LOOKING INTO THE PAST- FAMILY HISTORY

Who do I think I am?  Well, I have recently embarked on the challenging journey of looking into  past generations of my family, not just to get a list of names, but to try to find out a little about them.   I come from mostly peasant stock with very common  surnames.  This means that unless we are lucky enough to have had a few convicts in our midst who were shipped out to Botany Bay or had earlier generations who emigrated to the New World,  it is a challenge to find out anything about them.   LOOKING INTO THE PAST  page will contain links  to IRISH websites that may be of help to those looking for information on their ancestors in Ireland. There is a variety of websites giving information about Ireland, some fee paying, some free. This is not a definitive list, but has the sites that I have personally found to be useful.

The National Archives of Ireland:  This newly upgraded site has National census records for all 32  counties of Ireland, for 1901 and 1911.  Simple to use and fascinating database that is searchable by many categories.  One of the highlights for me was seeing my great grandfather’s  signature on the original document and the type of buildings they had on their small holding in Co. Donegal. This website has been upgraded in November 2012 to include Searchable Tithe Aplotment Books (1823 – 1837)  and Soldiers Wills (1914 – 1917).  This site will continue to evolve as more and more records are placed online.   (FREE to use)

Irish Ancestor : Family History from the Irish Times. Check out the largest collection of  Irish genealogy links  on the Web, browse parish  maps, or find out  how to start. (FEES apply)

Roots Ireland.ie: The Irish Family History Foundation (I.F.H.F.), an all Ireland not-for-profit organization, runs the rootsireland.ie site. It oversees the creation of a database of Irish genealogical sources which enables those who wish to trace their ancestry  to have access to all the relevant data in one place. (FEES apply)

Irish Genealogy.ie :  A relatively new site set up under the auspices of the Irish Tourism Board and still evolving.  A free search facility for over 1.3 million pre 1900 church birth, marriage and death records. So far, some Kerry, Cork, Dublin and Carlow records are available. (FREE to use)

Donegal Genealogy Resources: An amazing collection of over 2,600 pages of transcribed information from Co. Donegal.  If you know your parish, off you go! Complied by Lindel Buckley,  a woman of Donegal extract, living in New Zealand, from sources from the 18th to 20th century. (FREE  to use)

IrishGraveyards.ie: A plot by plot record of graves in Irish graveyards.  So far the graveyards that have been plotted are mainly in the north and west of Ireland.  You can search by name only or by place .  This site is still being compiled, so check back from time to time. (FREE  to use)

logainm.ie: The Placenames Database of Ireland.  A bilingual site with interactive maps. This site has  some historic  and some archive material on place names. (FREE  to use)

Griffiths Valuation: From the Ask about Ireland website, Griffiths Valuation is a record of  property valuation in Ireland, published from 1847 to 1864. It shows names of tenants and links to site maps. (FREE  to use)

Irish Local Placenames explained.P.W Joyce, Joyce was a key cultural figure of his time. He produced many works on the history and culture of Ireland. His most enduring work is the pioneering The Origin and History of Irish Names of Places (first edition published in 1869). (FREE  to use)

Ireland Reaching Out . A government initiative, funded by Atlantic Philanthropies aimed at the Irish Diaspora. The model is different – each of the 2,500 parishes in Ireland would like to contact its own diaspora, rather than waiting for people to come to Ireland searching for ancestors. (FREE  to use)

FindMyPast.ie : Over 3.5 million crime and legal records, almost 2 million names in directories and almanacs, one million Birts, Marriages, Death records ( BMD) records, exclusive land and estate records, as well as census substitutes, travel and migration records, and the names and details of the Irish who fought in wars and rebellion. (FEES apply)