What is special about Irish Origins?
- Authentic, high quality collections. While there is no complete set anywhere of the Griffith's Valuation publications, our partnerships with Eneclann Ltd and the National Library of Ireland (which has the most complete set of these publications), and with the cooperation of the Irish Valuation Office, the National Archives of Ireland, the Genealogy Office, the Gilbert Library, and George Handran (an expert on Irish genealogy and especially Griffith's Valuation), we have been able to digitise and index the most complete set of Griffith's Valuation available, including exclusive online access to the map images associated with Griffith's Valuation.
- State-of-the-Art Technology. As the first company to put official genealogical vital records online, The Origins Network continues to pioneer in the technology of online genealogical record search and retrieval. Irish Origins searches are powered by NameX®, the most powerful name-matching software available.
Can you tell me more about the data on Irish Origins?
Please go to our information page where full details about the data we hold and about the material we will be introducing in the future, can be found.
For information on the individual datasets click the following links:
Census records & census substitutes
Wills records
Burial records
Militia records
Passenger Lists
Directories
General records and images
Is this data available elsewhere on the Internet?
Irish Origins hold the most complete version of the Griffith's Valuation anywhere on the web.
There is no complete set anywhere of the Griffith's Valuation publications. By partnering with Eneclann Ltd and the National Library of Ireland (which has the most complete set of these publications), and with the cooperation of the Irish Valuation Office, the National Archives of Ireland, the Genealogy Office, the Gilbert Library, and George Handran (an expert on Irish genealogy and especially Griffith's Valuation), we have been able to digitise and index the most complete set of Griffith's Valuation available.
The inclusion of our unique name - searching tool, NameXTM further enhances this exclusivity. More on NameX.
Do you offer more Irish genealogy information?
Yes. The Origins Network offers several Irish CDs and books available for ordering through the Origins Store. CDs available include: Grenham's Irish Surnames, The 1851 Dublin City Census. The Origins Network has partnered with leading publishers of quality British and Irish historical and genealogical products, including Eneclann, Archive CD Books and Burke's Peerage & Gentry, to help you progress further with your research.
Click here to go to the Origins Store
Do I receive any extras with my subscription package?
Yes.
- Monthly & Annual (Total Access) subscriptions: Bonus Origins Experts E-Booklet: Guide to Irish genealogy research
I already have a subscription to an online genealogy service, why should I add Irish Origins?
By concentrating on the United Kingdom and Ireland, The Origins Network complements other genealogy offerings, which focus on the United States. Although companies such as Ancestry.com and Genealogy.com have British records, their US orientation means that they don't have the local expertise and access to unique source records that The Origins Network, with our focus on the UK and Ireland, can offer.
Additionally, offerings from genealogical companies, which focus on the UK or Ireland, only give users only half the story. The extent of migration between England and Ireland and the commonality of many names has, compounded with the passing of time, been a cause for confusion even to natives of Britain and Ireland, who need to be able to access source data from both areas to pinpoint their real origins. If you are one of the 20% of Americans who can trace their origins back to Ireland, and over 15% with British origins, as well as the many Australians and Canadians of British and Irish descent, you'll need even more help sorting out their roots.
Even if you are already subscribing to one of these other services, a subscription to Irish Origins is a great addition to make sure your users aren't missing out.
Why did you move to a subscription system for Irish Origins?
We have carried out several customer surveys about what changes users would like to see on Irish Origins. We received a number of complaints from users who were unhappy with the credit system limiting their searches in progress and did not like having to repeatedly purchase more credits. Additionally most of our major partners indicated that their users felt more comfortable with the subscription service standard.
Can my library offer access to Irish Origins?
Yes, we have a programme for programme for libraries
Do you have an affiliate programme for Irish Origins?
Yes. We offer downloadable search boxes, banners and text links that can be placed on your site. Please go to our Affiliate page for more information.
I'd like to get in touch with other Irish genealogy researchers; do you have a user group?
Yes. We provide a discussion group allowing users to get in contact with other users to swap information and stories related to family history.
More about the Discussion Group.
How can I find out when new Irish Origins information sources are added?
Irish Origins frequently adds new collections. To make sure you know about new information, sign up for The Origins Network Mailing list. You will receive a monthly newsletter with updates of new services and information, plus expert tips and articles on genealogy research. Learn about the Origins Experts Newsletter.
Where can I get advice on Irish genealogy research?
We offer several family history articles on the site. Subscribers to the monthly plan and above will receive a newsletter each month containing family history articles, along with an e-booklet from Eneclann.
How do I cancel my subscription?
To cancel your subscription, please send an email to support@origins.net with your login details and the subscription you wanted to cancel.
How do I subscribe to an additional service?
Subscribers to Irish Origins or British Origins, please note, that unless you have subscribed to Origins Total Access, adding either British Origins or Irish Origins will be a separate new subscription. If you would like to take advantage of our Total Access offer, you must first cancel any existing Irish or British Origins subscriptions and re-subscribe to Total Access.
How does the subscription system work?
Charges are automatically renewed, if a user does not cancel his or her subscription before the end of the allotted time (for example before the end of the 30 day period if a monthly subscription is taken out), the next month's fee will be debited from their Credit or Debit card.
This does not apply to the 72 hour membership option.
How much does it cost to access Irish Origins?
Updated information on Irish Origins pricing is available on About Irish Origins.
What forms of payment do you accept?
We accept payment by credit/debit cards VISA, Mastercard, American Express, VISA Delta, Switch or Solo.
Is it safe to pay by credit card over the Internet?
All credit card details are transferred encrypted (via SSL) to prevent unauthorised access, and are not stored on our system. Technically this is safer than paying in a restaurant where credit card details may be copied. The use of credit cards for purchases over the Internet is becoming increasingly accepted, as banks, merchants and users realise that this is actually a very secure way to pay for goods and services. Credit card authorisations are performed in real-time and usually take less than 15 seconds. This can increase to a minute or more during busy periods.
How do I identify Origins Network charges on my statement?
These will appear as OMS, ORIGINS, PINNER. (Origins.net is a trading name of OMS Services Ltd, located in Pinner, England.)
My credit card number has changed. Can I update the details to continue my subscription?
Origins Network does not hold subscriber's card details as recurring subscription payments are dealt with by Worldpay. You can update your payment details on WorldPay to continue your Origins Network subscription. Please click the link below and follow the instructions.
Please follow the instructions on WorldPay's Change Payment Details page
Where do I find help on searching the datasets?
Please see Help on Searching - Irish Origins for links to help pages for each dataset.
Why can't I login?
Please remember to note down your user details. Note: login details are not case sensitive. If you forget your details, please click here.
If you are still having problems contact us with your Password and/or Email address. This will allow us to quickly identify the problem.
How long will my login details (Email address and Password) last?
Login details (Email address and Password) entered the first time you register with The Origins Network can be used as often as you like afterwards, provided you use the service at least once in any six month period. You can change your Password or any of your personal details any time you access the service thereafter. If you forget your login details click here to check.
Why do I get warnings about 'cookies' when I try to access the database?
The web site software requires the use of cookies. If cookies are disabled in your browser you will not be able to access the database. There is no risk in using cookies, and the cookies we use do not persist after you exit your browser.
I am having difficulty accessing the database
We recommend using Internet Explorer or Netscape Version 4 or later.
If using a PC please check that you have "cookies" and Javascript enabled.
If using a Mac we suggest that you use Internet Explorer rather than Netscape. There are known problems with Internet Explorer version 4.71 in its handling of Javascript; these were fixed in version 4.72. To find out which version you are using click on Help on the browser navigation bar then click on About Internet Explorer.
If you are using the RISCOS Oregano browser, check that the Proxy for HTTP is set off. Select Choices, then the Network tab, then Proxies: set http off. You should also check that Javascript is enabled: select Choices, then the Misc tab, then set Enable Javascript.
If you are using the RISCOS Oregano browser, check that the Proxy for HTTP is set off. Select Choices, then the Network tab, then Proxies: set http off. You should also check that Javascript is enabled: select Choices, then the Misc tab, then set Enable Javascript.
Can you help me trace my family history?
We do not offer any genealogical services ourselves, other than online databases.
I can't see SoG membership pages or free search results
There are currently some problems viewing some pages if you have Norton Privacy Control turned on - SoG membership pages and free search results from irishorigins.com and britishorigins.com.
We are working on this problem but at the moment suggest turning Norton Privacy Control off to view these pages. Privacy Control helps to protect your personal information over the internet so you may wish to switch it back on again after viewing The Origins Network pages. The screens below show Privacy Control settings for Norton Internet Security 2002 and 2005. If you need more help please contact us.
Norton Internet Security 2002
To turn off Privacy Control click the Enable Privacy checkbox to remove the tick (see screen below).
To switch on again click the Enable Privacy checkbox to 'tick' the checkbox and drag the slider to set the Privacy Level.
Norton Internet Security 2005
To turn off Privacy Control click Privacy Control under Status & Settings to display the Privacy Control buttons. Click the Turn Off button (see screen below).
To switch on again click the Turn On button. Click the Configure button to display the Privacy Level options and select the Privacy Level.
Why do I need to get a special program to view images?
Necessity for Compression with Larger Images:
For most applications, because “raw” image files can be huge (tens of megabytes) it is essential to “compress” them, to make them smaller so as to speed up download times and to reduce storage requirements. For example, the original image files for our 1841 census images are around 13 Mbytes, whereas the compressed files which you download are only around one megabyte. Without compression, these images they would be virtually inaccessible online if you only had a dial-up Internet connection.
Need for Standardized vs. Multiple Formats:
We are primarily concerned with two types of images: black & white, or “bitonal” images, and tonal images, which can be full colour or just contain multiple levels of grey (grey scale images). While full colour – and grey scale – images are mostly compressed using the JPEG technique, this doesn’t work with black & white images, which require a quite different technique. Also while JPEG compressed images can be stored as “JPEG” files, compressed black & white images are usually stored as “TIFF” files.
Most image viewers can view JPEG files and black & white images stored as TIFF files. But if you download a JPEG file the image will open automatically within your browser (eg Microsoft Internet Explorer), whereas no browser recognises TIFF files. So if we used JPEG for grey scale images (eg 1841 census images) and TIFF for black & white images (eg 1871 census images), the JPEGs would open in your browser but not the TIFFs – which we do not think would be a good idea. We want to make things simple for you, so that you don’t need to know or care about the different image types. Because the TIFF file format can also be used to store JPEG images we have deliberately chosen to use that format for all our images, so that they are not recognized directly by a browser. You can then use either the AlternaTIFF “plug-in”, so that all our images appear to open within the browser, or a separate image viewer like XnView for Macs.
Non-Proprietary Method Means Universal Access:
Our approach uses non-proprietary image and file formats so that you are able to store downloaded images and view them at any future time without stringent restrictions on what viewing software you may use. We did not want to force you to use a proprietary image-viewing method, which while making viewing within The Origins Network easier, could have made viewing on your own computer problematic.
With non-proprietary formats, you can open images in different image viewers, depending on what you want to do. For example, you might wish to crop an image to select just that part of interest to you; you might want to play around with the image parameters of “difficult” images, to see if you could improve the legibility of some portion. You might want to change the image format to make it compatible with your favourite image viewing software. Sites with proprietary image viewing make these options virtually impossible.
I don't like AlternaTIFF, are there any other programs I can use?
Alternatives to AlternaTIFF; viewers which work with TIFF-JPEG images:
| Product | Applicability | Notes |
| XnView | Windows, MacOS X, Linux, FreeBSD, OpenBSD, NetBSD, Solaris, Irix, HP-UX, AIX | free www.xnview.com |
| Imagistik Image Viewer | Windows | free www.imagistik.com best with Windows XP, otherwise requires Microsoft.NET Framework files - a 20MB download |
| IrfanView | Windows | free www.irfanview.com |
| fCoder iBrowser | Windows | free ibrowser.fcodersoft.com |
| Canon ZoomBrowser | Windows | free with Canon digital cameras and “certain Canon printers” |
| Informatik DocView 10 | Windows | the big brother of Imagistik
www.informatik.com/docview.html
US$49, 30-day free trial |
| ACDSee 7.0 | Windows | US$49.99 www.acdsystems.com |
If you have any suggestions for preferred image-viewers which handle TIFF-JPEGs, especially for Macs, please let us know.
How much do Origins Originals cost?
Hard copies of original documents ordered from the index cost £10 each including postage and packaging, payable by credit/debit card.
The Origins Originals I ordered haven't arrived. What should I do?
Please allow up to four weeks for the Origins Originals to arrive, allowing time for processing and for the package to arrive by mail or airmail. If you still have not received your order, contact us.