Irish genealogy: the best resources for tracing your Irish ancestors

Interested in Irish genealogy? Discover how to trace your Irish ancestors despite historical challenges like the Great Famine, civil unrest, and the destruction of many records in a fire in 1922. Learn about Irish genealogy records, church registers, censuses, and online archives to uncover your family history.

Follow these quick links to jump to the section:

• Irish history
• Irish genealogy records
• Where to find records for the Irish counties
• Northern Ireland ancestors
• Societies and associations
• Genealogy resources at archives and libraries
• Emigration records

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Irish history

To make sense of your ancestors’ lives in Ireland it’s essential to learn about the wider history. As it was only following the Irish War of Independence that the country was divided into the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland, before 1922 you will find that many of the record collections you search will not be split north and south.

Typically nine out of ten people in Ireland have been Roman Catholic – particularly for the era in which you’ll be tracing your family history. This will have an impact on where you find your ancestors in the parish registers and whether you’ll find them listed as voters in electoral registers.

The Potato Famine (1845-49) occurred 170 years ago yet its consequences reach down to us today.

Prior to the famine, Ireland’s population was about 8 million but during those few years of crop failure a minimum of 1 million were to die and a further 2 million would leave the shores of their homeland in search of new lives in the decade following 1845.

Perhaps your ancestor was among them, and maybe this is the reason you count yourself part of the Irish diaspora to this day.

Irish genealogy records

When you mention Irish records to many genealogists, they often think of the 1922 fire. This fire burned down the Four Courts and the nearby Public Record Office of Ireland (PRO) buildings. It destroyed over 800 years of documents about Irish history and genealogy.

Read more about the 1922 Irish Public Record Office Fire in our special feature.

Undoubtedly, this tragedy makes things harder for Irish genealogists, but not all of the records were destroyed, many other pre-1922 records exist, and the launch of the Virtual Record Treasury of Ireland in June 2022 has helped recover many of the records.

This all-island and international collaborative research project is a virtual reconstruction of the Public Record Office of Ireland.

Irish census records: what survives and how to use them

The Irish government conducted a census of the Irish population every 10 years from 1821 to 1911. However, the 1901 and 1911 censuses are the only complete surviving records accessible to the public. These censuses, covering the entire island of Ireland, were made available digitally in 2009.

Fragments of earlier censuses survive for 1821, 1831, 1841 and 1851.

The 1901 census was taken on 31 March 1901 and includes information such as:

• Name
• Age
• Sex
• Relationship to the head of the household
• Religion
• Occupation
• Marital status
• County or country of birth

The 1901 census also included information on each person's literacy and whether they could speak the Irish language.

The 1911 census was taken on 2 April 1911 and followed a similar format to the previous decade's survey. However, the following additional information was added to the forms:

• The number of years the person had been married
• The number of children that had been born alive, and the number of children still living

The 1911 Census was the last to cover the entire island before the partition in 1921.

No census was taken in 1921 due to the Irish War of Independence, and the first census of the Irish Free State was taken in 1926. As the census records only become available to the public after 100 years, the 1926 census is set to available in 2026.

You can explore census records at the National Archives of Ireland, redesigned in February 2025, which also has details of census substitutes.

Partial census records for 1821 to 1851 survive too and can be found at FindMyPast as well as via the link above.

Irish genealogy: birth, marriage & death records

The General Register Office is the central repository for Irish births, marriages and deaths from 1864 (non Catholic marriages from 1845). The Irish Genealogy website gives not only the index details but scanned copies of the full register pages.

For pre-1870 parish registers, see this National Archives mircrofilm guide, explaining which Church of Ireland parish registers still exist. The National Library of Ireland has microfilms of surviving pre-1880 Roman Catholic parish registers for the whole of Ireland. Search church records online at the website Irish Genealogy.

General Register Office Northern Ireland (GRONI) holds records for the following in what is now Northern Ireland: births and deaths from 1 January 1864, non-Catholic marriages from 1 April 1845, all other marriages from 1 January 1864. You can see full details at NIDirect and then search online or at the Belfast search room. 

Around two-thirds of pre civil registration records for the whole of Ireland - Church records - were destroyed in a fire in 1922. FamilySearch has a very informative guide to what church records are held where.

Irish wills

For Calendars of wills 1858-1917 for all Ireland (or up to 1920 for the Republic of Ireland) can be searched on the the National Archives of Scotland website. See also wills calendars for Belfast, Armagh and Londonderry at the NIDirect website.

Best online resources for Irish genealogy research

• Ask About Ireland is the home of Griffith's Valuation, an important land record source. See the 'records for the Irish counties' section below for more information. 
   
• The census section of the National Archives holds original returns for 1901 and 1911 censuses. All 32 counties are available and can be searched from this site.
   
• FindMyPast Ireland is home to millions of Irish records from the 13th century onwards. These include unique prison and court records, land and estate records, and a collection of 2 million Irish directories. 
   
• Visit Irish Genealogy for images of original registers for births 1864-1916, marriages 1870-1941, and deaths 1878-1966.  You can also explore a large searchable record of pre 20th-century church records.
   
• A website set up by John Grenham, author of Tracing Your Irish Ancestors contains a surname search feature which shows the distribution of particular surnames and their variations in Ireland at certain periods. There are also maps of civil and ecclesiastical parishes, along with summaries of the record collections available for each county.

Where to find records for the Irish counties

Ireland is made up of four provinces, which between them contain 32 counties. These provinces, and their respective counties, are:

• Connacht
  • Donegal, Mayo, Sligo, Leitrim, Roscommon and Galway
• Leinster
  • Monaghan, Cavan, Longford, Westmeath, Meath, Louth, Offaly (Kings), Kildare, Dublin, Leix (Queens), Wicklow, Kilkenny, Carlow and Wexford
• Munster
  • Clare, Limerick, Tipperary, Kerry, Cork and Waterford
• Ulster
  • Londonderry, Antrim, Tryone, Down, Armagh and Fermanagh

When searching family history you’ll likely want to study a map showing pre-1974 county boundaries.

There are about 2,500 civil parishes on the island of Ireland and about 1,000 Roman Catholic parishes. The smallest administrative unit is called a townland, and there are more than 60,000 townlands on the island.

If you can find out the name of the townland that your ancestor came from, you’re extremely fortunate. This will provide you with the place that your ancestors came from, perhaps down to just a few dwellings – just what you need to plan your genealogy road trip!

The various Irish counties explained

FindMyPast have an excellent blog and video that list each of the different counties, with resources including wills, service records, Poor Law records, cemetery indexes and census forms. 

You can also enhance your understanding of your Irish ancestors by using maps. Old Maps Online has beautifully digitised old maps to search, browse and zoom. At Irish Townlands you can work down from county to parish and townland, whilst at John Grenham you’ll find a range of clear useful maps showing boundaries.

Griffith's Valuation 

One of the most important sources for Irish family history is Griffith's Valuation, a boundary and land valuation survey that was completed in 1868. This resource is particularly useful in light of the fact that so few census records survive. 

You can see the dates when the survey for each county was completed on the Griffith's Valuation Wikipedia page, and these range from 1853 through to 1868. You can explore the Valuation at several places, including AskAboutIreland, which has transcripts, maps and original images, FindMyPast, Ancestry and RootsIreland.

Northern Ireland ancestors

Although Northern Ireland does not use the county system for administration anymore, you can still find useful records.

The Public Record Office of Northern Ireland holds records that can help you trace ancestors. These records cover the post-1836 counties of Antrim, Armagh, Down, Fermanagh, Londonderry, and Tyrone. They also include the parliamentary boroughs of Belfast and Londonderry.

These were established by the Grand Jury (Ireland) Act 1836.

Societies and associations

• The Genealogical Society of Ireland GSI is for anyone interested in Irish family history. It runs a busy programme of publications, lectures, meetings, archival and scientific research, and database creation. The society meets twice a month and members also stay in touch via a newsletter and annual journal. 
   
• An Daonchartlann/Archive is an advice and help centre at Loughlinstown, offering expert help to visitors.
   
• Originally known as the Huguenot Society of London, the Huguenot Society of Great Britain and Ireland has a dedicated Irish section with its own website. The Irish section arranges events, lectures, walks and meetings, and an AGM - usually held in May or June each year. There is also a Huguenot Archive in Dublin, which is open to the public and to members by arrangement. 
   
• The Irish Family History Society was established in 1984 and is open to anyone interested in tracing their Irish roots. The group promotes the study of Irish family history and genealogy through its annual journal, news sheets, lecture series and projects. It also encourages the repatriation of overseas material on Irish emigrants.
   
• Founded over 40 years ago and with particular reference to the nine counties of Ulster, the North of Ireland Family History Society has eleven branches, plus a research centre in Newtownabbey, Co Antrim. 
  
  The society runs more than 100 events each year and also offers a range of courses, from beginner to advanced. Members receive a newsletter and copies of the journal North Irish Roots, plus access to the member section of the website, which has resources such as maps and articles.

Genealogy resources at archives and libraries

An often overlooked source in our search for Irish ancestors is the treasure trove that is local repositories and the records they contain. These include:

• street directories
• local valuations
• cemetery registers
• maps
• school rolls
• workhouse records
• personal family archives

How to find local sources for Irish family history

Throughout Ireland there is a network of local libraries and archives. Most Irish counties on both sides of the border have their own dedicated county library and archive which are run by local councils.

Larger cities such as Cork and Dublin have more than one library and archives. 

When looking for ancestors in a county in Ireland, check if the county library and archives have online resources. These resources may help you in your search.

The head library for each county or city will likely contain books on local history, old newspapers, reference works and journals published by local historical societies, etc.

• Situated on Dublin's Pearse Street, the Dublin City Library and Archive has church records, civil and census records, land records (including Griffith's Valuation) and indexes of births, marriages and deaths up to the 1950s.
   
• The General Register Office of Northern Ireland is responsible for the civil registration of births, marriages and deaths for Northern Ireland. You can use its services online by registering here. The GRO holds all local register books for Northern Ireland from 1864 (for births and deaths) and from 1922 (for marriages). It has also has records of birth, marriage and death for Northern Ireland (Antrim, Armagh, Down, Fermanagh, Derry (Londonderry) and Tyrone). 
   
• Public Record Office of Northern Ireland (PRONI) in Belfast is a key resource, as the official archive for Northern Ireland. At the time of writing (summer 2021) admission is my appointment only. The record office has a range of archives for local and family history, including maps, estate records, school records, church records and public and private records. Find links to these on the PRONI website.
   
• Situated on Bishop Street in Dublin, National Archives of Ireland is, at the time of writing, open to the public by appointment only. Here, you can explore tithe appointment records for the 1802s-30s, the 1901 and 1911 census returns and valuation records for the 1840s-60s. Please note the Archives does not hold civil records of births, marriages and deaths. 
   
• This large library on Kildare Street, Dublin 2, has many resources for family historians, including Catholic Parish Registers, property records, directories and heraldic records. Visit the National Library of Ireland website for advice on using the library's records for genealogy.
   
• Based at the Irish Life Centre in Dublin, the Valuation Office has a manuscript archive containing rateable valuation information of all property in the state from mid 1850s until the early 1990s. This acts as a 'census substitute' from the 1850s through to the first useable census in 1901, as it can be used to show who occupied a particular property over the years.

Irish street and trade directories

Street and trade directories of the principal cities and towns in Ireland are invaluable sources of information for researching family history. Earlier directories often concentrated primarily on the larger businesses and institutions. As time went on, the information contained became more detailed, with adverts for individual businesses, images, and descriptions of various trades.

Irish workhouse records

The workhouse looms large in Irish history, particularly in relation to the Great Famine and its immediate aftermath.

Workhouses were introduced to Ireland in the early 1840s and continued to function up until the 1920s. There were 163 workhouses in total throughout Ireland.

Along with being a place of last resort for those who had become destitute, workhouses were also a place for assisted emigration.

Surviving workhouse registers are often kept locally. Unfortunately, not all records for every workhouse survive.

For Cork, minute books (recording the proceedings of Board of Guardians’ meetings), are the largest series of poor law archives that have survived; workhouse registers, financial accounts and correspondence and several other series also survive for some areas.

To discover which poor law union your Irish ancestors may have resided in, you can check the map of Irish poor law unions at the The Workhouse website.

Planning an ancestral trip to Ireland?

Local archives and libraries are an essential source for family history research. If you are planning a trip to Ireland to research your ancestry, then they should be high on your list of places to visit.

Aside from these public-run archives and libraries, there are also other special archives run by Irish religious orders or specific businesses, such as breweries. The Archives and Records Association of Ireland (ARA) has a useful listing of local and specialist archives throughout Ireland and Northern Ireland. They might just help you get through some of those stubborn brick walls.

Emigration records

If you’re tracing family who left Ireland then passenger lists can be useful – both those recording departures from Ireland and for arrivals too.

The National Archives and Records Federation has Irish Famine records from 12 January 1846 to 31 December 1851. These records show over 600,000 people arriving at the port of New York during this time. About 70% of these people say Ireland is their home country.

Search the emigration records at TheGenealogist, FindMyPast and Ancestry.