Basic Irish Records

Optional Print Course Material: Irish: Understanding Ireland, History and Source Records

*Course material will only be sent to students who are registered in the course.

In no country, more than Ireland, is it imperative that one understands some of the local history, past machination of records, and knowledge of what source records have been created versus what is available. 

This course will discuss the importance of preliminary research in one’s home country and then provide a brief history of Ireland which is useful, if not imperative, in understanding the nature and value of record sources within Ireland. From here, the discussion will be what genealogical records can tell us, with brief overviews of the administrative (civil and ecclesiastical) divisions within the island, and a discussion on Irish place names and family names. 

The course will conclude with a brief discussion on the types of records available for research in Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland (Eire), the importance of understanding maps for the region, and migration patterns. 

Optional Print Course Material: Irish: Archival Repositories

*Course material will only be sent to students who are registered in the course.

This course presents an overview of the archival and repository centres throughout the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland for conducting Irish research. Emphasis is on available records and those held by FamilySearch and other repositories.

We discuss the types of records available at various repositories, their availability, and how to access the source records, online and on-site.

This course builds on preliminary content discussed in the Irish: Understanding Ireland, History and Source Records course.

Optional Course Print Material: Irish: Census and Census Substitute Records

*Course material will only be sent to students who are registered in the course.

The loss of historical census records for Ireland has been devastating. Many censuses still exist; however, they are neither comprehensive nor fully extant. 

This course discusses the importance of census records and their availability for locality and time period. Also discussed are the various census forms and census substitutes (1630-present) which exist for Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. Various government surveys—of land and people—which act as census substitutes in the absence of censuses are included.

Optional Print Course Material: Irish: Religious Records

*Course material will only be sent to students who are registered in the course.

The course examines the differences between the various forms of church (parish) records in Ireland and in particular between the Roman Catholic Church, to which the vast majority of Irish people belonged, and the conformist records of the Church of Ireland. Which was the official state church until 1869. Different time periods will be covered in relation to:

• historical backgrounds
• content of records
• availability of/access to records
• effective research procedures.

We will also touch on the extensive collection of marriage licenses (1623-1866) and comment on their historical background, contents, value, and availability to researchers.

Life events (birth, death, and marriage) became vital source records for genealogists with the implementation of civil registration. In Ireland, due to political issues, civil registration began in two stages. This course will discuss civil birth, marriage, and death records from 1864 and non-Catholic/secular marriage records from April 1845.

In addition, the course discusses the contents, availability, how the documentation changed over time, the limitations and advantages of civil vital records, and effective research strategies for using this record type.