Commissioning Research
Starting Research
A number of sites give advice on how to start research and what resources you will need:
- The National Archives of Ireland – Research guides & sources.
- John Grenham – This site has an excellent guide on starting Irish research.
- Sean J Murphy E-Publications – A Primer in Irish Genealogy.
- Ask about Ireland Libraries – Most county libraries catalogues are available online.
- The National Library of Ireland and The National Archives of Ireland – both run free walk-in genealogical advisory services (Please note that this is an advisory service and not a research service).
Discussion Groups, Blogs and mailing lists
Some useful published works are:
Begley, Donal – Irish Genealogy, a record finder (2nd impression, Dublin, 1987)
Caball, Kay – Finding your ancestors in Kerry (Dublin, 2015)
Connell, Gretta – Tracing your Westmeath ancestors (Dublin, 2012)
Farrell, Noel – Exploring Family Origins Series
ffeary-Smyrl Steven C. and O’Dúill, Eileen – ‘Irish Civil Registration – where do I start?’, Exploring Irish Genealogy, Council of Irish Genealogical Organisations (Dublin, 2000)
ffeary-Smyrl Steven C. – ‘Irish Methodists – where do I start?’, Exploring Irish Genealogy, Council of Irish Genealogical Organisations (Dublin, 2000)
ffeary-Smyrl Steven C. – Dictionary of Dublin Dissent: Dublin’s Protestant dissenting meeting houses, 1660–1920 (Dublin, 2009)
Franklin, Margaret – Tracing your Limerick ancestors (Dublin, 2003)
French, Noel E. – Meath Ancestors, a guide to sources for tracing your ancestors (Trim, 1993)
Grenham, John – Tracing your Irish ancestors, (8th edition, Dublin, 2012)
Hamrock, John – Tracing your Roscommon ancestors (Dublin, 2007)
Handran,George B. – Townlands in Poor Law Unions; a Reprint of Poor Law Union Pamphlets of the General Registrar’s Office (Salem, Massachusetts: Higginson Book Company, 1997)
Kiely, Karel, Corrigan, Mario and Durney James, – Tracing your Kildare ancestors (Dublin, 2014)
Betit, Kyle J. & Radford, Dwight A – Ireland: A Genealogical Guide for North Americans, (Salt Lake City: Irish At Home and Abroad, 1995)
Leahy, David – County Longford and its people (Dublin, 1990)
MacAfee, William and others, – Researching Derry and Londonderry ancestors: a practical guide for family and local historians (Ulster Historical Foundation, 2010)
MacConghail, Máire and Gorry, Paul, – Tracing Irish ancestors, a practical guide to Irish genealogy (Collins, 1997)
MacLysaght, Edward – Irish Families (3rd edition, Dublin, 1972)
MacLysaght, Edward – Supplement to Irish Families (Dublin, 1964)
MacLysaght, Edward – The Surnames of Ireland (7th edition, Dublin, 1978)
Maxwell, Ian – How to trace your Irish ancestors: an essential guide to researching and documenting the family histories of Ireland’s people (Begbroke, 2008)
Maxwell, Ian – Researching Armagh ancestors (Ulster Historical Foundation, 2000)
Maxwell, Ian – Researching Down ancestors (Ulster Historical Foundation, 2004)
Maxwell, Ian, – Tracing your Northern Irish ancestors, a guide for family historians (Barnsley, 2010)
Maxwell, Ian – Your Irish ancestors, a guide for family historians, (Barnsley, 2008)
McCarthy, Tony and Cadogan, Tim, – Tracing your Cork ancestors (2nd edition, Dublin, 2011)
McCarthy, Tony – Irish Roots Guide, (Dublin, Ireland: The Lilliput Press, 1995).
Meehan, Helen and Duffy, Godfrey F. – Tracing your Donegal ancestors (2nd edition, Dublin, 2008)
Mitchell, Brian – A New Genealogical Atlas of Ireland, (Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., 3rd printing, 1992)
O’Dowd, Peadar – Tracing your Galway ancestors (Dublin, 2010)
O’Neill, Robert K. – Irish libraries, archives, museums and genealogical centres: a visitors’ guide (Ulster Historical Foundation, 2007)
Public Record Office of Northern Ireland – An Irish genealogical source: guide to church records (Belfast, 1994)
Ouimette, David. S – Finding Your Irish Ancestors: A Beginner’s Guide, (Ancestry.com, 2005)
Reid, Noel – A table of Church of Ireland parochial records and copies (Naas, 1994)
Roulston, William – My roots: tracing your Belfast ancestors (Ulster Historical Foundation, 2012)
Roulston, William – Researching Scots‐Irish ancestors: the essential genealogical guide to early modern Ulster, 1600–1800 (Ulster Historical Foundation, 2005)
Ryan, James G – Irish church records (6th edition, Dublin, 2001)
Ryan, James G. and Smith, Brian – Tracing your Dublin ancestors (3rd edition, Dublin, 2009)
Ryan, James G.- Irish records: sources for family and local history (revised edition, Salt Lake City, 1997)
Ryan, Jim – Tracing your Sligo ancestors (Dublin, 2012)
Smith, Brian and Kennedy, Gerry – Tracing your Clare ancestors (Dublin, 2012)
Smith, Brian – Tracing your Mayo ancestors (6th edition, Dublin, 2010)
Waterford County Council – Sources for family history in Waterford County (2005)