Family History Genealogy Search Information

A Genealogy Guide for Irish-Americans Listing the kinds of records where you might find a mention of the town in Ireland your immigrant ancestor is from. Also listed are some online sources and research guides for finding these records. Once you know the name of the town or parish in Ireland then you can pursue further research in Irish records. Knowing the county is a good first step, but you will usually need to narrow it down to the specific parish or town.

There is a Bandon Historical Journal, which may help those with ancestors in the Bandon area.

Church Records
Catholic. Some Cork County Catholic parish registers survive from as early as 1748, though most go back to only the early 1800s. The originals are usually still held by the parish priests. Names and addresses for current priests are listed in the "Irish Catholic Directory" found at LDS and other genealogical libraries. All of the extant records for Cork County have been filmed by the National Library and written permission is not required from the priests of any Cork County parish to research these films. The National Archives also holds a list of available registers. Records of Catholic families may be found in Church or Ireland registers. Catholic parishes in the City of Cork are very large and the format is often very inconsistent from page to page, making them very difficult to use.

Church of Ireland.
Many original Church of Ireland parish registers are still in the parish of origin. Names and addresses for current clergy are listed in the "Church of Ireland Directory". Some have been filmed and are in the Representative Church Body Library; others are at the National Archives. Written permission of the local clergy of any County Cork parish is not required to view these microfilms. A list of surviving registers is held at the National Archives, the National Library and the Genealogical Office. "O'Kief, Coshe Mang, Slieve Lougher, and Upper Blackwater in Ireland" by Albert Casey contains Church of Ireland registers for these areas. Registers for County Cork parishes can be found in Volumes 8, 11 and 14. The book can be found in public libraries with major genealogical holdings. It has also been filmed by the LDS.

County and City of Cork Post Office Directory, 1842-1843, filmed by the LDS.

Directories
A number of directories, which may be helpful in finding ancestors, exist as follows:

Directory of Cork, Youghal and Kinsale, 1787 and 1821, in the National Library, Society of Genealogists in London, LDS, and in the Journal of the Cork Historical and Archeological Society, 1967.

Topographical divisions off Ireland
Townland.  A  townland is an Irish land unit that has existed  since the early 1100s. A townland is now the smallest administrative land unit in Ireland. All larger administrative units are made up of multiples of them.  There are 64,462 in Ireland of which 5,429 are in County Cork. Size is based on the quality of the land. The richer the land the smaller is the townland.

Griffith's Valuation, or the Householders Index, taken from 1851 to 1853 in County Cork, could prove a useful tool in light of the deficiency in real censuses. It is mainly used when you do not know the parish your ancestor was from. If your ancestor's name was common, it may be difficult to establish this, and there is actually little genealogical value to the Valuation. If your surname was common, the surveyors sometimes added the householder's father's first name to distinguish between individuals. The original index is housed at the Valuation Office in Dublin. Copies are widely available in genealogical libraries, including LDS, and at the National Archives, National Library and the Genealogical Office.

Holden's Triennial Directory for Cork City, 1809, at the Genealogical Office and LDS.

Indexes to Marriage Bonds
Marriage bonds were required prior to obtaining a license to marry. Neither bonds nor licences survived the 1922 fire. However, some indexes to them did survive. The National Archives possess those for County Cork for the years 1623-1845 for the diocese of Cork and Ross; and for 1630-1867 for the diocese of Cloyne. Indexes for both dioceses have been filmed by the LDS. Marriage bonds usually refer only to upper classes and landowners.

The Irish Ancestor Journal has a number of articles pertaining to County Cork.
"Trace Your Ancestors in County Cork" by Nora M. Hickey.

Mallow Heritage Centre
The Mallow Heritage Centre has computerized records of Catholic and Church of Ireland registers in County Cork, except for the City of Cork and its environs. Cork City records are covered by the Cork City Ancestral Project, located at the Cork County Library. The Mallow Heritage Centre will conduct an initial search for $35 or 20 pounds. If any records on your family are found, they will send the results to you for a further $25 or 15 pounds. Send as much information on your ancestor as possible.

Militia lists for all males aged 16 to 60 in 1761 in County Cork can be found in the Genealogical Office.

Newspapers
Rosemary Ffolliott has published an "Index to Biographical Notices Collected from Newspapers, Principally Relating to Cork and Kerry, 1756-1827". This "index" is actually a transcription of the complete notices in alphabetical order. The National Library and the Cork City Library have copies of this index. It has also been filmed by the LDS.

Other Publications
Various issues of the Journal of the Cork Historical and Archeological Society contain genealogical data, including local history, gravestone inscriptions and extracts from Cork directories.

Presbyterian.
A listing of all available Presbyterian records is at the Presbyterian Historical Society. Registers for the parishes of Bandon, Cork, Lismore and Queenstown are still in local custody.

Quaker.
All births, marriages and deaths were registered at Quaker monthly meetings. For County Cork, pre-1859 registers have survived and can be found at the Library of the Society of Friends in Dublin. Registers for Cork City from 1625 to 1860 and for Youghal parish from 1652 to 1839 have been filmed by the LDS.

A religious census, taken in 1766 and listing whether inhabitants were Catholic or Protestant, survives for many Cork parishes and can be found in the PRO. Those for the parishes of Dunbulloge and Kilmichael have been published in the Journal of Cork Historical and Archeological Society, Volumes 51 and 26, respectively.

Many other census substitutes for specific parishes have survived, and most are housed in the National Archives or National Library. Use their indexes or ask at a local historical society for your parish for what may be available and its location.

The Tithe Applotment Survey, taken in 1823 and 1837 could also be used for lack of censuses. This lists only those who occupied agricultural land. If your ancestor lived in a city, they would not be found here. The Survey can be found at the National Archives, National Library and the Genealogical Office, and copies are widely distributed in genealogical libraries, including LDS.


 Back to Top