Times Online - Free Introductory Period
The Times newspaper recently launched the Times Archive online, which allows subscribers to access every issue published between 1785-1985. Published in London, it covers events that took place in Ireland as well as Great Britain.
The newspapers have been digitally scanned and are fully searchable. Even better, for a limited period access to all articles is free - all you have to do is register on the site to start browsing. The interactive tour is helpful, although when it came to registering on the site, there was no registration button at the top of the site as stated. However, if you search for an item on the site and then click on one of the pages that is returned you are prompted to register. Registration is a simple two-step process, simply enter your details and then verify via an email link.
The site is very user friendly. Enter a search term and then you can narrow down the results by category, for instance ‘Birth Marriages and Deaths’ or ‘Obituary.’ The article in which the search term is mentioned will be highlighted for you, and if you choose to print then what you see on the screen is what you will get. If that’s not what you want then use the click and drag technology to adjust the area you want to save or print.
It is also possible to refine your search further by category e.g. politics or law, or topic e.g. Catholic emancipation, Irish Free State. Of interest also is the detailed topic page (accessed via http://archive.timesonline.co.uk/tol/archive/topics/) including links to articles concerning the Parnell Letters, the Trials of Oscar Wilde and James Joyce’s Ulysses.