If your ancestor's specific place of origin in Ireland is unknown, then it is usually best to begin your search in the country where the Irish immigrant family settled. Just knowing that your ancestors came from Ireland is not enough - you must determine the specific parish or townland from which they came.This is primarily due to the destruction of the Record Tower in Dublin Castle in the early 18th century and the disastrous 1922 fire in the Ireland Public Record Office, which nearly obliterated civil records. Successful research for Irish ancestors, therefore, depends in large part on access to parish and townland records.
If yourIrish ancestors have lived in those countries with large Irish communities, namely the United States, Canada, Great Britain, Australia, and New Zealand,the following sources may contain this information:
- naturalization records
- tombstone inscriptions
- military records
- insurance and bank records
- newspaper obituaries
- passenger arrival lists
- deeds
- bible records
- wills and probate records
It is important to keep in mind that the chance that any of these records will pinpoint your ancestor's specific townland in Ireland will differ based on location (state, country, etc.)and time period.
I've Checked These Records and Still Can't Find Anything
If you can't find any mention of a hometown for your immediate ancestor, then cast a wider net and look for siblings, cousins, friends, and neighbors. The Irish tended to immigrate in groups and cluster by village in the country of immigration.What if I Can Only Find the County?
For the sake of genealogical research, the goal is to get down to the specifictownland in Ireland, but there are many useful levels of organization above that one including parishes, baronies, poor law unions, dioceses, probate districts, and counties. These subdivisions were all used at some point in Ireland's history and there are specific records that were compiled by each geographical division. If you find a listing for your ancestor which mentions one of these specific administrative divisions, then you can either try searching the records specific to that division for your ancestor (this is really only practical when the name is an unusual one), or begin working with surname distribution studies to narrow down the field of research.Next > Find Them in Irish Records
