Irish genealogy resources

Current Ireland Map with Northern Ireland at the top and the rest being the Republic of Ireland

A selection of genealogy resources for Ireland.

The resources listed on this page are just some of the resources ISOGG members have discovered in their own research. This list is by no means comprehensive.

When researching in Ireland, be aware that Ireland is divided into two localities where records can be found. In 1922 the Republic of Ireland was created independent of the United Kingdom, however six of the nine counties of the province of Ulster (Antrim, Armagh, Down, Fermanagh, Londonderry, and Tyrone) voted to remain part of the UK, which is now called Northern Ireland. This will affect where you will locate records. Also remember that England ruled Ireland for much of its history, so many records regarding Ireland may be found in English repositories.

We strongly suggest you browse through the Irish Genealogy Toolkit before you begin your research. Ireland is divided into provinces, counties, Poor Labor Unions (PLU), Townlands, etc. A good knowledge of these various divisions will greatly assist locating various records in Ireland.

Ireland County Map

How To Research Your Irish Ancestors

• Irish Tool Kit (offers free information, tools and advice for researching your Irish ancestors)

General Resources

• Genuki Ireland
• Cyndi's List - Ireland (Republic of) and Northern Ireland
• Ireland GenWeb
• Ireland Genealogy Links
• Irish Ancestors (subscription service)
• Irish Family History Society
• IrishGen.com
• Irish Genealogy.ie (indexes are free; pay to view record)
• Irish Centre for Migration Studies
• Irish Mariners
• Irish Origins (subscription service)
• National Library of Ireland
• National Archives of Ireland
• Place names database of Ireland
• RootsIreland.ie (Irish Family History Foundation)
• Ulster Historical Foundation

Altases and Maps

Ireland Province Map

• Ireland's History in Maps
• Civil Parish Maps in Ireland
• Roman Catholic Records Maps in Ireland
• Church of Ireland diocesan map

Censuses and census substitutes

• 1901 and 1911 censuses
• Belfast Family History – 1901 and 1911 censuses for Belfast
• Irish Census Records Links to online Irish census resources
• Griffiths' Valuation 1847-1864

Church records

• Dublin parish registers online
• Irish Genealogy A free resource with access to over one million pre-1900 church records
• Leitrim-Roscommon genealogy website

Civil Registration

• General Register Office (Northern Ireland) (Certificates from 1922 to present for Northern Ireland.)
• General Register Office (Republic of Ireland) (Certificates for the whole of Ireland before 1922 are at this location, as well as those for the Republic of Ireland both before and after 1922.)
• LDS Pilot Search website – Irish civil registration indexes 1845-1958 (also includes Ireland Births and Baptisms, 1620-1881, Ireland Deaths, 1864-1870, Ireland Marriages, 1619-1898)

Newspapers

• Boston Pilot newspaper advertisements for Irish immigrants
• Belfast Gazette
• Ireland Old News – Irish death notices and obituaries
• Irish Newspaper Archive (subscription service)
• Irish Times (subscription service)

Surnames

• Atlas of Family Names in Ireland
• Irish Surnames
• Norman and Cambro-Norman Surnames of Ireland

County Resources

Clare

• Clare County Library - genealogical resources

Donegal

• Donegal County Birth, Death and Marriage Records

Galway

• Emigration and Diaspora Centre Project – Carna, County Galway

Kilkenny

• County Kilkenny Ireland Genealogy and History
• County Kilkenny - Griffiths Valuation Index, circa 1849-1850
• Kilkenny City and County Guide and Directory (can download from Google Books)

Laois or Queen's County

• Surnames from County Laois or Queen's Co., Roman Catholic Parish Records

Irish Ancestral Research Services

• Family History Research Centres in Ireland (Cost $$)

Irish Research Bibliography

• Grenham, John. Tracing Your Irish Ancestors: The Complete Guide, 3rd edition, Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc. Baltimore, MD, 2006.
• Mitchell, Brian. "A New Genealogical Atlas of Ireland", 2nd edition, Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc. Baltimore, MD, 2009.

Irish Articles of Interest

• “Contours of colonialism: Gaelic Ireland and the early colonial subject” Using the example of the O'Dwyer family of Kilnamanagh in County Tipperary, this paper explores the interconnections as well as the conflicts of the worlds of the colonial 'newcomers' and Gaelic 'natives'.

Ireland DNA Projects

• Ireland yDNA Project
• The Maine Gaeltacht DNA Project, for people with ancestry from County Galway, Ireland
• Ulster Heritage DNA Project
• Munster Pre Great Famine - A Family Finder project dedicated to documenting the heritage of counties Clare, Cork, Kerry, Limerick, Tipperary and Waterford in the province of Munster, Ireland

There are many individual surname projects that tie back to Ireland as well.