Discovering Irish Origins Using the Records of Ireland

Discovering Irish Origins Using the Records of Ireland is a combination of Irish genealogy reference sources and methods for how to skillfully employ them. This guide covers the usual Irish genealogy records like censuses and census substitutes, church records, civil registrations, cemeteries and tombstones, estates, taxes, deeds, and voters’ lists. Also included are discussions of records of the Petty Court Sessions, workhouses, and prisons. The book tells how to effectively search within Ireland’s resources, whether online or at on-site. Radford further explains in detail “If you find this, then look here or here next.” Special strategy chapters include those on: Names, Nicknames, and Naming Patterns; Surname Distribution Survey; and Finding the Ancestral Homesite. The author incorporated an exhaustive inventory of resources to explore as well as helpful directories. Included are religious denominations that might be considered minor; lists of early, often-forgotten occupations; situating Church of Ireland diocesan courts into their respective counties; examples of fair towns and fair dates in County Leitrim; and detailed lists of mills by location and types of key mines, prisons by location and type, principal destinations for prisoner transportation by date and current names, and historical terms with definitions relating to hangings, land measurements, and land records. Radford’s review of Griffith’s Valuation and associated manuscripts is one of the best to be found.