Getting started with Family History research in Ireland
I would love to get any suggestions for how to proceed with my Irish family research. My last name is Kennedy and we have been able to get back to a John Kennedy born in Ulster, Northern Ireland in1795, but I'm pretty much stuck after that. It looks like his father was named Alexander but we can't seem to get any farther. I'm planning on visiting Ireland next August so I would love to be able to visit some places my family came from, and hopefully, continue with that line. Any suggestions would be GREATLY appreciated.
Thank you in advance
Brent
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Good day Brent. Thats a quest you have there. You say your John Kennedy was born in Ulster Northern Ireland. Ulster is a 9 county province in the North of the Island of Ireland. Part of that province contains the six counties which make up Northern Ireland which itself only came into existence in 1921. So being able to say if they came from Ulster (9 counties) or Northern Ireland (6 counties) makes a difference to your research.
Do you know where exactly your Kennedy family came from ie any mention of a county or town? Irish research is notoriously difficult due to the lack of records however do not despair; there are some that will help.
John Grenham is the man for Irish Genealogy. You can use the site above and it will tell you more (we hope) about your familial name. PART OF HIS SITE IS PAY TO VIEW BUT OTHER PARTS ARE FREE.
The Griffiths Valuation was a tax levied against a property owner/lease holder. It only lists the head of the household but seeing a there are no census records until 1901 its seen as a very usable census replacement. It was taken around 1860 or so. askaboutireland/griffiths valuation is a highly usable site but it does take some getting used to. We used it a few years back and were able to find an old family home still standing and I have used it since to do so for other people.
Prior to this there was the Tithe Applotment books circa 1828. Again very limited information but if you can find your ancestor on this record set you can find your ancestral home/land. Being Ireland you have the books for southern Ireland with the link below
http://titheapplotmentbooks.nationalarchives.ie/search/tab/home.jsp
or for northern Ireland
If you have managed to find some family, government records for marriages start at 1845 for marriages 1864 for births and deaths. You MAY be able to find a marriage or a death that will help. This site is free to use and is the backbone of family research for those years listed.
Prior to 1864/1845 you need to use parish records. In Northern Ireland these are held at PRONI. Most church records are NOT online and have to be viewed in person. You also need to know which parish to search. There is a PDF file on the proni site that lists every parish in N Ireland and the location and availability of the church records. A small amount of records are online but the majority require an in-person visit.
Many earlier civil and church Ireland records were destroyed in a fire in 1922 in the Irish Public Record Office. Great efforts are being made to recreate this Record Office digitally and it is due online next year. Keep an eye out for that one.
And finally Catholic Parish Records are online and available on ancestry, findmypast etc. They are free on this site. They are hard to read though at times. Again you need to know which parish to view.
There is also the census site. There are only two complete census collections for Ireland 1901 and 1911. Scraps of other census takings can be found but they are VERY small fragments of the complete record.
All sites listed above are non-commercial and the records are free to view. There are some commercial sites to be found.
There is some good reading on the pages listed below.
So Brent- in summing up Irish family Research is hard but rewarding. Don't give up. Hopefully your visit next year will be the trip of a lifetime. Keep looking at this community group and let us know how you get on or if we can be of more help. Don't forget a good camera!!
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