Researching Irish Ancestors

The Myth You Will Encounter

Almost every guide to Irish genealogy begins by addressing the same misconception, and this one is no exception – because the myth is so pervasive that it stops researchers before they start.

You will hear that “all the Irish records were destroyed in the fire.” This is not true. There was a catastrophic fire, and the losses were serious, but don’t abandon hope as not all was lost. 

What Actually Happened

On 30 June 1922, during the opening engagement of the Irish Civil War, an explosion and fire destroyed the Public Record Office of Ireland (PRO.  What was destroyed includes:

• Census returns for 1821, 1831, 1841 and 1851 – although fragments survive
• Census returns for 1861, 1871, 1881 and 1891 – these had already been destroyed  through a separate bureaucratic blunder. 
• The majority of Church of Ireland (Anglican) parish registers
• The majority of pre-1858 wills, though probate indexes and many transcripts survive
• Chancery records going back to the 14th century
• Local government and legal court records

What Was NOT Destroyed

The following survive intact or substantially intact:

• All civil registration records – births, marriages and deaths from 1845/1864 onwards were never held at the PRO and are fully intact
• The 1901 & 1911 censuses – both are freely available online. These are richly detailed, recording name, age, occupation, religion, marital status, relationship to the head of household, literacy and ability to speak Irish
• The 1926 census of the Irish Free State – over 700,000 household returns covering nearly 3 million people, free to view via the National Archives of Ireland website and also available on Findmypast.
• Roman Catholic parish registers – never held at the PRO. The vast majority were held by individual parishes or the National Library of Ireland and survived intact
• Presbyterian, Methodist and Quaker registers – similarly, not held at the PRO
• Nearly half of all Church of Ireland registers – many clergy had not sent their registers to Dublin. Those that survived are in the Representative Church Body Library or PRONI
• Griffith’s Valuation 1847-1864 – the most important 19th century census substitute, covering every property on the island
• Tithe Applotment Books 1823-1837 – a survey of agricultural landholders, the earliest near-nationwide listing
• Probate indexes and many transcripts – even where original wills were lost, the calendar of wills and administration from 1858 onwards survives intact
• Over 25,000 salvaged records – now being conserved by the National Archives of Ireland

Furthermore, the Beyond 2022 project has been recovering and digitising copies of destroyed documents found in archives worldwide, reconstructing much of what was lost to a greater extent than previously imagined.

How BerksFHS Can Help With Irish Research

Berkshire Family History Society’s strapline is for family historians wherever you’re from – and that very much includes researchers tracing Irish ancestors.

Our Family Research Centre at L14 London Road Campus, London Road, Reading RG1 5AQ offers access to all of the following:

• Findmypast – contains extensive Irish record collections, with over 140 million Irish records including vital, church & military records, newspapers and emigration lists and the 1926 census
• Ancestry (worldwide edition) – census records, civil registration indexes, Griffith’s Valuation, Royal Irish Constabulary records and around 200 Irish datasets
• The Genealogist – additional Irish record sets
• The British Newspaper Archive – Irish newspaper titles alongside British ones
• FamilySearch – we are a FamilySearch Affiliate Library, which means visitors have access to digitised records not freely available online at home, including Irish civil registration indexes and church register transcriptions
• Our bookshop (purchase either in the FRC or online) contains “Irish Family History: A Beginner’s Guide” https://berksfhs.org/product/irish-family-history-a-beginners-guide/

All of this is free to anyone who walks through our door, although donations are warmly welcomed. Our experienced Research Assistants are on hand to help you search effectively and understand what you’ve found. Check berksfhs.org for current opening hours before visiting.

When you are ready to go further into original records, the two most productive destinations for a dedicated Irish research visit are the National Archives of Ireland (Bishop Street, Dublin 8) and, for Northern Ireland research, PRONI (2 Titanic Boulevard, Belfast). The National Library of Ireland (Kildare Street, Dublin 2) is the principal repository for Catholic parish register microfilms.

Ireland is Different – Key Points for English Researchers

Two jurisdictions since 1922

Before Irish independence, the whole island of Ireland was administered as part of the United Kingdom, and records were maintained on an all-island basis. Following the partition of Ireland in 1922, the island was divided into the Irish Free State (26 counties, later the Republic of Ireland) and Northern Ireland (6 counties, which remained part of the United Kingdom). This division affects where records are held and how you access them, but crucially the pre-1922 records cover the whole island regardless of the current border.

For the Republic of Ireland: the key repositories are the National Archives of Ireland and the General Register Office (GRO) in Dublin/Roscommon.

For Northern Ireland: the key repositories are the Public Record Office of Northern Ireland (PRONI) and the General Register Office of Northern Ireland (GRONI), both in Belfast.

For records created before 1922 relating to what is now Northern Ireland, copies exist in both Dublin and Belfast. You are not restricted to one or the other.

Civil registration began in 1845/1864

Non-Catholic marriages were registered from 1 April 1845. Births, deaths and Catholic marriages were registered from 1 January 1864. 

Church affiliation is critical

You must know – or establish – your ancestor’s religion before you can research church records effectively, because Catholic, Church of Ireland, Presbyterian, Methodist and other records are held in different places. Roughly nine in ten people in Ireland during the 19th century were Roman Catholic. The Church of Ireland (Anglican) was the established state church until 1869 but never represented more than about 25% of the population. Presbyterianism was strong in Ulster. The Penal Laws of the 17th and early 18th centuries restricted Catholic and dissenting churches from keeping records; as these laws were relaxed, church record coverage improves, but Catholic registers rarely predate the 1740s and many begin much later.

Geography matters more than in England

Irish records are organised around a complex hierarchy of administrative units. The smallest and most important for genealogy is the townland – a small area of land, sometimes just a handful of farms, that was the basic unit of Irish rural life. If you can identify your ancestor’s townland, you are in a very strong position. Above townlands sit civil parishes, baronies, Poor Law Unions, counties and provinces. Many records are only accessible once you know the county and civil parish. The island has four provinces: Leinster, Munster, Connacht and Ulster. Ulster contains nine counties, of which six now form Northern Ireland; the remaining three (Cavan, Donegal and Monaghan) are in the Republic.

The Great Famine and emigration

Ireland’s population before the Great Famine of 1845-1852 was around eight million. Mass starvation and emigration reduced this to around six million by 1851, and emigration continued throughout the second half of the 19th century. If your ancestors left Ireland between about 1845 and 1900, emigration records, passenger lists and records in the destination country may be your best route back to Irish origins. Identifying even an approximate county of origin is enormously helpful, as it narrows the church and civil records to be searched.

The Essential Free Resources

IrishGenealogy.ie – Civil Registration and Church Records

https://www.irishgenealogy.ie/ Access: Free

The Irish Government’s official genealogy portal. This is the single most important free starting point for Irish research. It provides free access to:

• Civil registration births 1864 to 100 years ago (currently to 1925), with images
• Civil registration marriages 1845 to 75 years ago (currently to 1950), with images
• Civil registration deaths 1871 to 50 years ago (currently to 1975), with images from 1878
• Church of Ireland registers for selected counties (Carlow, Cork and Ross, Dublin, Kerry and more being added)
• Roman Catholic registers for selected counties

Note that for pre-1922 records the database covers the whole island. For Northern Ireland post-1922, records are held separately by GRONI in Belfast.

National Archives of Ireland – Census Records

https://nationalarchives.ie/collections/search-the-census/ Access: Free

The free online home of Ireland’s surviving census records:

• 1901 and 1911 censuses – fully searchable, with images of original household returns for the whole island. The 1901 return records name, age, sex, religion, occupation, marital status, county of birth and ability to speak Irish
• 1926 census of the Irish Free State – released 18 April 2026, covering 26 counties and nearly three million people. Fully searchable and free to view
• Census fragments 1821-1851 – the small number of returns that survived the 1922 fire

Note: the 1926 census for Northern Ireland was destroyed during WW2 and does not survive.

PRONI – Public Record Office of Northern Ireland

https://www.nidirect.gov.uk/proni Access: Free (website and most online content)

The official archive for Northern Ireland’s records, located at 2 Titanic Boulevard, Belfast. PRONI holds church records, census records, estate papers, wills, land records, directories and more for the six counties of Antrim, Armagh, Down, Fermanagh, Londonderry and Tyrone. It also holds some records for the border counties of the Republic. Many records are available online; others require a visit (a Visitor’s Pass is required). PRONI also provides access via in-person terminals to the full GRONI civil registration database, including current records.

GRONI online (civil registration for Northern Ireland post-1922): https://geni.nidirect.gov.uk/ £ ppv – index searches free; pay to view enhanced transcriptions or register images

FamilySearch – Ireland

https://www.familysearch.org/en/wiki/Ireland_Genealogy Access: Free

The world’s largest free genealogy database holds substantial Irish collections including indexes to civil registration records, some church register transcriptions, and a detailed wiki guide to Irish research by county. As a FamilySearch Affiliate Library, BerksFHS gives visitors access to additional digitised records not freely available online at home. Treat FamilySearch indexes as a finding aid and verify against original records where possible.

GENUKI – Ireland

https://www.genuki.org.uk/big/irl/ Access: Free

A volunteer-maintained directory of Irish genealogy resources organised by county. Variable in depth but an excellent starting point for identifying what records exist for a specific county or parish, and for finding local resources.

The Key Census Substitutes

Because so many 19th century census records were lost, Irish researchers rely heavily on two substitutes that between them cover the entire island.

Griffith’s Valuation 1847-1864

This island-wide survey of every property in Ireland, compiled by Richard Griffith to assess liability for poor relief taxation, is the closest thing to a mid-19th century census. It records the name of each householder, the name of their immediate landlord, and a description and valuation of their property. Available free via Ask About Ireland at https://www.askaboutireland.ie/griffith-valuation/ and via the Irish Manuscripts Commission at https://www.irishmanuscripts.ie/.

Tithe Applotment Books 1823-1837

A survey of agricultural landholders compiled to assess liability for tithes to the Church of Ireland – paid by everyone regardless of their own religion. Records the name, townland and amount payable for each landholder. Available free via the National Archives of Ireland and PRONI (for Northern Ireland). Note that the transcriptions contain errors in names and placenames – where possible, browse the original pages rather than relying solely on name searches.

Used together, these sources can often identify an ancestor and sometimes two generations of a family in a townland across a span of roughly 20 years in the pre-Famine and Famine period.

The Most Important Specialist Resource

John Grenham – Irish Ancestors

https://www.johngrenham.com/ Access: Free to browse; £ sub for full features

John Grenham is Ireland’s most respected genealogical authority and the author of Tracing Your Irish Ancestors. His website Irish Ancestors is an outstanding research tool, particularly for the pre-civil-registration period. It includes:

• An interactive county map linking to parish-level information on surviving records
• Comprehensive lists of census substitutes for every parish in Ireland – voters’ lists, freeholders, subscribers, priestly censuses and more
• Surname distribution maps
• Articles and research guidance

The free areas are extensive and genuinely useful. A subscription unlocks additional search tools and features.

A Suggested Research Path

1. Gather everything you already know – names, approximate dates, county of origin if known. Irish research is much harder without at least a county.
2. Establish religion – this determines which church records to search and where they are held.
3. Search civil registration on IrishGenealogy.ie – free, comprehensive and a natural starting point for anyone with ancestors alive after 1845/1864.
4. Search the 1901 and 1911 censuses on the National Archives of Ireland website. If your ancestor was alive in either year, these are extraordinarily detailed records.
5. Search the 1926 census if your ancestor was alive in the Irish Free State on 18 April 1926.
6. Identify the townland your ancestor came from as early as possible – this is the key to unlocking most other record types.
7. Search Griffith’s Valuation and the Tithe Applotment Books to establish mid-19th century location and identify earlier generations.
8. Search church registers on IrishGenealogy.ie, the National Library of Ireland, PRONI or RootsIreland depending on county and denomination.
9. If research stalls, consider that emigration records, passenger lists or records in the destination country may provide the Irish county or parish of origin that unlocks further research at home.

This guide was compiled by Berkshire Family History Society. https://berksfhs.org Links verified May 2026. Access terms, opening hours and record availability change – always check the current position on each site before visiting or searching.