Ireland Civil Registration
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Introduction[edit | edit source]
Before civil registration, Church Records were kept on the island of Ireland to keep track of baptisms, marriages and burials. Protestant records often stretch back to the 18th century, while most Catholic records begin around the time of emancipation in 1829. Ireland was then part of the United Kingdom, where civil registration had been introduced in England in 1837. In 1845 this was begun in Ireland for non-Catholic marriages only, before being extended to births, deaths and marriages for people of all religions in 1864. A unified system of civil registration then operated until the partition of Ireland, after which Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland kept their own records with different formats and information.
A key distinction exists when searching these records between the indexes and the originals. The indexes only have very basic information such as name and year, and reference numbers to locate the originals. The indexes are widely available for free, but the originals have only recently become more accessible.
| Record Type | Start Date | Record Content |
| Births | 1864 | Child’s name; sex; birth date; birthplace; parents' names (including mother’s maiden name); father’s occupation and place of residence; informant’s signature, residence and qualification (often the relationship to the child being registered. |
| Marriages |
1845, Non-Catholic 1864, all religions |
Marriage date, place and denomination (for church marriages); names of bride and groom, their ages (frequently given as “full age”); occupations, marital statuses, residences at the time of marriage; names and occupations of their fathers, and sometimes whether their fathers were deceased (this is not consistent); signatures of the bride, groom, and witnesses. Marriages were usually performed in the bride’s parish and were registered by the performing minister, priest or registrar. In the Irish Republic since 1956 both parties’ dates of birth and parents’ full names have been recorded in addition to the future intended town or country in which the couple intend to reside. |
| Deaths | 1864 | Name, occupation, age at death, and marital status of deceased; duration of illness; date, place and cause of death; signature, qualification, and residence of the informant. For a married or widowed woman a spouse’s name is sometimes recorded. Where a child has died, the child’s occupation is often given as “son or daughter of …”. In the Northern counties, the father’s names of unmarried adult females are often recorded. Since December 2005 in the Irish Republic the deceased’s date and birth and parents’ full names are recorded. In Northern Ireland, since 1973 death records have stated the deceased person’s date and place of birth. |
Administrative Information[edit | edit source]
The basis for civil registration in Ireland is the registration district, and all records are arranged by these districts. They usually include many villages, meaning the Index data alone cannot determine the precise place of an event. However the original may mention more specific localities, especially for residences.
The website of John Grenham has a Place Search Feature that gives information about which administrative subdivisions a place is located in, including Registration Districts
Ireland, Civil Registration, County/Volume Arrangement. and Ireland, Civil Registration: Additional Information About the Indexes. are useful articles for further information about using indexes and the way records are arranged in FamilySearch films.
Finding Ireland Civil Registration Records[edit | edit source]
Ireland Civil Registration is increasingly becoming available online. However there are different websites and access arrangements for the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland.
- Ireland, Civil Registration Indexes (FamilySearch Historical Records), Indexes only for both Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, up to 1958. The database is also on Ancestry and FindMyPast
- Ireland Births (FamilySearch Historical Records)- Part of the IGI, very limited coverage up to 1881 only
- Ireland Deaths (FamilySearch Historical Records) Part of the IGI, very limited coverage up to 1870 only.
- Ireland Marriages (FamilySearch Historical Records) Part of the IGI, very limited coverage up to 1898 only.
- Ireland Civil Marriages (FamilySearch Historical Records) A work in progress, incomplete. Includes data from original records, but viewing images requires being in a FHC or affiliate library. Many of the records so far are pre-1864 marriages. Both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland.
- Irishgenealogy.ie For the Republic of Ireland only. Originals of births are online for 1864-1915, marriages 1882-1940 and deaths 1891-1965. The remaining records are index only, but the originals can be ordered.
- RootsIreland ($) Limited coverage for both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland.
- GRONI ($) Access to both indexes and originals for Northern Ireland. Originals must be ordered with a credit card, and searches of indexes are paid for with credits.
Books and Tutorials[edit | edit source]
Handran, George (ed). Townlands in Poor Law Unions. Salem, Massachusetts: Higginson, c1997. ISBN: 0832869937; FHL book 941.5 P32hg. This source identifies civil parishes, as well as townlands, within poor law unions (registration districts). It is not available online. General Alphbetical Index to the Townlands, Towns, Parishes and Baronies of Ireland, 1851. Dublin: printed by Alexander Thom for the Registrar General of Ireland, 1861. ISBN: 0806310529; FHL book 941.5 X22g. This source lists place names identified in the 1851 census of Ireland and gives their poor law union (civil registration district) and other jurisdictions. Also available online at http://www.thecore.com/seanruad and http://www.irishtimes.com/ancestor/placenames.
- Irish Civil Registration - Where Do I Start? (No. 2 in 'Exploring Irish Genealogy' series) by Eileen O'Duill Steven C. ffeary-Smyrl. Published by the Council of Irish Genealogical Organisations, Dublin, 2000. www.cigo.ie
- Falley, Margaret Dickson. Irish and Scotch-Irish Ancestral Research. Evanston, Illinois: privately printed, 1962.
- Grenham, John. “Civil Records” in Tracing your Irish Ancestors, 3rd ed. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., 2006.
- Ó Dúill, Eileen and Steven C. ffeary-Smyrl, Irish Civil Registraion – Where Do I Start?, Council of Irish Genealogical Organisations Exploring Irish Genealogy Series. Dublin, Ireland: Council of Irish Genealogical Organisations, 2000. [The definitive guide on the subject.]
- Radford, Dwight A. and Kyle J. Betit. “Civil Registration” in A Genealogists Guide to Discovering Your Irish Ancestors. Cincinnati, Ohio: Betterway Books, 2001. [Includes a list of the Superintendent Registrar’s Districts.]
The following FamilySearch Tutorials cover the topic of Ireland Civil Registration
- Ireland Beginning Research Series: Civil Registration
- Ireland Civil Registration
- Finding Ancestry in Ireland Civil Registration Records
Locating the Actual Registration Information[edit | edit source]
There are two index systems used to catalog the civil registration information; the GRO index and the GRONI index. If you have GRO index information, you must obtain the registration from a repository that catalogs the information based on this index and vice versa for the GRONI index information. GRO indexed information is shown in bold and GRONI indexed information is shown initalic.
Step 1: Determine where to obtain the actual registration information. Below is a table showing the civil registration information available at the Family History Library or through Family History Centers, the GRO and the GRONI. Determine whether your index information is based on the GRO or the GRONI catalog system and then identify where you want to obtain the actual registration information.
| Event | FHL or FHC | GRO | GRONI |
| Births: | (Click link then scroll down) | . | . |
| Republic of Ireland |
1864–Mar 1881; 1900-1913; 1930 -1955 |
1864 to present | 1864-1921 |
| Northern Ireland | 1864 to 1921 | 1864 to present | |
| Marriages: (Protestant only) | (Click link then scroll down) | . | . |
| Republic of Ireland | 1845–1863 | 1845 to present | 1845–1863 |
| Northern Ireland | 1845-1863 | 1845-1863 | 1845 to present |
| Marriages: (all marriages) | (Click link then scroll down) | . | . |
| Republic of Ireland | 1864-1870 | 1864 to present | 1864-1921 |
| Northern Ireland | 1864-1870; 1922-1959 | 1864-1921 | 1864 to present |
| Deaths: | (Click link then scroll down) | . | . |
| Republic of Ireland | 1864-1870 | 1864 to present | 1864-1921 |
| Northern Ireland | 1864-1870; 1922-1959 | 1864-1921 | 1864 to present |
Step 2: Obtain the actual registration information.
*Obtaining Civil Registration Information at Family History Library or Family History Center:
The Family History Library (FHL) has microfilms of the actual registration information the years shown above. Click on the link in the above table to see the Family History Library microfilm number that contains the certificate you are looking for based on the index information you have. These microfilms can also be ordered through the local Family History Center. Then find the certificate by looking at the microfilm. First find the appropriate year or quarter of the year and then proceed to the page number found in the indexes to locate the registration information.
*Obtaining Civil Registration Information at the GRO:
With the GRO index information, you can obtain the registration information through the GRO. Click on this link to see the GRO ordering information.
*Obtaining Civil Registration Information at GRONI:
With the GRONI index information, you can obtain the registration information through the GRONI. Click on this link to see the GRONI ordering information.
[edit | edit source]
Research use: Used to locate marriages where location is hard to establish.
Record type:
- Transcripts of marriage certificates. Note: A regulation required married officers to submit marriage certificates as a condition of eligibility of their wives for widow's pensions.
- Time period: 1801-1902.
Contents:
- Name of bride and groom
- Date and place of marriage
- Information about navel service (PRO-classes Adm. 30/57, Adm 13/70-71 and Adm. 13/186-192).
Location:
- The National Archives
- Ruskin Avenue
- Richmond, Surrey
- TW9 4DU,
- England
Population coverage: 4 %.
Reliability: Good.
Accessibility: Through a researcher or a professional genealogist.[1]
Additional Information[edit | edit source]
For more information about the indexes, see Ireland, Civil Registration: Additional Information About the Indexes.
For tips on searching the indexes, go to Tips on Searching the Civil Registration Indexes.
For additional information on death registration records, go to Ireland, Additional Civil Registration Information.
For additional collections available at the Registrar General's Office, go to Ireland, Additional Civil Registration Information.
- Irish Civil Registration - Where Do I Start? (No. 2 in 'Exploring Irish Genealogy' series) by Eileen O'Duill Steven C. ffeary-Smyrl. Published by the Council of Irish Genealogical Organisations, Dublin, 2000. www.cigo.ie
References[edit | edit source]
- ↑ The Family History Department of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, “Family History Record Profile: Ireland,” Word document, private files of the FamilySearch Content Strategy Team, 1986-2003.
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