EXPLORING IRISH GENEALOGY No. 2 - IRISH CIVIL REGISTRATION- WHERE DO I START?
Summary
FamiySearch: "The definitive guide on the subject"
IRISH CIVIL REGISTRATION -WHERE DO I START? Published in 2000, as the title suggests, its subject is understanding, locating and using Irish civil registration records (vital records) held by the Irish General Register Offices in Dublin and Belfast GRO). The authors, Eileen M. O Dúill and Steven C. ffeary-Smyrl, both members of the Association of Professional Genealogists in Ireland, guide the reader through the historical background of Irish civil registration. Beginning with the 'Public Register' maintained by the Irish (Anglican) Church in the early seventeenth century, they move on to deal with the Non-Conformist marriage controversy of the 1830/40s that was the eventual spark that led to Irish civil registration beginning in April 1845.
Running to eighty pages, this publication will prove to be an eye opener even to the inveterate researcher. Subjects covered are how to use and understand the GRO indexes; what information is recorded in Irish birth, death and marriage records; tips about surname and first name usage; registration through the Irish language; understanding conflicting dates of birth and baptism; using the 1911 Irish census returns in conjunction with GRO records; the under-used source of non-Catholic Marriage Notice Books; late registration, non-registration & omissions; adoption; births & deaths at sea; (British) army births, deaths & marriages; Great War deaths; Boer War deaths; the Schulze register; local registration offices; civil registration in Northern Ireland; place names & addresses; and the Irish civil registration holdings of the LDS (Mormon) Church. Apart from including a full list, arranged by county, of all the Superintendent Registrars’ Districts (including their component Registrars’ Districts), it also contains the full address and phone number of all the local registration offices throughout the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland.