The largest Collection of Irish Records
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| Irish research used to be near impossible. Now thanks to Findmypast’s 80 million records, the largest online collection anywhere, it is possible to unlock the secrets of your family’s past. In his broadcast from Findmypast's live Remembrance Weekend event, Brian Donovan, who has been at the forefront of digitising Irish family history records for over 15 years, will help you navigate exclusive collections such as the Magistrate court records, Landed Estate Court rentals and Prison registers plus many more. Your quickfire guide to Irish parish records  Findmypast is home to the largest online collection of Irish family history records, with over 110 million records spanning centuries of Irish history. Central to our collection are Irish Parish records, the details of daily life kept – in most cases – meticulously by priests and vicars until the introduction of compulsory civil registration in Ireland in 1864. Our latest significant addition to our Irish records includes 10 million Catholic Parish records, which will be free for everyone, forever. They join millions of Church of Ireland Parish records, representing an essential resource for more than 70 million people worldwide with Irish heritage. | This is the first time that National Library of Ireland's collection of Irish Catholic Registers has been fully indexed with images to the original documents linked online. The records can now be searched by name, year and place, allowing relatives and historians the opportunity to make all important links between generations with the baptism records and between families with the marriage registers. The indexing of these important documents also allows researchers to witness the devastating effects of the Great Famine (1845-1852) first hand. Using the records to examine baptism rates in pre and post Famine Ireland has revealed that the number of children baptised across the whole of Ireland dropped by more 50% in the decade that followed. Across all 32 counties, 2,408,694 baptisms were recorded from 1835-1844, while 1,109,062 baptisms were recorded between 1851 and 1860, a difference of more than 1,299,000 baptisms. The records also reveal the worst affected regions, with counties Limerick, Wexford, Roscommon and Killekenny seeing the most dramatic drops in baptism rates. In less than 5 years, Findmypast has made over 110 million records (with 300 million names) available online for the first time. Irish research has been transformed from the select pursuit of the few, to a fun and relatively easy hobby for the many. The Irish story of hardship, migration and opportunity is a global story, and in partnership with the cultural institutions around the world we are bringing the fragments of their lives within reach". |