Minute Books

Click here to download the Archive 1899 - 2000 Waterford County Council Minutes (adobe .pdf, 58 kbs)

A broad range of information is available in the Minute Books of Waterford County Council relating not only to the work of the County Council but also to events of local and national significance.

 The development of Waterford County and the services provided by Waterford County Council can be traced in the Minute Books. The development of the infrastructure of Waterford County can clearly be followed in the details of road works and other vital services in the County. The broad range of interests of the Council throughout the County and the representations made by special interest groups in the County mean that the history of the development of modern Waterford is recorded within the Minutes of the Council.  Click here to see Council proposals.

Resolutions of the County Council give an insight into national and international events. The Minute Books contain an important record of local views of these events. The resolutions of the Council in relation to the 1916 Rising are a clear indication of the change of heart experienced throughout Ireland (WCC/1/3). During the War of Independence the Council made their loyalty to Dáil Eireann clear and as a result suffered a loss of funding from the Local Government Board (WCC/1/4-5). The Council does not hesitate to give its views on international events such as the Boer War, World Wars I and II, the assassination of John F. Kennedy and the invasion of Czechoslovakia by Russia.

Evidence of the development of Waterford County and Ireland as a whole can be found in the Minute Books. Reference can be found to the increase of motor traffic on the roads, the development of the Tourism Industry and the closure of the Railway Stations that at one time were dotted throughout every town in Ireland.

The Minute Books of Waterford County Council are a very valuable resource and are a source of information on a wide range of subjects. The Minute Books have been arranged in date order with occasional reference to a resolution of note made by the Council. It is not possible to refer to the myriad of valuable information available in the Minute Books so it is important that anyone interested in finding a particular reference or event in the Minute Books is aware that time will need to be spent in locating this information if the date of the meeting in which the matter is discussed is not known.

The Minute Books are largely complete and were stored by the County Secretary. However, for the period 9 June 1948 until circa 28 May 1956 the Minutes were taken to the Courthouse to be studied for an audit and remained in the Courthouse Store until being taken into the Archive Service.

Further information on the work of Waterford County Council can be found within the County Archive Service in collections with the Waterford County Council code. Reference works relating to the Local Government Board and the Department of Local Government and Public Health who oversaw the work of Waterford County Council and also detailing legislation impacting on the County Council, in particular the Local Government (Ireland) Act, 1898 are available in Waterford County Archive Service. A history of Waterford County Council can be found in Comhairle Phoirt Lairge 1899-1999 by Brian McNally and Maurice McHugh, edited by Tom Keith and Donald Brady (available through Waterford County Library Service). Further information on County Councils throughout Ireland can be found in other County Archives and the archives of the Local Government Board and the Government Departments responsible for Local Authorities in the National Archives.