Most Irish census, vital, and probate records from 1860 to 1922 were destroyed in a fire at the Public Record Office in Dublin, but many records remain.

Search Irish records
(Or click the Search tab > select Card Catalog > Filter by Location, select Europe > select Ireland.)

On the left side of the page in the Keywords field, enter a search term and click Search.
Select a record collection on the right.
On the page that appears, enter information and click Search.
In the list that appears, click View Record beside a record.

Useful collections

Search all Irish record collections here.
Catholic Parish Registers: Catholic birth, christening, marriage, death, and burial records. In Ireland, parish records are more complete and begin earlier than civil registrations.
Lord Viscount Morpeth's Testimonial Scroll: a document made up of 158,000 signatures gathered from across Ireland in 1841. The signers were supporters of Lord Morpeth, who was leaving political office. A small proportion of the names on the roll have locations written near them. Only one confirmed woman signed the roll; the rest of the signatures come from men.
Griffiths Valuation: an index of a million people who occupied property in Ireland between 1848 and 1864
Tithe Applotment Books: results of a land survey taken between 1820 and 1838 to determine the amount of tax payable by landholders to the Church of Ireland
Irish Records Extraction Database: a 100,000-name database of Irish vital records from 1600–1874 compiled from over 120 sources
Royal Irish Constabulary: Over 70,000 records containing details about men who joined the Irish police force between 1816 and 1921
Ireland Casualties of WWI: information on over 49,000 Irish men and women who died in World War I
British Army Medal Index Cards WWI: the most complete listing of people who fought in the British Army in WWI, containing approximately 90% of soldiers’ names

Search tips

The most significant waves of Irish immigration to the United States occurred between 1847 and 1860, spurred by the Irish potato famine. During this period, hundreds of thousands of people immigrated from Ireland to the United States. Irish immigration rose again between 1881 and 1890 as a result of crop failures and religious and political strife in Ireland. To find immigration records, start with more recent records and work backwards. Try finding people in the 1940 and 1930 censuses, World War I draft registration cards, yearbooks, and obituaries.

When you you find an Irish ancestor in U.S. records, look for information about which county or hometown in Ireland they came from; censuses and draft information from WWI and WWII often included this information. Depending on laws at the time, women and children may have been naturalized through a parent or spouse and may not have naturalization records of their own.