THE NATIONAL ARCHIVES of Ireland building in Dublin is closed to the public after a leak on the top floor of the building this morning.

The building on Bishop Street will remain closed until Tuesday, 31 October due to allow for essential works to be completed following the leak.

The leak was first detected at around 7.20am this morning and the emergency control plans were activated immediately.

Culture Minister Catherine Martin visited this afternoon to view the damage caused.

She commended the staff at the National Archives for “their speedy management of the situation”.

“Their own staff, their facilities Management Company, the Office of Public Works as well as electricians, plumbers and ICT specialists were on site since early this morning to ensure the situation was brought under control in a timely fashion,” said Martin.
 
She noted the value of the National Archives collections and said that the Department is “committed to ensuring they are supported in any way to ensure their collections are secure for future generation”.
 
Orlaith McBride, Director of National Archives said a conservation team has been on-site all day assessing the extent of the damage.

“The special archival storage boxes and folders used by the National Archives are designed to withstand a high degree of water ingress,” said McBride.

She added: “Any damaged boxes from the affected areas have been removed to secure storage and are undergoing further examination.

“We can confirm that Census 1926 records have not been affected.  
 
“Most of our records have already been moved off-site and are stored in secure storage elsewhere in anticipation of a major redevelopment project which is due to commence shortly.”

The extent of the damage caused by the leak is unknown at this time and The Journal has contacted both the Department and the National Archives for comment,