Church

CHURCH RECORDS

Roman Catholic Registers consist mainly of baptism and marriage records. Very few burial records were kept.

Baptism registers list date, child's name, father's name, mother's name, sponsors and in some instances address.

The majority begin in the early nineteenth century but some can date from prior to that time. If an entry for an ancestor is not found in a particular parish a search of surrounding parishes with earlier registers

Marriage registers give date, names of persons marrying and of witnesses. Address and other particulars are sometimes given.

The civil parish was the fundamental administrative unit within each county. These parishes were based on the medieval Christian parishes, adapted by the English administration and the Protestant Church of Ireland. Government and Church of Ireland records between the 17th and early 20th centuries utilized these territorial units. They are not currently used as administrative units. Catholic parishes differ from civil parishes and are generally bigger in size.

The Catholic parish system is still evolving and forms the basis for much of Ireland's social, educational and sporting activities. Catholic Parish Registers of birth, marriage and death are organised by Catholic parish.

This list only contains Roman Catholic parish names in Ireland and is not considered complete. If your parish is not listed, it may be included in another parish. Please consult "Index to Townlands, Parishes, Baronies and Poor Law Unions of Ireland" for more information. The dates given are those for the earliest known baptism records. There may be earlier marriage records available also.
Church of Ireland Records. Registers of baptisms, marriages and burials can date from the late seventeenth century but the majority commence between 1770 and 1820. However most registers were lodged in the Public Record Office in Dublin and were destroyed during the Civil War of 1922. In some instances copies were kept in the local parish or historians made transcriptions and these are available for research.
Presbyterian Records. Presbyterian registers of baptisms, marriages and deaths can start in the seventeenth century but in some instances early records are to be found in the registers of the local Church of Ireland parish.
Methodist Records. From 1747 to 1816 records of baptisms, marriages and burials are to be found in the registers of the Church of Ireland. After 1816 a split occurred with the ''Primitive Methodists'' remaining within the Church of Ireland and the ''Wesleyan Methodists'' maintaining their own registers. This lasted to 1878.
Quaker Records. From the time of their arrival in Ireland in the seventeenth century the Society of Friends kept records of births, marriages and deaths.
Marriage Licence Bonds. Persons wishing to obtain a licence to marry without having banns called were required to enter into a bond with the Church of Ireland bishop of the diocese. The licences and bonds do not survive but some abstracts and the indexes to the bonds lodged in each Diocesan Court and the Prerogative Court are available