Senior Civil Servants

Voltex

Hi,
I know my grandfather was assistant secretary general in the Dept. of Justice up until about 1983/4/5. I just don't have exact dates. Does anyone know where I can go to find any lists of people serving in that post around that time?

L1011

IPA Handbooks of old, which some libraries will have, will detail all of that. Generally down to PO/PO1 department depending are listed.

I'm not 100% sure if appointments are recorded in Iris Oifiguil but I'll check with my own father who was appointed as an Assistant Sec Gen within the era of what they've archived online.

edit: They don't appear to be.

KildareFan

I'm sure that the civil service have files on staff - only way to find out is to ask.

Descendants of Guinness employees are in luck, because Guinness has kept a file on all employees going back to the early1800s. I have seen my grandfather's file and that of his two brothers. This included details on their health, height, weight when they started, salary, any accidents or misdemeanours, retirement pension, as well as details on their wife & children.

You can check the Guinness website for some basic details of former employees at http://www.guinness-storehouse.com/en/GenealogySearch.aspx & then make an appointment to view the records.

Qualitymark

Or you could ask the Department. Ring up and ask for the Information Officer.

Peregrinus

The Stationery Office used to bring out an annual publication called something like "Eolaí an Stáit", which was basically a fairly comprehensive directory of names, addresses and contact details for all government offices and their staff. It was mainly for internal use but there would definitely be copies in reference libraries. I don't know whether they still bring it out - I suspect things like intranets have made it obsolete - but it was certainly coming out on an annual basis in the 1980s, and an Assistant Secretary would be in it. (They didn't have Assistant Secretaries General in the 1980s.) Officers below the rank of Assistant Secretary would also be in it, so by going back through the years you should be able to trace your grandfather's career, or at least the more senior part of it, up to the post from which he retired.

KildareFan

If I remember correctly from my brief career as a civil servant, there was a list of every public servant with the date they were appointed as promotion was always based on seniority in those days.

The UK has a site for searching civil servants: http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/records/looking-for-person/civil-crown-servant.htmhttp://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/records/looking-for-person/civil-crown-servant.htm

Unfortunately I can't find a similar one for Irish civil servants.

Jellybaby1

KildareFan wrote: »

.....Unfortunately I can't find a similar one for Irish civil servants.

Over the years I have realised that for a country 'steeped' in history, and which sells its history all over the world in the noble cause of tourism, Ireland is at different times (a) careless with its history and (b) too darned secretive about its history.

Qualitymark

But once again, may I suggest that you phone the Information Officer of the Department in question, who should be able to give you a timeline of your grandfather's career.