Ireland Resources (NI+ROI)
- The National Archives – The National Archives genealogy guide contains an introduction to Irish research and the records they have available. Their website contains many genealogical databases, such as the Irish Censuses of 1911, 1901, 1851,1841,1831 and 1821, Valuation Office Books, The Tithe Appointment Books, Will Registers 1858-1900, Calendar of Wills and Administrations 1858-1922, Soldiers Wills 1914-1917, and the census search forms 1841-1851.
- RootsIreland – RootsIreland contains data from 34 counties of Ireland and Northern Ireland. Their main sources include Irish Catholic and other church records of baptisms, marriages and deaths.
- Irish Genealogy – Irish genealogy contains church records (Roman Catholic records for County Kerry, County Cork (except most of Cork city), and Dublin City, Church of Ireland records for Dublin City, County Kerry and County Carlow) and civil records (births 1864-1919, non-Roman Catholic marriages 1845-1944, Roman Catholic marriages 1864-1944, deaths index 1864-1969, deaths images 1878-1969).
- National Library of Ireland – This is the official website of the National Library of Ireland. There are many resources on this website that are of historical and genealogical importance, one of which I use frequently is the Roman Catholic Parish Registers. Most of the Roman Catholic parishes on the island of Ireland are represented in this database, with dates varying across individual parishes, some records starting in the 1700s, while others mightn’t start until the 1850s. Most records however stop around the 1890s. Very few of the parishes have indexes to their records on this website, however the records on nli.ie are indexed and are free to view on findmypast.ie.
- Ask About Ireland – Ask About Ireland is a free website where there are many historical, cultural and genealogical resources and information available. One genealogy database that I frequently use is the Griffiths Valuation 1847-1864, which contains maps and images detailing property and land owners throughout the island of Ireland between 1847 and 1864.
- One Place Studies (OPS) Directory – Make sure to check whether the location your ancestors are from has a OPS, this can be a great way to find a bunch of research collated in one place. You might be lucky enough to find pictures of where they lived, or of your ancestors themselves!
- FindAGrave – Although this is a worldwide resource, you can search for cemeteries by location (city, county, state, or country) to find a location your ancestor might have been buried. Photos of headstones are sometimes available, and you can make photo requests too.
- Cyndi’s List – Cyndi’s List is another directory of resources, this page relates to those compiled for Ireland and Northern Ireland.
- British Newspaper Archive – Despite its name, BNA includes newspapers for both Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. Once you’ve made an account, you can view and download three articles for free. It’s a great resource for filling in the gaps and understanding more about your ancestors’ lives. Articles on a person’s retirement, funeral, or their obituaries as these can contain great summaries of their lives.
- Irish Surname Map – Barry Griffin’s Irish Surname map identifies the spread of surnames across Ireland in the 1901 and 1911 census records.
- JewishGen UK Database – If you’re of Jewish heritage living in Ireland you may find some useful records within this database, which combines records from England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland; the Isle of Man, the Channel Islands and Gibraltar; as well as the Republic of Ireland.
- Red Cross WWI Volunteers – May be useful if you have ancestors who volunteered for the British Red Cross during the First World War, hospital locations include Northern Ireland.
- The Commonwealth War Graves Commission – The CWGC is a great place to search for ancestors who died whilst serving for Commonwealth countries during WW1. You can search overseas cemeteries and memorials to find information such as their regiment or service number, when your ancestor may have died, and where your ancestor was buried or commemorated. You can download a certificate for your records, as well as other information about the graves.
Republic of Ireland Resources
Northern Ireland Resources
- Northern Ireland FamilySearch Wiki
- North of Ireland Family History Society – The NIFHS has a range of indexed and transcribed records which are becoming increasingly available online. Some are free for anyone to view such as their Census Strays transcriptions, but others are members only.
- Public Record Office of Northern Ireland (PRONI) Will Index – Use this search tool to find wills from between 1858 and 1965 (availability of wills varies county to county).
- PRONI Name Search Index – Use this to search for pre-1858 wills and admons, 1740 Protestant householders, 1766 religious census, and the 1775 dissenters petitions.
- FreeReg – Search for transcriptions of baptism, marriage, and burial registrations within various parishes throughout the UK – currently very limited for Ireland, but may change as more records are transcribed.
- Railway Work, Life & Death – If your ancestors were railway workers, this could be the blog for you. They are documenting railway worker accidents from the late 19th and early 20th century. You can download some of their 20th century data from the bottom of this page.