Irish Records Extraction Database

This 100,000-name database of Irish vital records is unique for two reasons. First, it represents one of the first major databases of records from outside the continental United States. Second, rather than just raw data, this database is accompanied by a significant amount of contextual and historical information. This information can help researchers understand the significance and the source of the data and also extend their research beyond the names available in the database.

This collection is the result of many years of research in Irish records. It contains records of births, marriages, deaths, burials, cemeteries, wills, immigration, census, and so forth. It includes records from many different locations in both Ireland and Northern Ireland and it includes over 120 unique sources. The records include information from as early as 1600 and as late as 1874. This collection seeks to allow users to search otherwise inaccessible or hard-to-find collections.

Ancestry hopes that this data will prove useful to a great many American researchers. As the compiler of the database, Dr. Lyman Platt, observed: "Between 1851 and 1901 3,846,393 people emigrated from Ireland. Figures for the years 1891-1900 show that ninety percent of these emigrants settled in the United States. It is estimated that at least fifty million Americans have one or more Irish lines at this time." Thus, even though 100,000 records is not a major percentage of the total population, it is a good beginning. For the time periods that many of the records cover, the database includes 20-30% of the population for that area at that time, and thus represents a significant research file for the millions of researchers in Irish records. Researchers should also note that Dr. Platt continues to add to the file at the rate of several thousand entries a month. These additions will be included in quarterly updates.

This update adds the records of Bhoerbue, County Cork, Ireland Baptisms from 1833-1864

This update includes abstracts of approximately 1,000 Irish wills. Original data was extracted from Wallace Clare. Irish Genealogical Guides: a Guide to Copies & Abstracts of Irish Wills (First Series), Volume 1. March, Cambridgeshire: Sharman & Co., 1930. This database includes names, dates, the Family History Library film number, box, and item numbers to aid in finding your Irish ancestors.