[Nat'l Archives/] [History] [Towns and parishes ]
[County Libraries ] [Nat'l Library]
Irish records are not as plentiful as they may be in other regions of the world. Much of the population, during the 18th and 19th centuries were tenant farmers and such, causing little need for written records. Unskilled labourers were not routinely noted in the published directories, as was the practice in the United States; Few directories have been filmed and are for sale. Free access is only available in libraries in Ireland.
Civil Registration was not mandated until 1864.
Censuses were taken every 10 years, since 1821. Unfortunately they have not survived, except for small excerpts ,due to fire and/or government ordered destruction. 1901 and 1911 are available for research through the LDS.
Griffith's Valuation (1850s) and the Tithe's(1830s) are difficult, at best, if you are researching a common name. Listing only name and 'townland' within a parish, with the rare exception of an occupation, makes it almost impossible to positively identify your forbear. Should you have an uncommon surname, then they are well worth utilizing. Griffith's is available on CD through Broderbund Software.
The computerization of RC church records has been performed. Unfortunately, there is no public access. You must pay the individual county heritage society, in Ireland, to perform a search. Many of these records have been filmed by LDS, though County Wexford is not well represented. Few RC parishes kept records before 1800, many did not start until the mid 19th century. Access to most Protestant and RC records may be obtained by writing directly to the parish. Content and availability vary.
Researching before the Civil Registration period takes some imagination and a bit of luck. Many graveyard transciptions have been done by lover's of Irish history and genealogy. Unfortunately, most could not afford the luxury of a headstone. Even if you never find one for your own ancestor, they offer a rich look into the convictions of these fine souls. So enjoy learning of Ireland's 'grand' customs and turbulent history along the way.
Exhaust every effort to locate the name of a 'townland' or parish in your forbear's adopted country, before attempting to research in Ireland. This is especially true for common names. A 'county' is helpful but it is rarely enough in this situation.Had not my second cousin discovered an obituary for our ggrandfather-
| RECORD SEARCH | Off site search of over a million Birth and Marriage records for Counties Cavan, Donegal, Leitrim, Limerick, Sligo & WEXFORD, at https://www.irishgenealogy.ie | |
| Irish and American Marriages in Liverpool | Some marriages (1800-1900), in Liverpool England, giving USA as address. Also a kind offer, by Patrick NEILL,to perform a lookup in index of approx. 64,000 (mostly Irish) marriages | |
| Geography | Brian Mitchell's geographical and political boaundaries in Ireland and their use in genealogy. | |
| Abstracts Irish Wills | Abstracts 1715-1785. Contributed by Joe Mack | |
| NYC Emigrant Savings Bank | 1850s-1869s Index for NYC Emigrant Savings Bank records. Mostly Irish account holders. Submitted by Nancy Pfaff to the Shamrock mailing list at Rootsweb. | |
| RC Parish Transcriptions | Link to Misc. Parish Records of Counties Wexford, Tipperary and Kilkenny. Transcriptions by Nancy Reeb of LDS Film #0100158 | |
| Teacher's Records | Guidelines for researching National School teachers,during the 19th century | |
| St Kieran's College | College Staff 1800s including my ggrandfather John Ryan | |
| Map Locator | Searchable Map locator for anywhere in Ireland...similiar to 'mapquest' in the US. | |
| Poor Law Unions | Link to Peter Higginbotham's page listing all for Ireland |
Help needed! If you have ANY public domain records relating to ANYWHERE in Ireland, please consider submitting them to this site. (Public domain includes anything published 72 or more years ago.) What kinds of documents are we looking for? We are looking for Deeds, Wills, Marriage Records, Census Records, Bible records, Photos, etc. You will receive credit for any transcription you submit to us, on the page which it is posted. You shall also retain copyright of the material. If you have anything to donate or lend us, please send us e-mail at [email protected].
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