The National Herbarium of Ireland, situated in Glasnevin, Dublin, has successfully ingested a new digital collection into the Digital Repository of Ireland (DRI), making over five thousand images of Irish plant specimens accessible online. This repository currently holds documentation on more than half a million dried specimens globally, with the newly digitized assets focusing specifically on the flora of Ireland.
This ongoing collaboration marks the third collection added by the Herbarium to the DRI platform, following previous ingestions related to botanical archives of James Ponsonby Brunker and Robert Lloyd Praeger. Taken together, these efforts have resulted in the ingestion of over six thousand objects into the central repository.
The digitized specimens capture critical data points, according to Dr. Colin Kelleher, Taxonomist and Keeper of the Herbarium. He stated that these specimens document a specific moment in time, retaining data on plant-environment interactions alongside the human history of their collection.
These botanical records function as a vital reference center, supporting research into both Irish and international botany. The Herbarium's physical holdings also include approximately twenty thousand samples of plant products, such as fruits, seeds, and wood, alongside extensive archival material on Irish horticultural history.
The data housed within these digital assets is expected to become a substantial resource for plant conservation efforts. Furthermore, historians studying the natural sciences will gain access to rich biological and historical context previously confined to physical archives.
DRI expressed its satisfaction in incorporating this valuable scientific and cultural collection into its digital infrastructure. The repository hosts other relevant environmental and agricultural collections, such as the Clare Memories ‘Traditional Farming and Nature’ archive.
Researchers and the public can now access the complete National Herbarium of Ireland digital collection via the DRI Repository. This move enhances the accessibility of primary source material for ecological study and historical documentation across the region.
