a massive digital platform in the early 21st century, noting how it remains an independent, family-run enterprise managed by the Martin family to this day. With a collection spanning from 1738 to the present, encompassing over 250 years of daily publications across approximately 260 different Irish newspaper outlets, the INA is a historical treasure trove. Tune in to learn about their recent 2025 collection expansions, subscription options, and how you can access this incredible resource for free at Irish public libraries and universities!
Source credit: Research for this episode included Wikipedia articles accessed 2/27/2026. Wikipedia text is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0; content here is summarized/adapted in original wording for commentary and educational use.