8 Days of Irish Research: Other Church Records

This is the third post in the series 8 Days of Irish Research.

Yesterday we discussed the Roman Catholic Records (church registers). I thought that today we should take a look at the other church records. According to Wikipedia in 2011 84.2% of the Republic of Ireland identified as Roman Catholic.¹

At this point, I have not used any of these records. I thought it would be smart to take some time to go over them anyhow. I have no tips or tricks for these records.

Other religions (currently) identified are:

Church of Ireland
Presbyterian Church of Ireland
Methodist Church in Ireland
Hindu
Muslim
Eastern Orthodoxy
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
Neo-paganism

Just looking at the above list tells us that we need to be looking at other churches to find our ancestors, not to mention that for a long time is was not allowed to be Catholic. You should definitely look through the Church of Ireland records, not matter what denomination your ancestors were.

Church of Ireland

FamilySearch has a great Wiki for the Church of Ireland records (COI). The COI website has a list of what parish records are available here, they also tell you where you can find the records. If your ancestors were from Northern Ireland, I highly suggest becoming a paid subscriber to the Ulster Historical Foundation. I attended a couple of their one day events last March (here in the USA) and could not believe all the records they used in their lecture (ministers travel log for when he visited his parishioners) and so much more. If you have a chance to attend one of their day long events, do so. Though I am not actively researching Northern Ireland ancestors, I have become a member just because I appreciate all they do to assist those researching their Irish families.

Presbyterian Church of Ireland

As always, FamilySearch has a great Wiki that shares information on the Presbyterian Church of Ireland. The minister’s hold the records for the Presbyterian Churches. Proni also has microfilmed copies for the Presbyterian Registers of Northern Ireland and the counties of Donegal, Monaghan and Cavan. Visit the Proni website and search the ‘Presbyterian Church Index.’ In order to get a copy of the record, please read the FamilySearch Wiki section Locating Presbyterian Church Records for important information.

Methodist Church in Ireland

For the Methodist records, it is best to consult the FamilySearch Wiki.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

If you are a serious genealogist, you know that the LDS are great at keeping records because they use the records in sacred temple ordinances.² The LDS have been in Ireland since about 1840³ As of publication of this post, I have not found any LDS records online from Ireland.

For the remaining religions listed above, I have not been able to find any information on possible records. One could look for the local church in the area your ancestors lived and try writing a letter, email or even calling. Just remember their first order of business is not genealogy and you might have to wait for an answer.

I would also recommend getting the FlyLeaf Press publication, Irish Church Records.

I hope that this information helps you see that there are many other church records to look through, beyond the Roman Catholic records we discussed.