An often-overlooked source in the search for Irish ancestors is the treasure trove that is local repositories and the records they contain. Local archives and libraries are an essential source for family history research. Their collections include street directories, local valuations, cemetery registers, maps, school rolls, workhouse records and even personal family archives. Other useful local sources include landed estate records, school registers, minutes of local council meetings and records of clubs, societies, and trade unions that your ancestors may have been involved with.
If you are planning a trip to Ireland to research your ancestry, then local archives and libraries should be high on your list of places to visit.
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Examples of Local SourcesExamples of Local Sources
Street and Trade DirectoriesStreet and Trade Directories
Street and trade directories of the principal cities and towns in Ireland are invaluable sources of information for researching family history. Earlier directories often concentrated primarily on the larger businesses and institutions. As time went on, the information contained became more detailed, with adverts for individual businesses, images, and descriptions of various trades. For example, if an ancestor is listed as working in a certain profession in a census or civil record, you can use trade directories to locate their place of work and possibly learn more about it. In Cork, these trade directories are held by the local studies section in Cork City Library, with some others in the City and County Archives.[1] Many other national directories, such as Slater’s National Directory of Ireland, can be found on MyHeritage.
For example, Dublin City Libraries contains directories and almanacs dating to the 1750s.[2] Some later directories also included a postal directory, listing the heads of household for the main cities and towns. The range of information they contain is incredibly detailed, including names of the heads of households on very many of the city streets, information on businesses, public institutions, and educational and medical establishments. Directories can be combined with period maps to understand the landscape that your ancestors inhabited.
Cemetery RegistersCemetery Registers
Another useful source contained in local libraries and archives are cemetery registers. While there is an abundance of online sites containing information on Irish burials, these sites are often relying on published obituaries or surviving gravestones. The registers can provide more detail, sometimes even recording the occupation and place of birth of the deceased. Cork City and County Archives for example, contains burial registers for Cobh/Queenstown.[3] Queenstown was well known as the departure point for many emigrants leaving Ireland to start a new life in America. There are also registers for cemeteries which are no longer in use. Many local authority archives have digitised or transcribed their surviving burial registers.
Irish Workhouse RecordsIrish Workhouse Records
The workhouse looms large in Irish history, particularly in relation to the Great Famine and its immediate aftermath. Workhouses were introduced to Ireland in the early 1840s and continued to function up until the 1920s. There were 163 workhouses in total throughout Ireland. Along with being a place of last resort for those who had become destitute, workhouses were also a place for assisted emigration. Surviving workhouse registers are often kept locally. Unfortunately, not all records for every workhouse survive. For many areas, the Board of Guardian minute books (recording the proceedings of Board of Guardians meetings), are the largest series of poor law archives that have survived; workhouse registers, financial accounts and correspondence and several other series also survive for some areas. To discover which poor law union your Irish ancestors may have resided in, you can check the map of Irish poor law unions online.[4]
Local Valuation RecordsLocal Valuation Records
Aside from the nationwide valuation records (such as the well-known Griffith's Valuation), there were also some local valuations undertaken for specific towns or parishes. In Cork for example, the City and County Archives contain a valuation list for the parish of Holy Trinity in 1831. The list was made for the Grand Jury of the County of the City of Cork.[5] A similar valuation of Dublin city was carried out in 1830.[6] These local valuation records can be used alongside those held in the Valuation Office in Dublin.
Historic Photo CollectionsHistoric Photo Collections
Historic photos are another important tool when researching your family history and Ireland has no shortage of great photographic collections. Some are held at a national level, such as the Lawrence Collection, which is held by the National Library of Ireland.[7] But if you are trying to find photos of the town or village your ancestors came from, then checking local repositories is essential.
Ireland Genealogy ProjectsIreland Genealogy Projects
Ireland Genealogy Projects (IGP) was created to help fill the need for free genealogical data about families originating in Ireland. The site creators believe that much information is already in the hands of researchers and need only be shared so that others can discover more about their ancestors. It is divided into two parts, one for research aids (the County pages) and the other an archive of submitted material (the Archive), each arranged county by county. Some of the records uploaded to each county might include transcripts of obituaries, headstone photographs, memorial cards and many other local records. It should be noted that the project is volunteer driven and that the records uploaded will differ for each county. There is a search function available on the website.[8]
Local Historical/Genealogical SocietiesLocal Historical/Genealogical Societies
Local historical and genealogical societies play a very important role in Irish family history research. Their members will often have local knowledge about an area that might not be found in the official sources. Many local societies produce a journal or maintain a website with a blog. Most are active on social media. A list of the majority of societies throughout Ireland is maintained by the Federation of Local History Societies.[9]
Using Local SourcesUsing Local Sources
The collections in local archives and libraries offer a rich research resource for the family historian, who wishes to learn more about the shape and development of their ancestral communities and the authorities who served them. If you are planning to use them in your research, then there are some issues to be aware of.
Many local libraries and archives are quite small. An appointment will likely be necessary when conducting research. It is also important to be aware of limited opening hours (closing at lunchtime for example or only opening on certain weekdays).
Counties with large urban areas often generated more records, which means searching places with large towns and cities may be easier. Some sources may also have a very limited coverage, perhaps only covering a few decades. The lack of a single database with information on which libraries and archives maintain digital collections can make searching difficult.
Other genealogy guides and websites maintained by local researchers may also be a helpful guide. There are many Facebook groups and pages dedicated to local history in Ireland. Sometimes an online search will bring up useful local resources.
Finding Local SourcesFinding Local Sources
Throughout Ireland there is a network of local libraries and archives. Most Irish counties on both sides of the border have their own dedicated county library and archive which are run by local councils. Many of these libraries will have some sort of local studies and reference section containing material relevant for genealogy. Larger cities such as Cork and Dublin have more than one library and archives. For example, Cork has a city library, a county library and a separate City and County Archives. Dublin being divided into four separate local authority areas, has four distinct central libraries and archives.[10] The Libraries Ireland website has listings for all libraries within the Republic of Ireland.[11] The LibrariesNI website maintains a similar list for those in Northern Ireland.[12]
Aside from these public run archives and libraries, there are also other special archives run by Irish religious orders or specific businesses, such as breweries. The Archives and Records Association of Ireland has a useful listing of local and specialist archives throughout Ireland and Northern Ireland.[13]
When researching ancestors in a specific county in Ireland, it is worth checking to see if the county library and archives has any online resources which may be of help in your search. The head library for each county or city will likely contain a local studies section with books on local history, old newspapers, reference works and journals published by local historical societies etc.
Not all county libraries and archives have an abundance of online resources to assist with researching from home. Some might not even have a searchable online catalogue. Be aware that whatever is online will only be a sample of their total holdings. If you cannot find what you are looking for online, it is advisable to contact them directly for information on their holdings.
See alsoSee also
Explore more about Local sources in IrelandExplore more about Local sources in Ireland
- Ireland - Directories record collection at MyHeritage
- ‘Hidden Treasures’: Discovering Local Sources in Your Irish Research webinar at Legacy Family Tree Webinars
- Our sources for family & local history at National Archives of Ireland
References
- ↑ https://digital.corkpastandpresent.com/browse-by-collection/list/collections/16
- ↑ https://www.dublincity.ie/residential/libraries/heritage-and-history/directories-and-almanacs
- ↑ https://publications.corkarchives.ie/view/217396446/
- ↑ http://www.workhouses.org.uk/Ireland/
- ↑ https://publications.corkarchives.ie/view/695667209/
- ↑ https://www.swilson.info/dubcval1830.php
- ↑ https://www.flickr.com/photos/nlireland/albums/
- ↑ https://www.igp-web.com/
- ↑ https://localhistory.ie/
- ↑ https://dublin.ie/live/life-in-dublin/dublin-council-areas/
- ↑ https://www.librariesireland.ie
- ↑ https://www.librariesni.org.uk/
- ↑ https://araireland.ie/archives-directory.