Ireland Prison Registers - FamilySearch Historical Records

Record Description
This collection will include records from 1790 to 1924.

This is a compilation of prison records from collections held in the National Archives of Ireland. Most of the surviving prison records from the 26 counties of the Republic of Ireland are included in this collection. This project was done in cooperation with www.findmypast.ie.

Citation for This Collection
The following citation refers to the original source of the information published in FamilySearch.org Historical Records collections. Sources include the author, custodian, publisher, and archive for the original records.

Suggested citation format for a record in this collection.

Record Content
Key genealogical facts found in this collection usually include the following information:






 * Name of inmate
 * Last Residence
 * Place of birth
 * Occupation
 * Age
 * Crime committed
 * Name of Victim
 * Name and address of next of kin
 * Marital Status
 * Date crime committed

How to Use the Record
Beginning Your Search

To begin your search, it would be helpful if you knew the following information:


 * Name of ancestor
 * Occupation
 * Place of birth
 * Approximate year of birth

Searching the Index

Fill in the requested information in the initial search page. This search will return a list of possible matches. Compare the information about the ancestors in the list to what you already know about your ancestors to determine if this is the correct family or person. You may need to compare the information about more than one person to find your ancestor.

Using the information

When you have found the information that you are looking for, the following information will help you in your research:


 * The age of the ancestor can be calculated for a birth year.
 * The place at the time of imprisonment may be your ancestors residence if he is found on a census.
 * If the registrant wrote down where he or she was born, use that information to search in the church records for the parents.

Can't Find Any Information?

If you can't find any information, consider the following to help you in your search:


 * Search for a nickname. Prisoners sometimes when they go to prison may register their nickname instead of their real name.
 * Guess the year of birth. If your ancestor was married at the time of the incident, use the marriage year to calculate the birth year, thus giving you an approximate year to find out your ancestors correct age.

Known Issues with This Collection
For a full list of all known issues associated with this collection see the attached Wiki article. If you encounter additional problems, please email them to [mailto:support@familysearch.org support@familysearch.org]. Please include the full path to the link and a description of the problem in your e-mail. Your assistance will help ensure that future reworks will be considered.

Related Websites

 * FindMyPast.ie (Ireland's FindMyPast website)
 * Irish Genealogy Toolkit
 * Irish Genealogy

Related Wiki Articles

 * Ireland

Citing FamilySearch Historical Collections
When you copy information from a record, you should list where you found the information. This will help you or others to find the record again. It is also good to keep track of records where you did not find information, including the names of the people you looked for in the records.

A suggested format for keeping track of records that you have searched is found in the wiki article Help:How to Cite FamilySearch Collections.

Citation Example for a Record Found in This Collection
"Ireland, Prison Registers, 1790-1924," index and images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/KMQJ-DQF : accessed 28 June 2012), Maria Mcdonald, prison sentence 1899; citing Eneclann LTD. Ireland, Prison Registers. National Archives of Ireland, Dublin, Ireland.