Irish Research News

Welcome to the Irish Research News page. Below are some current happenings in the Irish family history community. Stay up to date and read about upcoming Irish genealogy events.

Updates for December 2009

Public Record Office of Northern Ireland

The Public Record Office of Northern Ireland (PRONI) (PRONI) in Belfast will move to a new home in 2011. The move will mean that is present Balmoral Avenue site will be closed to the public between September 2010 and May 2011, but likely the new facilities will be worth the inconvenience. At the same time the second piece of news from PRONI will be unfolding – increased access to its records online!

Updates for November 2009

More Irish County Indexing Centres Online

Another web site hosting indexed/abstracted Irish church records is the http://www.irishgenealogy.ie web site maintained by the government Department of Arts, Sport and Tourism. It has hosted indexes for some Irish counties already, in the "Central Signposting Index." The exciting news is that the site has begun indexing and abstracting church records for County Kerry and Dublin City - they are online now! Other areas to be included are County Carlow, the south and west parts of County Cork, and Cork City. An interesting article on the subject was posted on the Diocese of Kerry web site.

Updates for September 2009

Irish County Indexing Centres Online

The centres of the Irish Family History Foundation have gradually placed indexes to Irish church records online for most of the island in the IFHF Online Research System on the web site http://www.irish-roots.ie . County Derry (Londonderry)  was added this month. The system now includes 28 of the 36 counties on the island of Ireland (including both modern-day Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland).

1911 Census

The 1911 Census of Ireland is now available online on the National Archives of Ireland web site, for all Irish counties, with an index: http://census.nationalarchives.ie .

Ulster Directories

The Public Record Office of Northern Ireland has digitized and indexed various town directories from Ulster (the northern province of Ireland) on its web site at http://streetdirectories.proni.gov.uk/ .

Updates for July 2009

Donegal Records Online

County Donegal records are now available to be searched and purchased online as indexed and abstracted by the heritage centre in County Donegal. This is on the web site of the Irish Family History Foundation at http://www.irish-roots.ie (for Donegal, you can go directly to http://donegal.brsgenealogy.com ).

New Ulster Historical Foundation Website

The new website is at http://www.ancestryireland.com . Plans include adding some 30,000 Church of Ireland baptisms from County Antrim. The Protestant records from counties Antrim and Down (which counties are covered by the Ulster Historical Foundation as part of the Irish Family History Foundation indexing centres) are not yet fully indexed and abstracted.

Updates for June 2009

1911 Census Online

The 1911 Census for nine of the 36 counties in Ireland is now indexed online, and the corresponding census images may be viewed online as well, on the web site of the National Archives of Ireland: http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/ . The counties available are Antrim, Cork, Donegal, Down, Dublin, Galway, Kerry, Offaly (King's), and Wexford. Note that two of these counties are in present-day Northern Ireland, while the other seven are in the present-day Republic of Ireland.

Updates for May 2009

Dublin City Electoral Lists (1939-40)

Lists of those registered to vote in Dublin city in Dail and local elections, for use in polling stations at election time, are now searchable online Electoral Lists (1939-40). The entire series of electoral lists dating 1938 to 1964 is available in the Dublin City Library and Archive Reading Room.

Updates for December 2007

1911 Irish Census Going Online

The National Archives of Ireland, in partnership with Libraries and Archives Canada, is placing the 1911 Irish census online. At this time, records for Dublin are online, and other areas will be added in the future. This includes a transcription and scanned images of each page. The records are available online at http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie.

Updates for September 2007

Family History Library Microfilming

The Genealogical Society of Utah (Mormons) has microfilmed some important additional records at the National Archives of Ireland on Bishop Street, Dublin. These include Landed Estates Court Rentals (along with the Townland Index to them), Old Age Pension 1841/1851 Census Search Forms, Old Age Pension Church of Ireland Parish Search Forms, and Field, House, Rent, and Tenure Books of Griffith's Valuations of Ireland. These sources can now be accessed on microfilm at the Family History Library in Salt Lake City or at any of the FHL's branch family history centers worldwide. 

National Archives Genealogical Service

The National Archives http://www.nationalarchives.ie is the premier place to go for free genealogical advice in Dublin. At the National Archives, there is always a member of the Association of Professional Genealogists on hand to advise readers. 

Catholic Records at the National Library

The National Library of Ireland in Dublin has microfilm copies of the Roman Catholic records for most parishes in Ireland. At this time, only two dioceses have restrictions on using their records. The Diocese of Kerry requires permission to be obtained before using its records at the National Library. The Archdiocese of Cashel and Emly (covering parts of Counties Tipperary and Limerick) does not allow its records to be examined at the National Library. Other previously "closed" dioceses, such as Cloyne and Limerick, are now "open" for research at the National Library.

Updates for May 2005

Dublin City Library and Archive (Pearse Street)

The newly reopened Dublin City Library and Archive on Pearse Street in Dublin contains many sources for family history research of Dublin families. The principal sources for family history research include:

1. Church records on microfilm and in book form
2. Indexes to church records of Baptisms, Marriages and Burials from a number of Dublin parish registers compiled by the Dublin Heritage Group indexing group for Dublin City Public Libraries. Details of the Dublin parishes (Roman Catholic and Church of Ireland) are available.
3. Land records including Griffith's Primary Valuation.
4. Indexes of Births, Marriages and Deaths up to 1921, from the General Register Office.
5. Additional sources including census, occupational and biographical records.

Dublin City Library and Archive
138 - 144 Pearse Street
Dublin 2
Tel: +353 - 1 - 6744999
Fax: +353 - 1 - 6744881
email: dublinstudies@dublincity.ie 
email: cityarchives@dublincity.ie 
For more information visit their website.

Griffith's Primary Valuation Maps

The maps corresponding to Griffith's Primary Valuation (1847-1864), from the Valuation Office in Dublin, covering the 26 Republic of Ireland counties, have been digitized and placed online at the Irish Origins web site http://www.irishorigins.com. These are the maps with the reference numbers on them that correspond to specific properties listed in Griffith's Primary Valuation. They have previously only been available from the Valuation Office in Dublin. These maps have more information than the Ordnance Survey maps that are widely available. With these maps showing the reference numbers, one can set foot on the exact property where one's ancestors lived in the mid-1800s.

New Publications by Eneclann

Eneclann at Trinity College Dublin (http://www.eneclann.ie) continues to publish excellent sources for family history on CD-Roms. Some of the latest additions include:

• A Stroll Through Dublin, by Max Matthews (historical photographic tour of Dublin)
• The Irish Ancestor 1969-1986 (a genealogical journal published by Rosemary ffolliott)
• Returning Home: Transatlantic Migration from North America to Britain & Ireland 1858-1870, Compiled and Edited by James P. Maher (passenger lists for all the major ports of Britain and Ireland, of passengers arriving from America)

Updates for April 2004

Irish International Genealogy Festival to be held in Sligo in Fall 2004

The staff at the County Sligo Heritage & Genealogy Centre will host the festival from the 30th of September to the 3rd of October 2004. The event will be held in Sligo town on the North West coast of Ireland. They have an international line-up of expert speakers who will lecture on various topics of interest to the family historians, no matter what their level of expertise. There will be two streams of lectures running simultaneously. Stream 1 will deal mainly with Genealogical Research. Stream 2 lecture topics include Irish island customs and folklore, emigration in 19th century Ireland and rural Irish matchmaking & burial customs. Speakers will include George B. Handran, Collette O'Flaherty, Gregory O'Connor, Brian Mitchell, Susan Hood, and Eileen M. O'Duill. To receive a brochure and booking information for this event, and more information, see the web site http://www.sligoroots.com/genealogy-conference.html.

PRONI (Belfast) Puts Freeholders Database Online

The Public Record Office of Northern Ireland has digitized and indexed an impressive set of documents relating to freeholders in the six Northern Ireland counties: http://www.proni.gov.uk/index/search_the_archives/freeholders_records.htm   PRONI's freeholders project involved digitizing about 5,500 sheets from Freeholders Registers and Poll Books pre-dating 1840, and the making the index of names available online, linked to the digitized images. There are some voting records included from Belfast and Londonderry city also.

Central Signposting Index (Irish Heritage Centres) Goes Online

Irish Genealogy Limited has begun placing online a "Central Signposting Index" to help people find out what county heritage centre in Ireland may have indexed records of their ancestors. Currently over 1.8 million records are included from nine counties (including both Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland): Armagh, Cavan, Donegal, Fermanagh, Leitrim, Limerick, Sligo, Tyrone and Wexford. The types of record included in this central index are birth and baptism records, marriage records, Griffith's Primary Valuation, the Tithe Applotment Books, and the 1901 census. See the index at http://www.irishgenealogy.ie/csi/csi_main.cfm.

Update on Irish Heritage Centres - Feb 2004

The former centres for Carlow, Kerry, Limerick, and Tipperary North are not operating at present:

• Carlow: The late company has ceased, and it is expected that a new company under the aegis of the Carlow Co. Council will be formed shortly.
• Tipperary North: The late company has ceased, and it is hoped that a new company will be formed, but this may take longer to materialize.
• Limerick: The City Council and the County Council have both withdrawn financial support.
• Kerry: The centre is securing its records, and with new hardware and software should be up and running soon.

Centres are not yet operating for Cork City and Dublin City. 

For current details, see: http://www.irishroots.net (web site of the Irish Family History Foundation)

Prior News

1740 Census of Protestant Housekeepers in Ulster

The New England Historic Genealogical Society (NEHGS) in Boston has made available online to subscribers to the www.NewEnglandAncestors.org web site a 1740 Ireland Protestant Housekeepers database http://www.newenglandancestors.org/database_search/housekeepers.asp. It is based on the original census now held at the Presbyterian Historical Society of Ireland in Belfast. The counties of Antrim, Donegal, and Londonderry are included in this database. The original also contains information from Armagh and Down, not included here. The census was conducted by the Church of Ireland, but contains information on individuals in all Protestant denominations.

County Clare Library Placing Extensive Sources

An impressive array of census and other census-like material has been computerized and placed online by the Clare County Library, including the 1901 Census, Griffith's Valuation (circa 1855), various town and county directories, and an index to notices in the Clare Champion newspaper 1935-1985 . The web site is at http://www.clarelibrary.ie/eolas/coclare/genealogy/genealog.htm.

Tipperary North Family History Research Centre Closed

The Research Centre in Nenagh, County Tipperary, has been temporarily closed. This centre is responsible for indexing records from the northern half of County Tipperary. Look for updated information to appear on the Irish Family History Foundation web site at: http://www.irishroots.net/. For Roman Catholic parish registers in the Archdiocese of Cashel and Emly, there is an independent heritage centre, Tipperary Family History Research: http://www.tfhr.org/.

Census Substitutes

The County Tipperary Genealogy Project (IGP) has made available on the Internet an impressive series of Census Substitutes for County Tipperary, including:

• 1661 Poll Money returns for Clonmel
• 1766 Religious Census
• 1776 List of Freeholders
• 1799 Census of Carrick (unofficial - 20 households)
• 1821 Census Fragments
• 1823-1837 Tithe Applotment Books (parts or all of 10 parishes)
• 1831 Grand Jury Presentments
• 1842-1849 Thurles and Nenagh Poor Law Union Ratepayers
• 1852-1858 Encumbered Estate rentals
• 1901 Census Abstracts
• 1911 Census of Tipperary

A New Newsletter Published

A helpful new Irish genealogy newsletter called "The Irish Everywhere" was just begun by Denise Wells, who is the coordinator of the Cos. Cavan and Longford IrelandGenWeb Project. Learn more about the newsletter and subscribe.

A New Website for Magazine

Irish Roots Magazine now has an online presence at http://www.irishrootsmagazine.com/. Visit their site to learn more about how their publication can help your Irish research.

New Freeholders Database Available

ProGenealogists, Inc., has made available the Irish Freeholders, Freemen, and Voting Registers (1234-1978) Database. You can search this inventory for the availability and location of records for the county, town or city of your ancestors. The database is compiled from more than a dozen different resources and inventories records from the Armagh County Museum, Genealogical Office, National Library of Ireland, National Archives of Ireland, Public Record Office of Northern Ireland, Royal Irish Academy, Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland, Trinity College Dublin, University College Galway's James Hardiman Library, the Family History Library in Salt Lake City, and some repositories in England.

Search a database of Irish Freeholders Records

Kyle Betit and ProGenealogists, Inc. are working to make a searchable database available of the holdings of parish registers and vestry minutes at the Representative Church Body Library (RCBL) in Dublin.

New Tipperary Heritage Centre

The Tipperary Heritage Unit was replaced in April 2001 by Tipperary Family History Research as the indexing centre for the records of the Archdiocese of Cashel and Emly. The Archdiocese covers most of County Tipperary and part of County Limerick. The Tipperary registers from this Archdiocese are not available from any other centre.

Tipperary Family History Research 
Excel Heritage Centre, Mitchell St ,
Tipperary Town, Ireland. 
Telephone: + 353 62 80555/80556 
Fax: + 353 62 80551 
Email: research@tfhr.org 
 

Back Issues of the Irish at Home and Abroad Available

The Irish Genealogical Society International in St. Paul, Minnesota, is making back issues of the renowned Irish genealogy journal, The Irish At Home and Abroad available to the public. 
 

Guides to Genealogy Research in Irish Towns By Noel Farrell

The "Exploring Irish Origins" series of Irish genealogy books on towns of Ireland, is being compiled by Noel Farrell. To date the series includes these towns:

Arklow
Ballinasloe 
Ballyshannon 
Ballybofey 
Birr 
Carlow 
Cavan 
CarrickonSuir 
CarrickonShannon 
Donegal 
Dungarvan 
Enniscorthy 
Killarney 
Kinsale 
Letterkenny 
Longford 
Monaghan 
Navan 
New Ross 
Roscommon 
Stranorlar 
Tullamore 
Youghal 

Each book contains over 12,000 Irish names of natives living in that specific town in by-gone decades .. and they are not limited to the town, but also include information on researching people living in the surrounding townlands. Each book contains:

*The complete 1901 Census for the town
*The complete 1911 Census for the town
*The 1850 Griffiths Valuation with corresponding 1850 Town map.
*An entire Electors Register from the 1930's/1940's for the town
*Old Photographs, Pub Lists, Commercial Directories, Brief histories, and valuable information concerning the whereabouts of other useful records and resources connected with the town.

Exploring Family Origins
c/o Noel Farrell
'Majella', Park Road, Longford, 
Co. Longford, Ireland.  Tel: 043/47269
exploringfamilyorigins@hotmail.com