County Limerick, Ireland Genealogy

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

History
County Limerick (Irish: Contae Luimnigh) is a county in Ireland. It is located in the province of Munster. The administrative headquarters are in the city of Limerick. The name Limerick is derived from the Irish name Luimneach meaning ‘bare ground’. Its greatest length is 50 miles from the boundary at Galtmore to near Abbeyfeale and has an area of about 1030 square miles.

The Celts came to this area in 400 BC. Later in the fifth century, several Christian monasteries were established. The Vikings took control of Limerick City in the mid-ninth century followed by the Normans in the twelfth century. Limerick was formerly established in 1210. A large rebellion in the sixteenth century. To make the County more English, settlers came Limerick in 1598 as part of the Plantation of Munster, which wasn’t very successful. German settlers were brought to Limerick in 1709 from the Rhine Palatinate.

A local potato famine in 1820 followed by the great famine in 1845-47, had a terrible impact. In 1821, the population was 277,477. It increased to 330,029 in 1841, but began to decrease thereafter. In 1851, it was 262,132 and was only 143,000 in 1911. In 2006, the population was 184,055. Limerick is predominately Roman Catholic. In 1861, 96.4% of the population were Roman Catholic with 3.3% of the Church of Ireland, 0.10% Presbyterians and 0.2% Methodists. There were small variations over the years, but it remain fairly constant. In 1911, 97.08% were Roman Catholic with 2.44% Church of Ireland, 0.13% Presbyterians and 0.2% Methodists.

General County Research Information

 * Further information about County Limerick is available at the GenUKI Limerick site.

Civil Jurisdictions and Parish Research Information

 * List of County Limerick Civil Parishes
 * List of County Limerick Catholic Parishes

Civil Registration

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

Land and Property

 * 1831 - 1856 - at FamilySearch — index and images

Maps

 * 1885 County Map: Courtesy of London Ancestor

Websites

 * Limerick Union Workhouse (Limerick City) Emigration 1851 – 1859
 * FHLFavorites.info
 * RootsChat Limerick Resources and Help pages. (Free).