Irish Internet Highways and Byways
By Sherry Irvine, MSC CG FSA Scot
Spend a day meandering about the Web and anyone can make a huge list of sites that relate directly or indirectly to researching family history in Ireland. It takes experience as well as awareness of research requirements to create a core list of fundamental resources.
This article identifies about 15 sites; the information referred to is free and all the sites are ones I return to regularly. I discuss them under three headings, Methods and Sources, Geography and History and Culture.
Methods and Sources
When looking for information about sources - the information they contain, the years they cover, what survives, where to find originals and/or copies - I start with one or more of the following sites.
- The Ireland part of Genuki (Genealogy UK and Ireland):
www.genuki.org.uk/big/irl
This site is a gateway to thousands of places on the Internet that provide Irish information and/or data. It is arrange in levels - all the British Isles, countries of the British Isles, counties within each country, and parishes or towns. Within the levels a standard set of topics is used to sort the information into categories.
- Cyndi's List:
www.cyndislist.com
Things are arranged differently here, so if Genuki doesn't find what you want it may turn up via Cyndi's List; try the no frills category index, a great option for getting around quickly within the site.
- Ireland and Northern Ireland Gen Web:
www.irelandgenweb.com/ and www.rootsweb.com/~nirwgw/
There is overlap between these sites and the two above, but they are all worth exploring independently; one of them is bound to help.
- National Archives of Ireland:
www.nationalarchives.ie
This is the site of the archives in Dublin. It offers information and resources. In the menu bar that is part of the coloured band at the top of the web page, explore the Genealogy and Research sections.
- National Library of Ireland:
www.nli.ie
From the home page select the Family History section (it covers many topics of Irish genealogy) and the Online Catalogue.
- Public Record Office of Northern Ireland:
www.proni.gov.uk
PRONI is the storehouse of material on the six counties if Northern Ireland. Study the section The Records in PRONI, and take a look at some of their new resources such as the Freeholders' Records and the Ulster Covenant. Keep in mind that material from other parts of Ireland has found its way into PRONI and records on the six counties can be found in the Dublin repositories.
- Irish Times Ancestors section:
www.ireland.com/ancestor/
There is lots of free information about sources at this site; choose the 'browse' option from among the 8 topics in the narrow olive green line just below the title and then select The Records and Counties taking time to explore these sections thoroughly.
- Family Search:
www.familysearch.org
Select the Search option and from the blue tabs choose Research Helps; scroll down until you come to the many titles about Ireland; read the Research Outline first.
- Irish Genealogy Limited:
www.irishgenealogy.ie
Here can be found a PDF version of the booklet Tracing Your Ancestors, issued by the Irish government. Explore the rest of the site too, which offers information, links, and what is called a signposting index to information held by some of the heritage centres.
Geography
Genealogists need all sorts of maps and maps of different scales. These sites present a variety of maps old and new, topographic and boundary outline. Maps can also be found using the gateway sites at the beginning of the Methods and Sources section.
History and Culture
Resources are endless and most of us use a search engine to find information on a topic; but if you want to treat the Web like an online library and browse through Irish history and culture start with these sites.
Conclusion
The object here is not to present a long list, but to create one that can point you in the right direction and be edited to suit your preferences. Don't save the URLs of thousands of sites, keep links to those that help you discover new sites or return to key crossroads and gateways.
Further Reading
For help with surfing the web and using Genuki I recommend
- Finding Genealogy on the Internet by Peter Christian, 2nd Edition, 2002;
- Genuki: UK and Ireland Genealogy on the Internet by David Hawgood.
Both titles are available online and in print: www.hawgood.co.uk/books.htm
Biographical Note
Sherry Irvine is the Course Director for Pharos Teaching and Tutoring Ltd a British company offering online courses in family history. She also lectures, and writes about English, Scottish, Irish and Canadian family history. She has lectured in Canada, USA, UK, New Zealand and Australia. She is the author of Your English Ancestry (2nd ed. 1998), Scottish Ancestry (2003), and Finding Your Canadian Ancestors (co-author, 2007). Her articles appear in several publications including Ancestors Magazine. She is a past- president of the Association of Professional Genealogists and a recipient of the Association's Smallwood Award of Merit.