by Roshan Richards

Created on: March 10, 2009

There are numerous road blocks to family history research in all countries and time periods that frustrate genealogists, but the research of Irish lineage seems to possess an inordinate amount of them. You don't have to venture out too far onto your Irish branches to see that you have your work cut out for you due to changes in surname spellings and destroyed census and vital records. Yet, despite the abundant gaps of genealogical information in Ireland's history, there are other types of documentation that will aid you in locating your Irish forefathers.

RECORD GAPS

Prior to the 1800's little Irish genealogical information is available, except through parish records, with Catholic parishes having even less documentation than Protestant parishes. So much of the early records (pre-1800's) of Ireland were lost due lack of proper storage facilities and care. Up until the 19th century, Dublin Castle was the main repository for records of the central administration. In 1711, a fire broke out in the Records Tower of Dublin Castle, destroying council and surveying books. Likewise, in 1758, another fire broke out in Birmingham Tower, destroying the plea rolls of James I and Charles I. Realistically speaking, it is a slim chance that one can trace their Irish ancestry back past the 1800's, although it is possible if ancestry ties into wealthy or royal families.

Due to the fires of the 18th century and after many decades of discussion on record preservation, Ireland proactively conducted its first census in 1813, a full two to three decades before other countries such as England, Scotland, and the United States. Unfortunately, the records were so riddled with mistakes that the government determined the information to be worthless and ordered the records destroyed. The government regrouped, and in 1821, another census was taken. It was so successful that census records were taken every 10 years thereafter until 1911. Similar to the census records taken in the United States, the information gathered differed from census to census, but the basic information of names, relationship to the head of household, ages, and varied information on land usage and ownership remained the same. Having such a plentiful and broadly expanding amount of data would make any genealogists researching Irish lineage ecstatic, except for the fact that very few or only fragments of these records still exist due to war or governmental order.

The demise of the 1861-1891 Irish census records is the most

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