The Irish Government has released more than 2,000 new files from the Military Service (1916-1923) Pensions Collection, providing new insight into the post-conflict lives of veterans who fought in the Irish War of Independence and Irish Civil War.
The latest release of records, containing approximately 2,350 files, is the 16th release of the MSPC Project and the first release of 2024.
The MSPC consists of applications for pensions by members of the Irish Volunteers, Citizen Army, Hibernian Rifles, Cumann na mBan, Fianna Éireann, IRA, and their dependents. The collection highlights the kind of lives that veterans lived following Ireland's struggle for independence, showcasing poverty, illness, mental illness, alcoholism, and precarious employment.
The files relate to claims lodged by 967 individuals or their dependents and will allow members of the public to discover more about their ancestors in the lead-up to Irish independence, according to Tánaiste Micheál Martin.
"I am very pleased to announce a further release of historical records contained in the Military Service (1916-1923) Pensions Collection," Martin said in a statement.
"These files offer valuable insights into the first-hand experience of those involved in the struggle for independence and allow members of the public the opportunity to discover more about their ancestors and their community during the period leading up to Irish independence."
Among the 967 individuals whose files have been released, 205 had an address in Cork, 181 in Dublin, and 89 in Northern Ireland.
A further 49 individuals had an address in England, 51 in the USA, eight in Scotland, two in Canada, and two in Australia.
A total of 742 individuals lodged applications under the Military Service Pensions Act of 1934, while 104 people lodged applications under the Military Service Pensions Act of 1924 (National Army Pensions).
Additionally, a further 188 applications, including 14 applications by dependents (widows, mothers, and siblings), were lodged under the Army Pensions Acts (Special Allowances, wounds, disability, and dependents).
Over 124,250 files have now been cataloged as part of the Military Service Pensions Collection, while over 84,000 have been digitized.
The MSPC online database now contains 19,196 individual entries.
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