1649. Deputy Aengus Ó Snodaigh asked the Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport his Department’s role in relation to the Irish Manuscripts Commission, including any funding provided over the past ten years. [62216/26]

The Irish Manuscripts Commission (IMC) was established in 1928 and has an important role in the dissemination, preservation and promotion of original source material relating to the history and cultural heritage of Ireland.

The Department provides support to the Commission and maintains an ongoing relationship with it in relation to funding, governance and the delivery of its remit. The Department granted funding of €308,000 in 2026 supporting staff costs, publication activity and general operating costs. The principal function of IMC is the scholarly publication, in print and digital form, of primary historical sources. It has published more than 210 titles and also produces Analecta Hibernica, its long-running series for shorter documentary sources.

The IMC’S publications are available through libraries, including the National Library of Ireland while a substantial and growing body of out-of-print material is freely available online through its Digital Editions service.

The Chair and members of the Commission are appointed by the Minister, with appointments facilitated by the Public Appointments Service in accordance with the arrangements applying to appointments to State boards. The Directors of the National Archives of Ireland and the National Library of Ireland are ex-officio members, as is the Director and Keeper of the Records of the Public Record Office of Northern Ireland.

Further information on the Commission’s publications is available through its publications catalogue (https://www.irishmanuscripts.ie/publications/) and Digital Editions collection (https://www.irishmanuscripts.ie/product-category/imc-digital-editions/?orderby=name).

Details of the current membership of the Commission are also published on the IMC website (https://www.irishmanuscripts.ie/about-us/commission-members/).

Irish Manuscript’s Commission Funding – Annual allocation

* The Irish Manuscripts Commission received additional supplementary funding of €65,000 in 2022 in relation to increasing inflation rates and energy prices.