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A historic vertical black and white aerial photo of the city of Cork. The city is located along the banks of a river. A cathedral with 3 spires and a star-shaped fort are visible to the left of the image.
 

Image of the Month:

To celebrate this month's theme of our collaboration with the Irish Defence Forces, our Image of the Month for January comes from the Irish Military Archives. The Irish Military Archives was first established in 1924 as part of Intelligence Branch. In 1990, it was designated as the statutory place of deposit for records of the Irish Defence Forces, including the Irish Air Corps. Aerial reconnaissance is a key function of the Irish Air Corps, and it has been responsible for generating tens of thousands of images that provide repeat coverage of places throughout the Republic of Ireland.

This image shows the city of Cork in the south of Ireland. The River Lee is visible to the north, with the St Nicholas Church and the star-shaped Elizabeth Fort to the west. Cork is the second largest city in the Republic of Ireland after Dublin, with origins in a sixth-century monastic settlement, and an urban history dating back over 1000 years.  

Image credit: Collection: Irish Military Archives, Sortie: AP/V0426/A, Frame: 02634 (20 March 1975) 

View Image in Air Photo Finder


Happy new year, and welcome to our first newsletter of 2026! This month is all about Ireland, and our collaboration with the Irish Defence Forces. January marks the first release of imagery from the Irish Military Archives on our online portal, meaning there are thousands of new images of the Republic of Ireland to explore. You can also find out more about our work with the Irish Military Archives, who have been caring for valuable records and material – including that generated by the Irish Defence Forces – since 1924.

Some of this material relates to the fascinating and once top secret Operation SANDSTONE. This British-Irish collaboration in the 1940s and 1950s was intended to prepare both nations for the doomsday scenario of Soviet invasion and nuclear war. You will soon be able to explore this imagery for yourself on our online portal, so keep an eye out for future imagery uploads and more articles on this top secret operation! 

Working in partnership is an important part of the NCAP mission. It allows us to support other archives around the world through digitising their material, helping them to preserve it for the future. We are also able to make these images accessible on our online portal, engaging the public with them and improving the global coverage we can offer. 

We hope you enjoy exploring this month’s newsletter!    

Best wishes, 

The NCAP Team 
   
   
A historic black and white vertical aerial photo of a grassy headland surrounded by the sea. White waves are breaking on the rocky cliffs. The outline of a defensive fort is visible at the very tip of the headland.   The logo of the Irish Military Archives, showing an open book, their name, the date 1924 and text in Gaelic.
           
Digitising the Irish Military Archives  Irish Defence Forces Collaboration 
   
NCAP has been working with the Irish Defence Forces to digitise tens of thousands of aerial photographs and associated material from the Irish Military Archives. The aim of this collaboration is to digitise and provide access to these extensive holdings of aerial photography.  Since 1990, the Military Archives has been the official place of deposit for records of the Irish Defence Forces. They collect, care for and provide access to military archival material spanning the foundation of the Irish State up until the present day. 
   
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A historic black and white vertical aerial photo of the city of Dublin. To the left are several groups of buildings arranged around courtyards. They form the shape of a Greek cross. To their left are several playing fields.   A monochrome map of the city of Edinburgh. It is overlaid with numerous black and red lines, indicating the flight paths of an aircraft conducting an aerial survey over the city in 1961.
           
Air Photo Finder Latest Releases  National Library of Scotland Map Festival 
   
Our latest release of imagery on Air Photo Finder comprises 16,945 images from across 99 sorties held by the Irish Military Archives dating from the 1940s to the 1990s, digitised and published in a collaboration with the Irish Defence Forces. Ever wondered what secrets lie in a map? Or wanted to go behind the scenes of a major collection? Do you just love maps? If so, and you're in Edinburgh, find NCAP at the Map Festival at the National Library of Scotland, a free drop-in event dedicated to all things cartographic. 
   
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