Trace your Irish roots, free
Every website below is free to search and run by an official or public body. We just point the way and explain how to use them.
Free official sources
Census of Ireland 1901 and 1911
Every household on the whole island in 1901 and 1911: names, ages, where people were born, religion, jobs and who lived together.
Tip: Search by surname and county first. Ages are often a few years out – that’s normal.
Civil birth, marriage and death records
Indexes and many images of state registrations: births from 1864, marriages (non-Catholic from 1845, all from 1864) and deaths from 1864. Newer years are released each year, subject to privacy limits.
Tip: Records for what is now Northern Ireland are here only up to the early 1920s. After that, use GRONI below.
Church records (parish registers)
Transcribed baptisms, marriages and burials for some parishes, mainly in Dublin, Kerry, Cork city and Carlow.
Tip: Coverage is patchy. If your parish isn’t here, try the National Library registers below.
Catholic parish registers
Images of most Catholic parish registers on the island, mostly up to about 1880.
Tip: These are photographs of handwritten pages, not a name search. You need to know the parish – the census and civil records help you find it.
Tithe Applotment Books 1823–37
Names of land occupiers in most rural parishes before the Famine, with townland and parish.
Tip: Only heads of household are listed. Books for the six northern counties are held by PRONI.
Griffith’s Valuation 1847–64
A property survey of the whole island after the Famine: who occupied each house or plot of land, and where.
Tip: Great for narrowing a surname down to a townland or parish. It lists occupiers, not whole families.
PRONI – Public Record Office of Northern Ireland
Wills, church records, valuation records, maps and more for the six counties of Northern Ireland.
Tip: Start with their family history guides – many collections are searchable online for free.
GRONI – birth, marriage and death records for Northern Ireland
Births, marriages and deaths registered in Northern Ireland, including those after the early 1920s.
Tip: Searching is free with an account; viewing record images and ordering certificates costs a small fee.
Ordering an official birth certificate (Republic of Ireland)
How to order a certified copy of a birth, marriage or death certificate – the kind you may need for official applications.
Tip: Find the record free on irishgenealogy.ie first, then order the certificate.
We link to these websites; we don’t copy, scrape or resell their records, and we have no connection with the organisations that run them.
Thinking about citizenship?
If a parent or grandparent was born in the island of Ireland (including Northern Ireland), you may be able to become a citizen. Read our plain-English explainer and try the one-minute ‘Where might I fit?’ guide.
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