ArchivUL Detectives
Helping young historians ask great questions!
ArchivUL Detectives is a pilot project, producing educational resource pack for primary schools, developed by the Special Collections and Archives Department at the Glucksman Library, University of Limerick.
The Special Collections and Archives Department at UL was established in 1998. Our core mission is to collect, preserve and encourage access to collections of archives and rare books relating to Limerick, the wider Munster region and beyond. We support and collaborate in teaching and research at UL, and are just as passionate about engaging with community groups and schools to inspire a new generation of young researchers.
ArchivUL Detectives invites primary school pupils to become history detectives by exploring primary sources (real documents or photographs from the past), held in the archives at UL. Each pack contains a careful selection of primary sources relevant for each school, as well as a set of discussion topics and worksheets that work in tandem to help children interrogate the source material. This material relates to the school’s geographical locality, so the children can immediately identify and relate to the material. It aims to inspire curiosity, creativity, and above all develop critical thinking skills, helping children to ask questions, make connections, and discover why history matters.
We sincerely hope both teachers and children enjoy using this pack to step back in time and become ArchivUL Detectives!
Access resource material for Quin Dangan NS here.
Dr Kirsten Mulrennan
Manager, Special Collections and Archives, University of Limerick Library
September 2026
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