(Above) The website will showcase more than 3,000 depositions from manuscripts held at Trinity College Dublin
Eyewitness statements describing scenes of violence and murder from the 17th century Irish rebellion are to be made available to the public online.
The documents, which are held at Trinity College Dublin, consist of 3,400 depositions but were previously too sensitive to be accessed. Digitizing the archives will allow them to be freely researched.
"This body of material provides a unique source of information for the causes and events surrounding the 1641 rebellion," said TCD Professor Jane Ohlmeyer, pointing to the "social, economic, cultural, religious, and political history of 17th century Ireland, England and Scotland."
The Catholic Irish rebellion of 1641 was the beginning of the Irish Confederate Wars. The conflict originated between native Irish and English and Scottish Protestant settlers, leading to one of the most violent periods in Irish history.
Users will be able to register and log on to the website to research the archives, which are listed by county.
Information for the Ulster region of the country are currently available, and the depositions for all other provinces are expected to be available on the website by September 2010.
Digital images, transcripts and the formulation of databases will be searchable across a wide variety of fields.
The project was supported by a €1m investment and the work of academics at Trinity College Dublin (TCD) and the universities of Cambridge and Aberdeen.
