
Introduction
Discovering your Irish ancestry can be a thrilling journey when you have access to the right resources. Look no further than this selection of top Irish genealogy databases. These free and user-friendly platforms are available to everyone, making it easy to uncover valuable insights into your family history.
To get started, it's important to identify your ancestor's "townland of origin", the smallest unit of land or geographic division in Ireland. Once you know the townland where your ancestors came from, it can save you a lot of time by streamlining the navigation of genealogical records and leading you to a more complete understanding of your Irish heritage.
But before diving into archives or databases, be sure to gather information from your family members and check records in your ancestor's adopted country. With this information in hand, you can start your research for free using the following online resources.
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Ask About Ireland is an amazing and free resource that contains a wealth of information, such as indexes, complete returns, and maps from Richard Griffith's Primary Valuation of Tenements. These useful records can tell you about the value and location of property in Ireland during the 19th century. The Primary Valuation was a survey that was conducted between 1847 and 1864. Its purpose was to determine how much tax each landowner should pay. The indexes contain the names of landowners, while the complete returns have more detailed information about the property and its value. The maps show the exact location of each property. A careful search of these records can help you to discover where your Irish ancestors lived.
The Ellis Island Passenger Search database is a valuable tool for those looking for information about relatives who arrived at the Port of New York between 1820 and 1957. With access to nearly 65 million passenger records and ship manifests, users can explore information collected at arrival points, revealing details including name, age, date of arrival, ship name, nationality, birthplace, occupation, last residence overseas, and final destination.
To start your search, all you need is a name, but gathering more information like travel companions, hometown, and arrival date is recommended for more accurate and efficient results. The database can accommodate various surname spellings, but knowing the original birth name is beneficial, especially if there was a significant change to the family name.
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FamilySearch is operated by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and provides access to an extensive collection of records. One of the most notable features of FamilySearch is its access to census records from 1880/1881, which covers the US, UK, and Canada, allowing you to trace your ancestors back several generations. FamilySearch also features a searchable index of civil registration records covering all of Ireland.
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IrishGenealogy.ie is a free website that provides access to church and civil records collections. You can find Church of Ireland, Presbyterian, and Roman Catholic records from specific locations in the limited church records collection.
The civil registration records collection includes maiden names of mothers in birth indexes from 1900 and present post-1870 marriages with both bride and groom's names. However, the website only offers historical records, which means you can access births up to 100 years ago, marriages up to 75 years ago, and deaths up to 50 years ago. You can download images of birth, marriage, and death registers for specific periods, but images of death registers from 1864-1870 are yet to be added.
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The National Archives of Ireland provides a wealth of resources, including digital versions of census records from 1901 and 1911. You can also find Tithe Applotment Books and World War One Soldiers' Wills.
The Tithe Applotment Books are records that were created in the 19th century to assess how much each household in Ireland should contribute to the Church of Ireland. They include the names of property owners and can be used to trace the history of land ownership and occupation in Ireland.
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The National Library of Ireland keeps an incredible collection of microfilms that contain Roman Catholic parish registers, which can help you uncover some interesting details about your family's religious history. These records include information about key milestones like baptisms, marriages, and burials. While the microfilm collection can be difficult to navigate without a comprehensive index, there are several paid online platforms like Ancestry.com and FindMyPast that offer accessible indexes to make your search easier. However, it's important to keep in mind that the start dates of surviving records may vary, so you'll need to do some research to ensure you're searching in the correct places.
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7. PRONI
The Public Record Office of Northern Ireland (PRONI) provides access to a wide range of records that includes historical, social, and cultural archives. As the official repository for public records in Northern Ireland, PRONI holds records from both public and private sources, providing researchers with a wealth of information on Irish family history. Some examples of the records available at PRONI are census records, church registers, wills, land and property records, court records, maps, photographs, and more.
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The Townlands Database is a helpful tool for people who want to learn about their ancestors and their history in Ireland. It contains information about over 60,000 small areas called "townlands" that played important roles in Irish society over time. However, because these areas have traditional Gaelic names, it can be tricky to find the information you’re searching for. For example, "Bally" can be spelled as "Baile," or "Ballin" can be spelled as "Baile an." Similarly, "Kil" can be spelled as "Cill" or "Kill," and "Glen" may be spelled as "Gleann" or "Glenn." Therefore, when using the Townlands Database for genealogy research, it's advisable to try different spelling variations to increase the chances of finding the relevant information.
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Conclusion
Discover your Irish ancestry with ease using these free genealogy databases. Streamline your search by gathering information from family members and checking records in your ancestor's adopted country. These platforms offer property records, passenger manifests, census records, and church and civil records, making it easy to uncover valuable insights into your family history. Begin your journey today and uncover your Irish heritage!
Happy hunting!
Keep your family’s stories alive. Contact me at hello@tristathegenealogist.com or through the contact page on my website, and together, we can ensure that your legacy lives on for generations to come. Don't wait until it's too late.

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