Humanities › History & Culture Ireland Vital Records: Civil Registration Print Stockbyte/Stockbyte/Getty Images History & Culture Genealogy Vital Records Around the World Basics Surnames Genealogy Fun American History African American History African History Ancient History and Culture Asian History European History Inventions Latin American History Medieval & Renaissance History Military History The 20th Century Women's History View More By Kimberly Powell Kimberly Powell Genealogy Expert Certificate in Genealogical Research, Boston University B.A., Carnegie Mellon University Kimberly Powell is a professional genealogist and the author of The Everything Guide to Online Genealogy. She teaches at the Genealogical Institute of Pittsburgh and the Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy. Learn about our Editorial Process Updated on January 10, 2020 Government registration of births, marriages, and deaths in Ireland began January 1, 1864. Registration of marriages for non-Roman Catholics began in 1845. Many of the early years of civil registration of births, marriages, and deaths have been microfilmed by the Mormons and are available through Family History Centers worldwide. Check the Family History Library Catalog online for details on what is available. Address:Office of the Registrar-General of Births, Deaths, and MarriagesGovernment OfficesConvent Road, RoscommonPhone: (011) (353) 1 6711000Fax: (011) +353(0) 90 6632999 Ireland Vital Records The General Register Office of Ireland has records of birth, marriage, and death occurring in all of Ireland from 1864 to 31 December 1921 and records from the Republic of Ireland (excluding the six north-eastern counties of Derry, Antrim, Down, Armagh, Fermanagh, and Tyrone known as Northern Ireland) from 1 January 1922 on. The GRO also has records of non-Catholic marriages in Ireland from 1845. Indices are arranged in alphabetical order by name and include the registration district (also known as the 'Superintendent Registrar's District'), and the volume and page number in which the entry is recorded. Through 1877 indices were arranged alphabetically, by year. From 1878 onwards each year was divided into quarters, January-March, April-June, July-September and October-December. FamilySearch has the Ireland Civil Registration Indexes 1845-1958 available for free searching online. Enclose the correct fee in Euros (check, International Money Order, cash, or Irish Postal Order, drawn on an Irish bank) made payable to The Civil Registration Service (GRO). The GRO also accepts credit card orders (the best method for international orders). Records are available by applying in person at the General Register Office, any local Superintendent Registrars Office, by postal mail, by fax (GRO only), or online. Please call or check the Web site before ordering to verify current fees and other information. Ireland Birth Records Dates: From 1864Cost of copy: €20.00 certificateComments: Be sure to request a "full certificate" or a photocopy of the original birth record, both of which contain the date and place of birth, given name, sex, father's name and occupation, mother's name, informant of birth, date of registration and the signature of the Registrar. * Birth information prior to 1864 may be available from parish baptismal records which are kept at the National Library, Kildare Street, Dublin, 2. Irish Death Records Dates: From 1864Cost of copy: €20.00 certificate (plus postage)Comments: Be sure to request a "full certificate" or a photocopy of the original death record, both of which contain date and place of death, name of deceased, sex, age (sometimes approximate), occupation, cause of death, informant of death (not necessarily a relative), date of registration and Registrar's name. Even today, Irish death records do not usually include a maiden name for married women or date of birth for the deceased. Irish Marriage Records Dates: From 1845 (Protestant marriages), from 1864 (Roman Catholic marriages)Cost of copy: €20.00 certificate (plus postage)Comments: Marriage records in the GRO are cross-listed under the surname of both the bride and groom. Be sure to request a "full certificate" or a photocopy of the original marriage record, which contains the date and place of marriage, names of bride and groom, age, marital status (spinster, bachelor, widow, widower), occupation, place of residence at time of marriage, name, and occupation of father of bride and groom, witnesses to marriage and clergyman who performed the ceremony. After 1950, additional information provided on marriage records includes the dates of birth for the bride and groom, mother's names, and a future address. * Marriage information prior to 1864 may be available from parish marriage registers which are kept at the National Library, Kildare Street, Dublin, 2. Cite this Article Format mla apa chicago Your Citation Powell, Kimberly. "Ireland Vital Records: Civil Registration." ThoughtCo, Aug. 27, 2020, thoughtco.com/ireland-vital-records-1422818. Powell, Kimberly. (2020, August 27). Ireland Vital Records: Civil Registration. Retrieved from https://www.thoughtco.com/ireland-vital-records-1422818 Powell, Kimberly. "Ireland Vital Records: Civil Registration." ThoughtCo. https://www.thoughtco.com/ireland-vital-records-1422818 (accessed March 29, 2024). copy citation