Our Northern Ireland genealogists research on location. They will find and analyze the best records available to further your family history research. Research in Northern Ireland is complex, and a knowledge of history of this area and the potential records that could be found is essential. Our researchers have that that knowledge and can search the various archives and libraries in Northern Ireland to find the records for your ancestors, including:
- Ireland General Register Office (GRO)
Houses births, marriages, and deaths (1864-present), non-Catholic marriages from (1845 to present), Catholic marriages (1864-present) - National Library of Ireland
Includes Catholic parish registers, property records such as estate papers and maps, newspapers, directories, heraldic records, family histories, and local history society publications - National Archives in Dublin
Records mainly from 1800s, although a few surviving court and exchequer rolls dating to early 1300s. Includes government records, court and probate registries, Church of Ireland parishes, harbor boards, health boards, hospitals, schools, charities, trade unions, business firms, solicitors’ offices, estate offices, and private individuals - Trinity College Library
The largest library in Ireland, holds thousands of rare, and very early, books and manuscripts. As a legal deposit or “copyright library”, it has rights to receive material published in the Republic of Ireland free of charge; it is also the only Irish library to hold such rights for the United Kingdom.
- Valuation Office
Contains the original books and surveys carried out in the 1840s, books and maps of Griffith’s Valuations in the 1850s, and subsequent revisions
Linen Hall Library
The collections include 250,000 volumes and thousands of ephemera items, Irish and local studies collection, A significant genealogy and heraldry collection, with a large collection on Burns & Burnsiana outside of Scotland, and Library archives and extensive manuscript collection.
Public Records Office of Northern Ireland (PRONI)
The collections include:
Finding aids, such as leaflets, catalogues, indexes, and archives
PDF formats of leaflets which you can download and use as a research reference
Indexes of probate records and wills from 1858-1900
Some of the guides and indexes are available online
View the Family History Section of PRONI’s webpage for links to helpful resources.
Our professional researchers can do research projects of many sizes and for many budgets. We customize the amount of research provided according to your needs.
If you would like to learn how our genealogists can further your research, request a research quote.
Some of the major records sources that can be used for genealogy research in Northern Ireland include:
- A census of the Irish population was taken every 10 years from 1821 to 1911. The earliest complete surviving Census is for 1901.
- State registration of all non-Catholic marriages in Ireland began in 1845.
- In 1864, civil registration of all births, marriages and deaths commenced.
- Land records were kept by the towns and counties from the time they were settled
- Probate records were kept by the local courts
- Churches kept records of the christenings, marriages, deaths, or other information about their members
- Newspapers were written in many areas and time periods that contain information such as notices of marriages, notices of death, and obituaries
- Military records
- Town and county histories about the settlers and their families
- Naturalization and citizenship records were recorded by the courts
- Ship passenger lists, tax lists, and town records were recorded for many areas
