Include the National Archives of Ireland, the National Library of Ireland, and the Public Records Office of Northern Ireland (PRONI), which offer extensive resources such as census records, parish registers, and historical documents. These sites are essential for uncovering Irish genealogical records, providing valuable insights into family history and connections across Ireland’s history.
The National Archives of Ireland, the National Library of Ireland, and the Public Records Office of Northern Ireland (PRONI) are some of the best websites for researching Irish ancestry. However, history records in Ireland are scattered across databases mainly due to the island’s transformation since the start of the 20th century.
Besides, every family history is unique, as is the ancestry research process. Therefore, we have compiled a list of 10 websites that you may need to look at to cover everything required in online Irish genealogy.
You should collect basic information about an individual or family before exploring these websites. Some basic facts you may need include the name of your ancestor or the family, their parish or townland, and the approximate period of time in which they lived.
This information will not only guide you to the specific records to search but also help you spot the correct family name spelling among the millions that may pop up on the following websites.
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Best Websites for Researching Irish Ancestors
1. The National Archives of Ireland (NAI)
The National Archives of Ireland should be among the first sites to visit for information like 1901-1911 censuses, tithe applotment books dating from the early 19th century, and wills from soldiers who fought in the Great War or the Second Anglo-Boer War.
You get free access to these and other records, which allows you to retract transcripts or compare them with complementary documents from different sites. Simply hit the “Search the Online Catalogue” section to search your terms, or click the menu tab to explore the archives and latest news related to Irish history.
2. National Library of Ireland (NLI)
The National Library of Ireland is another free-to-access site featuring the Roman Catholic Parish Register from the mid-18th century. Here, you find records from over 1,000 parishes, including baptismal, marriage, and burial records.
NLI only lets you browse by parish location only and can’t search a specific name, making research more straightforward if you know some basic facts about your family or ancestor. With your exact parish of interest, it becomes easy to find dates of crucial events, names, and more critical information.
3. Public Records Office of Northern Ireland (PRONI)
If your Irish ancestry is related to the counties of Antrim, Armagh, Down, Fermanagh, Londonderry, and Tyrone, PRONI should be your go-to free-access site. In addition to heaps of Irish background information, PRONI offers downloadable family history guides, most of which link to images of the original materials.
The “Search Archives Online” tab directs you to resources such as 1858 Will calendars, the Ulster Covenant, street directories, and the Valuation revisions books from 1830.
4. Irishgenealogy.ie
Irish Genealogy is another free database with pre-20th-century church records selected from the Church of Ireland, Roman Catholic, and Presbyterian churches for parishes in Carlow, Cork, Kerry counties, and Dublin.
In addition to church registers, you can access Ireland’s civil registration indexes of births, marriages, and deaths. This version is referred to as the “enhanced version” as the staff enter the details directly from the original vital certificates.
5. General Register Office of Northern Ireland (GRONI)
GRONI also has the civil registration records for Antrim, Armagh, Tyrone, Londonderry, and Down counties, but you must part ways with a few cents to access comprehensive results. Choose the “Full Certificate View” or the “Enhanced View” subscription to access birth, marriage, and death records dating back to the mid-19th century.
6. FindMyPast
Findmypast.com has the largest collection of Irish ancestry records online only accessible through the “Ultimate” and “Essential British and Irish” subscriptions, which start at about $15. Some records available include the 1901-1911 censuses, Poverty Relief loans (1821-1874), and Land Estate Court Rentals.
The Essential British and Irish subscription gives you access to more census and parish records, while the Ultimate has all the old newspapers dating back to 1700s.
7. Ancestry.com
Ancestry may have fewer records than Findmypast, but it’s recommended for beginner Irish researchers looking for basic information like Griffith’s valuation, census records, and the Famine Relief Commission papers (1844-1847).
A monthly “World Explorer” subscription of about $25 gives you access to indexed collections of Roman Catholic Parish registers and scanned images of the original Irish documents. What’s more? Ancestry.com offers DNA testing services, making it possible to corroborate traditional research with genetic data.
8. FamilySearch
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has FamilySearch as its genealogical arm, offering users a vast repository of records to trace their Irish ancestors. This site offers free access to the civil registration indexes, which are charged a fee on other websites. You can also view over four million records of births, baptisms, and marriages in Ireland from the early 1600s.
9. AncestryIreland.com
The Ulster Historical Foundation (UHF) manages the Ancestry Ireland site which allows users to access church and civil records transcriptions on a pay-per-view basis. The Irish Family History Foundation (IFHF) uploads these records focusing on the Ulster province, specifically the Antrim and Down counties.
You can join the community for about $45 annually and receive discounted access to some exclusive databases and publications.
10. RootsIreland.com
Roots Ireland is also part of the IFHF and works on a subscription basis starting at about $25 a month or on a pay-per-view basis. The database comprises over 20 million transcriptions of all the records the foundation holds in different counties and regions in Ireland.
The gems to look for in Roots Ireland are the church records, which combine different denominations across the island. You also get a glimpse of transcriptions of birth, marriage, and death certificates for most counties in Northern Ireland.
Online Irish Ancestry Research
These sites have much of what you need to research your Irish ancestors, especially if you have a clear path to executing the process. In addition to crucial records that would otherwise require you to commute physically, some of these sites also have family tree builders to help you visualize your discovery about your Irish heritage. Nonetheless, it is always advisable to consult a professional Irish genealogist before you take inroads in your genealogy.