GuidedResearch:Why Can't I Find the Record - Ireland Civil Births

Back to Ireland Guided Research. 

This page will give you additional guidance and resources to find civil birth information for your ancestor. Use this page after first completing the Ireland Civil Records page. If researching before 1864, see Ireland Guided Research.

Additional Databases and Online Resources

 * 1620-1911:  Ireland, Select Births and Baptisms  at Ancestry ($)
 * 1864-1958:  Irish Births  at FindMyPast ($)
 * 1864-1958:  Ireland, Civil Registration Births Index  at Ancestry ($)
 * 1864-1918:  Search for a birth registration  at NIDirect.gov.uk ($) - for Northern Ireland
 *  Search Baptismal/Birth Records for Ireland  at RootsIreland.ie ($)

Northern Ireland or Republic of Ireland? In 1922, the island of Ireland split into two countries: Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. All civil records before 1922 can be found on IrishGenealogy.ie. Civil records for the Republic of Ireland after 1922 can also be found on IrishGenealogy.ie. Civil records for Northern Ireland after 1922 (as well as copies of their civil records before 1922) can be found on NIDirect.gov.uk ($ to search index).

Substitute Records
Substitute records may contain information about more than one event and are used when records for an event are not available. Records that are used to substitute for birth events may not have been created at the time of the birth. The accuracy of the record is contingent upon when the information was recorded. Search for information in multiple substitute records to confirm the accuracy of these records.

Finding Town of Origin
Knowing an ancestor’s hometown can be important to locate more records. If a person immigrated to the United States, try Finding Town of Origin to find the ancestor’s hometown.

Virtual Genealogy Consultations
Schedule a free online consultation with a research specialist:

Ask the Community
Select a community research group where you can ask questions and receive free genealogy help.

Tips for finding births
Successfully finding birth records in online databases depends on a few key points. Try the following search suggestions:
 * Add information. For common names, add more information to narrow the search such as approximate birth date or parent's names if known.
 * Spelling variations. Your ancestor's name may be misspelled. Search with spelling variations for the first and last name of your ancestor.
 * Search parents. Search for the parents, if known, as the child's first name may not be on the birth record.
 * Know registration district. Because of the abundance of common names, knowing the registration district is important to narrow down the search. Go to Finding the Registration District to learn how to find the district.
 * Date range. Expand the date range of the search by 5 years.

Why the Record may not Exist
Records Start Mandatory birth registration started in 1864. Before this, births and baptisms can be found in church records (mainly the Roman Catholic Church or Church of Ireland). Although civil registration began in 1864, universal compliance did not occur for decades. Records Published by FamilySearch Collection coverage tables show the places and time periods of original records published by FamilySearch. For any FamilySearch collections you did not find your ancestor in, check the coverage table for gaps in the online collection. If the time period or location your ancestor lived in is missing from the collection, it may require searches in records found at original repository or finding substitute records for the event.

Records Destroyed Civil registration records are generally complete.
 * Ireland Births and Baptisms, Marriages, Deaths, Coverage Table