Online Irish Genealogical Websites

Although I blog frequently about German-American topics, I am also Irish! And this post is on five of my favorite FREE Irish websites for tracing my Irish roots. Irish genealogical research can be frustrating at times due to an apparent lack of vital records. Unfortunately Irish genealogical records cannot compete with genealogical records from the Netherlands, Belgium, France, or Germany. Nevertheless, your Irish research can be successful because Irish records for genealogy DO exist. One just needs to know where to find them.

• The National Library of Ireland has Catholic Parish Registers that are fully searchable if you are fortunate enough to know the townland from which your ancestors came. Simply determine what parish was in that townland and then go to that parish. Unfortunately there is no individual name search available on this web page. You will need to scroll through the images. Note: some images are better than others.

• The National Archives of Ireland contains fully searchable census records for the years 1901 and 1911. Also, the Tithe Applotment Books which were compiled between 1823 and 1837 to determine the amount which occupiers of agricultural holdings over one acre should pay in tithes to the Church of Ireland. There is a manuscript book for almost every civil (Church of Ireland) parish in the country giving the names of occupiers of each townland, the amount of land held and the sums to be paid in tithes. Because the tithes were levied on agricultural land, urban areas are not included. Unfortunately, the books provide only the names of heads of family, not other family members.

• Ask About Ireland has a fully searchable Griffith's Valuation (GV) online. GV was created 1848 and 1864 to determine liability to the Poor rate for support of poor and destitute within each Poor Law Union. It is a census substitute that details where people lived, what property they possessed, and more.

• IrishGenealogy.ie has Civil Registration Indexes and Register images available for Irish births, deaths, and marriages. Years covered for Non-Catholic marriages are 1845 to 1940; while Catholic marriages begin in 1864. Births range from 1864 to 1915 and the death index from 1864 to 1965. Images for deaths begin at 1891.

• RCB Library has a list of Church of Ireland Parish Registers. The list is very handy and complete. It states what records exist, dates, and where they can be located. There is no search function to examine any records. 

May the luck of the Irish be with you in your genealogical pursuits!