An archive that lists the 49,000 soldiers from the island of Ireland who died during World War I or as a result of wounds sustained during battle has been made available to the public.

The archive, entitled Ireland’s Memorial Records, has been developed in a cooperative venture involving Google, the In Flanders Fields Museum in Belgium and the Irish Department of Foreign Affairs.

Stories of the fallen

Ireland’s Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, Eamon Gilmore, said: ‘While the digitisation and online access to this record will be a rich resource for genealogy, most significant is its value in facilitating the simple and important act of remembering the individuals, Irish men and women, who lost their lives in World War I.’

‘This work will allow the stories of the fallen to be recorded for the benefit of future generations and will allow us to express our thanks and acknowledge the sacrifice of men who died helping to preserve our freedom.’

The records were first published in 1923 and have now been corrected, updated and made available online. They can be searched by name, place of birth, rank, regiment, service number, date of death and place of burial/commemoration where known.

To access the archive, click here.