Wilson's Directory (1751-1837)
Part of the so-called Treble Almanack it consisted purely of alphabetical lists of merchants and traders, supplying name, address and occupation. In the early years these were quite scanty, but grew steadily over the decades. As well as merchants and traders, the last decades of the 18th century also saw the inclusion of separate lists of officers of the city guilds and of Trinity College, state officials, those involved in the administration of medicine and the law, Church of Ireland clergy etc. The range of people covered expanded considerable, if a little eccentrically, in the early 19th century. The most permanent addition was a new section, added in 1815, which covered the nobility and gentry. As well as this, a number of other listings of potential use to readers were added, though some appear only intermittently. Persons covered by these lists include pawnbrokers, bankers, apothecaries, police, dentists, physicians, militia officers, and ships' captains.

Pettigrew and Oulton's Dublin Almanac and General Register of Ireland
It began annual publication in 1834 and included a street-by-street listing, initially only of the inhabitants of Dublin proper, but enlarged year by year to encompass the suburbs. From 1835, this listing was supplemented by an alphabetical list of the individuals recorded. In theory at least, the combination of the two listings should now make it possible to track the movements of individuals around the city, an important feature, since changes of address were very frequent in the 19th century. The common practice was to rent rather than purchase. Unfortunately, in practice the alphabetical list is much less comprehensive than the street list. Pettigrew and Oulton extended even further the range of persons covered. The officers of virtually every Dublin institution, club and society are recorded and the clergy of all denominations are included. Another significant difference from the earlier Treble Almanack that should be kept in mind is the extension of the coverage outside the Dublin area.

Alexander Thom's Irish Almanac and Official Directory
The successor to Pettigrew and Oulton began in 1844 and has continued publication up to the present. As the name implies, it continued the extension of coverage outside Dublin. To take one year as an example, the 1870 edition includes, as well as the alphabetical and street listings for Dublin, alphabetical lists of the following for the entire country:

Although Thom's is generally regarded as a Dublin directory, its usefulness goes well beyond Dublin.

The best collections of these directories are in the National Archives of Ireland and the National Library of Ireland.

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