8 Days of Irish Research: Other Irish Records Available
This is the eighth post in the series 8 Days of Irish Research.
Over the last seven days we have covered so many records you can use when researching your Irish ancestors. Today, for our last post, I thought we should cover some of the other records there. There are so many other record sets that you can use to gain a bit of insight on these ancestors. I highly recommend using FindMyPast (FMP) for access to them.
Newspapers
The newspaper collection starts in the 1700 and goes through 1999. These are then divided into 49 year sections. You can continue to filter by newspaper, county, place, or article type. You never know what you will find in the newspaper, take some time to search and see if you can find anything on your ancestors.
Petty Session Records
These records cover 1828 – 1912. The petty sessions were the lowest level of court. In these 22 million records you just might find your ancestor accused of something like stealing a pig, or maybe even bread to feed the family.
Directories
There are two record sets under the directories category, the Irish Catholic Directories 1836 – 1837 and 19th Century Directories. Due to the issue of common names, it just might be a bit difficult to find your ancestor as they do not give you the option to enter the townland you are looking for.
Take some time to search through the index of records for Ireland, you will also find records pertaining to the Easter Rising, some workhouse records, cemetery records and records on deserted children.
Moving away from FMP, I highly recommend looking at these records as well.
The Census
We never talked about the Irish Census, mainly because there are minimal returns to look through. You can find the census on the National Archives website (for free). Ireland maintains a 100 year privacy on the census. Currently the only full returns available are 1901 and 1911. There are fragments available for 1821, 1831, 1841 and 1851.
Something that is important to note on the census. In Ireland the census is taken and it is about who is in the house that night. If family was visiting at the time of the census, they will be enumerated where they are. Something I learned from the Ulster Historical Foundation, make sure you check out the profession for everyone. Our Irish ancestors sure had a sense of humor and it shows in the records.
I have created a checklist to remind you what records you should be looking for. It is in PDF format and can be downloaded for use. Once you download a copy, laminate it and use a dry erase marker. Once you have searched all records for the ancestor you are researching, make a photocopy for your records and then wipe it clean. Start over with your next Irish ancestor.
I hope the 8 Days of Irish Research has been helpful. If you use any of the information I have shared during this series and have found something new, please come back and let me know. I would love to share if your excitement!
