Hello /r/AskHistorians,
I was wondering what to do with primary documents I have, as I wonder if they have any benefit to putting them out there for others to see. If anyone has any suggestion as to who I should contact or options I have that would be great.
The documents are letters from political prisoners in Ireland in the 1980s. There's a lot of details about politics current to that time, and opinions on what was happening. One of the writers is Michael McHugh, who killed a Garda in 1985, and since has been trying to get released under the Good Friday Agreement. From what I have found, he is still imprisoned.
Thanks!
Contact the National Archives of Ireland. They would be extremely helpful. I'm assuming you're in Ireland (correct me if I'm wrong!) Here is the contact information for this agency-
National Archives of Ireland: http://www.nationalarchives.ie/visit-us/contact-us/
Well, first be sure that you have the right to distribute them. Anything written belongs to its author under copyright law, or to the recipient of the letter depending on which rules apply. You'd have to check with a lawyer, especially if anything seems highly likely to land you in lawsuit territory.
You could consider donating them to a historical society, library, archive, or university, especially if these are original copies. That way they will be preserved, cataloged, and accessible to researchers (and/or the public depending on where you donate them). Often newer documents are scanned and made available online on the archive/library's server space, which could potentially make them even more widely available without much effort from you. It's hard to give a good recommendation of who you should contact, since I know neither where you are nor the specifics of the documents you have. But I suggest looking for an institution with an interest in the subject, especially if you are outside of Ireland.