Ireland Research Guidance: Birth 1864-Present

Ireland Ireland Research Guidance

Search Strategy
Search the following records in the order given.

1. Birth Certificate: Civil registration
Civil registration is the government registration of births, marriages, and deaths, which began in 1864. In the birth records you may find a child's name, sex, birth date and place, names of parents (including the mother's maiden name), father's occupation, and the name, residence, and relationship of a person present at the birth. Civil registration birth records cover most of the population and are indexed countrywide. Use the national index to identify and obtain a copy of a birth certificate.

Read more about Ireland Civil Registration.

Not everyone complied with civil registration when it first began, so not all children's births were registered. If you do not find your ancestor in the national index, try the next record.

2. Church Records: Church records
Church records are the christenings or baptisms, marriages, and burials recorded in registers by church officials at the time of an event. Christening records may state the name of the child, christening date, names of parents, place of residence of the family, and the occupation of the father. Sometimes the child's birth date and mother's maiden name are recorded. Minutes of church meetings sometimes record birth information for a child.

Before searching church records, it is very valuable to know or at least have an idea of what religion your ancestors belonged to. Read more about Ireland Church Records.

3. Census: Census
A census is a count and description of the population. Government census records are especially valuable because they list the majority of the population and are available at many repositories. In these records you may find names of the members of a household, gender, and each person's religion, marital status, relationship to the head of the household, age, address, occupation, and county of birth. Though many Irish census records have been destroyed, those that survive can provide clues that may lead you to other records.

Read more about Ireland Census. Readl also about Ireland Census Substitutes.

4. Marriage Certificate: Civil registration
Civil registration is the government registration of births, marriages, and deaths. In these marriage records you may find the names of the bride and groom, ages (which you can use to determine a year of birth), marriage date and place, marital status, fathers' names and occupations, the occupations and residences of the bride and groom, and names of witnesses. Protestant marriages were recorded from 1 January 1845. All marriages were recorded from 1 January 1864. Civil registration marriage records cover most of the population and are indexed countrywide. Use the national index to identify and obtain a copy of a marriage certificate.

Read more about Ireland Civil Registration.

5. Death Certificate: Civil registration
Civil registration is the government registration of births, marriages, and deaths. In these death records you may find the name and residence of the deceased, sex, death date, cause of death, and the name of the informant. Civil registration death records cover most of the population and are indexed countrywide. Use the national index to identify and obtain a copy of a death certificate.

Read more about Ireland Civil Registration.

6. Monumental Inscriptions: Cemeteries
Gravestone or monumental inscriptions can be a useful source of family history information. Sometimes, multiple family members are buried in the same vault or burial plot and the inscription will give information on all that are buried there. Inscriptions may give birth, marriage, and death information. They may also give clues about military service and occupation, or family members buried in the same area. Sometimes they give more information than the parish burial register or civil certificate of death. Monumental inscriptions are especially helpful for identifying ancestors who are not recorded in other existing records, and may give a birth date that cannot be found elsewhere.

Read more about Ireland Cemeteries.