Kildare County Council Minute Book 1939-1950 now online
Kildare County Archives is pleased to make a further volume of the minutes of Kildare County Council from 03 November 1939 – 28 August 1950 available online here in addition to the sixteen volumes covering the years 1899-1939 previously available. The digitisation has been supported under the 2026 Commemorations fund of the Department of Culture, Communications and Sport. This volume includes the period of World War II, known in Ireland as The Emergency. The minutes of 26 July 1940 record that a letter was read from Mr. J. Barry Brown, County Registrar, suggesting that outside the entrance to the cells in Naas Courthouse be temporarily roofed or protected in case of Air Raids. The matter was referred to the County Surveyor. In August 1940 the Council received a letter from the Minister of Defence in relation to Air Raid Precaution Schemes to include arrangements in respect of fire-fighting, first aid, and private shelters.
Tuberculosis (TB) was a leading cause of death in Irish children during this period, driven by overcrowded, damp, and poorly ventilated housing, and high levels of poverty. The Council operated a County Tuberculosis Scheme under which Tuberculosis Dispensaries were held fortnightly at Athy, Kildare, Naas, Newbridge and Monasterevan and monthly at Maynooth. The minutes of 20 November 1944 included the quarterly report of the County Medical Officer of Health which stated that there were 35 dispensary days and a total attendance of 388 patients; 21 new patients were examined and 11 were found to be non-tuberculous, 38 specimens of sputa were examined; 19 domiciliary visits were made by Tuberculosis Medical Officer and 12 by other medical practitioners.
Kildare County Council was established by the Local Government (Ireland) Act, 1898, introduced by the British Government, replacing the Grand Jury system of local government which had been in place since medieval times, as well as some functions of the Poor Law Unions. The 1898 Act also established five Rural District Councils in the county which became responsible for roads and public works, as well as housing and rural sanitation and two Urban District Councils in Athy and Naas (formally Town Commissioners). The Act also extended the right to vote in local elections to all householders and women who were heads of a household. Kildare County Council held its first meeting on 22 April 1899 in the Courthouse, Naas. It was responsible for the management of the administration and financial business of the county, including burial grounds, main roads, courthouse, coroners, and agricultural and technical instruction committees. In 1923 under the Local Government (Temporary Provisions) Act, county boards of assistance were established which administered health and welfare schemes previously run by the abolished Boards of Guardians. The Local Government Act, 1925 abolished the Rural District councils and their duties were transferred to county councils. The sanitary, health and housing functions were discharged by the county council though the new county board of health. The County Management Act, 1940, which came into operation in 1942, abolished the committees dealing with various functions, as well as taking direct control of health and public assistance.
The minute books record the Councillors present at each meeting, the annual election of a Chairman and Vice-Chairman and the appointment of Rate Collectors and other officers. They include reports from the County Surveyor and the various committees of the Council such as the Finance Committee and Roads Committee. Record the proposals for works, works carried out, contracts, tenders for new works and payments made by the Council. Details the vacancies and resignations in the Council and refers on occasion to the staff of the County Council. Records the correspondence of the Council and their resolutions, resolutions of sympathy and resolutions made with regard to matters of local, national and international significance. Details the financial relationship of the Council with other local authorities such as the Naas and Athy Urban District Councils and the County Kildare Board of Health and Public Assistance. Lists the recipients of Scholarships and of Poor Law Union pensions. Contains records of deputations to the Council meetings. The Minutes are recorded in bound volumes which include handwritten, printed or typed pages and soft cover printed books. On 21 June 1920 a motion proposed by Cllr. Éamonn Ó Modhráin and seconded by Cllr. Tom Harris ‘that this council….hereby acknowledge the authority of Dáil Éireann as the duly elected government of the Irish people’ was passed (KCC/M/11). The Tuberculosis Officer, Joseph P. Daly, reported in February 1924 that of sixteen applicants for Sanatorium Benefit, six were recommended for treatment at Peamount Sanatorium, six for Dispensary treatment and four were put on treatment in their own homes (KCC/M/12). Also contains discussions on matters such as arterial drainage of the lands of County Kildare (KCC/M/12) and the maintenance of roads given the increase of motor traffic (KCC/M/16). Lists the recipients of Scholarships and of Poor Law Union pensions. Contains records of deputations to the Council meetings.
The volumes contain some handwritten minutes, as well as rough minutes; the majority consist of printed minutes. Some of the minutes were printed in a volume as a single year. Please note that many of the bound volumes contain one or more years of minutes, and therefore there is some overlapping of months and years. There are also some gaps in the minutes where volumes have not survived.
