As we’ve seen in previous posts, the Internet is a treasure trove of Irish resources for genealogists and family historians. Not only does using the Internet to conduct your research offer a lot of time-saving convenience, it also is constantly providing new things to discover.
New records are being posted online all the time, including some very rare and never-before-seen collections. Therefore, it’s always a good idea for any Irish genealogist to keep abreast of what’s available out there by performing frequent searches for new collections and databases. You never know when you might find the one document that breaks through that genealogical brick wall!
Here are some links to Irish resources online that may be of benefit to you in your research:
1. Surname Search at Irish Roots Cafe–This database allows you to type in the surname of an Irish ancestor and see the names of other Irish Roots Cafe members who are researching that surname. You can get a list of email addresses of those researchers with a paid membership to Irish Roots Cafe, which is worth it for the opportunity to exchange family history information with others who are looking for the same surnames as you.
2. The Ireland and Northern Ireland Section at Cyndi’s List–The famous Cyndi’s list offers a plethora of links to Irish record resources across the Internet. The list is organized into categories, such as Families & People, Occupations, Photographs & Memories, Newspapers, Military, etc., to make it easy to find the type of record you need.
3. The Ireland Genealogy Links at GenealogyLinks.net–This list of links is similar to the ones at Cyndi’s List, but not quite as extensive. Still, it’s a good resource to use as a back-up to fill in any gaps in what Cyndi’s List offers.
4. The Irish Ancestors Section at IrishTimes.com–This excellent database includes sections on parish register records, census returns, tithe books, Griffith’s Valuation, passenger lists, and placenames. Simply click on the link for the category you want, enter the name you want searched, and get a detailed report of what information regarding that surname is available. It’s an excellent guide for pointing you in the right direction for future research.
5. The Irish Family History Foundation–This site has the largest searchable database of Irish parish register records available online.
6. Irish Newspaper Archives–This database has the largest collection of Irish newspaper records available online, with newspapers going back to the 1700’s.
7. FamilySearch.org’s Record Search Pilot–FamilySearch.org’s newest database includes a collection of searchable Irish civil registration indexes covering the period from 1845 to 1958. This database promises to expand with even more searchable Irish resources in the future.
