The Irish Military Archives is the official depository for the records of the Irish Department of Defence, the Defence Forces, and the Army Pensions Board, as established by the National Archives Act of 1986. The function of the archive is to collect, preserve, and make available material relating to the history of the development of the Defence Forces from the formation of the Irish Volunteers in November 1913 to the present day, including overseas service with the United Nations from 1958. Other major collections include: The Archives is located in Cathal Brugha Barracks, Rathmines, Dublin.