How to Search

The Property Losses (Ireland) Committee website consists of a series of digitised applications for compensation for damage or loss of property caused directly, or indirectly, by events of the 1916 Rising. Indirect loss generally relates to the collapse of buildings as a result of fire or structural damage, or to the looting of goods and personal belongings following the breakdown in law and order.

Property is widely defined, and damage to property can consist of the destruction of a physical structure, the loss of personal belongings or the loss of materials or machinery situated within a building or business premises.

Search by Claimant

A claimant is the individual or business in whose name a claim for compensation is made. Claims made by businesses have been indexed separately.

A claimant can be the owner of the building; the occupier of the building, including private individuals and businesses; or a business in which third party possessions were stored, such as paintings by various artists destroyed in the Royal Hibernian Academy, or jewellery and watches lost in establishments such as Hopkins and Hopkins, who made and repaired items for clients throughout Ireland. Multiple claims are reasonably common, particularly among building owners or landlords with many property interests. Many of the claims for physical structures provide a wealth of information, including the names of all individuals with a legal interest in that property, regardless of whether they had made a claim or not.

The tab called View Records by Claimant will produce a list of all claimants by surname in alphabetical order. For example, a search for Hanna Sheehy Skeffington can be carried out via the alphabetical list under S. A search by surname is also possible using the claimant search box, where the surname is known, or by using the Key Word search box.

Search by Location

Location relates to the area in which the property is situated or to the home address of the claimant. A claimant does not necessarily have the same address as the location of the property for a number of reasons. The claimant may be the owner or landlord of a building in which they do not normally reside. They may also be an individual or business who has had to relocate due to the destruction. This is particularly common for individuals who had lodgings included as part of their employment, such as some shop assistants or chambermaids.

The tab called View Records by Location will produce a list of all claims by place in alphabetical order. For example, a search for Moore Street can be carried out via the alphabetical list under M or a search for all claims in Wexford can be found under W. A search by location is also possible using the location search box, where the address is known, or by using the Key Word search box.

Search by Business

A business may have made a claim in its own name or in the name of a representative, or it may appear as part of a third party claim, where the business in question stored goods on behalf of an individual or business. For example, the stores of the British and Irish Steam Packet Company Limited and Tedcastle McCormick and Company Limited, both of which were located on Sir John Rogerson’s Quay, suffered extensive looting of goods stored on behalf of businesses and individuals importing and exporting goods.

The tab called View Records by Business will produce a list of all business claimants by name in alphabetical order. For example, a search for Alexander Thom and Company Limited can be carried out via the alphabetical list under A. A search by business is also possible using the business search box where the name is known, or by using the Key Word search box.

Key Word Search

A key word search allows researchers to optimise the information available. It is useful to researchers seeking specific details about particular types of claims, or conversely may help those who do not have very detailed information about a claim.

For example, a key word search using Moore Street will return all claims with Moore Street in the address of the claimant or the location of the property. A search for curtains will return all claims where curtains are specifically mentioned.

Researchers should note that where an item is not specifically mentioned there is no way to determine the nature of the item in question without opening the digitised image, which is available to download on the website. For example, a claim for the loss of a watch may have been made, but it may be described as the loss of ‘property under repair’.