County Cork, Ireland Genealogy

Guide to County Cork ancestry, family history and genealogy: birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, parish registers, and military records.

History
County Cork is located along the southern coast in the province of Munster. It is the largest county, encompassing 2880 square miles. The distance from Youghal to Crow Head is 102 miles, greatest length in the county. The name Cork comes from the Gaelic word Corcaigh, meaning "marsh". The major towns are Bandon, Cobh, Cork, Fermoy, Kinsale, Mallow, Skibbereen, and Youghal.

In the sixth century, a monastery and school were established in the City of Cork. Later in the ninth century, the Norse Vikings raided and settled in Cork. The Normans invaded the area in the twelfth century and became part of the kingdom of Desmond. Several rebellions from English rule occurred from the late sixteenth into the mid-seventeenth century.

The populace of Cork suffered extreme hardship during the Great Famine. Dates for the famine vary, but include the years 1845 to 1850, give or take. Cork's population dropped more than 25% between 1841 and 1851, of which about 150,000 died and 50,000 emigrated.

In 1821, the population was 730,444. It increased to 854,118 in 1841, but then began to decrease to 361,877 in 1926. In 2006, the population was 489,286. In 1871, 91.5% of the population were Roman Catholic with 7.1% of the Church of Ireland, 0.3% Presbyterians and 0.5% Methodists. In 1926, 94.3% were Roman Catholic with 4.9% Church of Ireland.

General County Research Information

 * County Cork (Irish: Contae Chorcaí) is a county in Ireland. It is located in the province of Munster. The county town is the city of Cork.
 * Further information about County Cork is available at the GenUKI site and this FamilySearch Research Wiki.


 * There is an amazingly detailed interactive map from Ordnance Survey Ireland that covers not only Cork, but the whole of Ireland. You can zoom in to see extremely fine detail. The map provides historic map overlays (see the check-boxes provided on the map page) that clearly show the townlands, roads, towns, homes, fields, estates, etc. Some churches and cemeteries are included. Several overlays are provided.

Census

 * 1901 - at FamilySearch — index
 * 1911 - at FamilySearch — index

Church Records

 * 1623-1866 - at FamilySearch — index
 * 1701-1845 - at FamilySearch — index and images

Civil Jurisdictions and Parish Research Information

 * List of County Cork Civil Parishes
 * List of County Cork Catholic Parishes

Cemeteries

 * Cork County and City Archives

Civil Registration

 * 1845-1913 - at FamilySearch — index and images
 * 1845-1958 - at FamilySearch — index and images

Directories

 * 1880 - at FamilySearch — index, images available on FindMyPast
 * 1884 - at FamilySearch — index and images

Land and Property

 * 1831 - 1856 - at FamilySearch — index and images

Military

 * 1914-1918 - at FamilySearch — index and images

Probate Records

 * 1595-1858 - at FamilySearch — index