Catholic Parish Records Online
Collating the Parish Records
Microfilming
In the 1950’s the National Library of Ireland began the work of microfilming Catholic parish registers of births and marriages. The partnership of library and Church hierarchy has ensured the permanent preservation of these invaluable genealogical records.
Scope of the Microfilm Collection
The majority of parishes in the whole of Ireland are covered and the NLI now hold microfilm copies of over 3,500 registers. While the Civil Records start at 1864, these written records vary depending on how the individual books have survived. Some city parishes such Cork and Galway start in the 1740’s while counties such as Kildare and Wexford start in the 1780’s. The cut-off date for the microfilming was 1880.
Digitisation of the Parish Records
In 2010 the decision was taken to digitise these microfilm records. In 2014 the images went online on a dedicated free website. This has opened a whole new avenue of research for genealogists around the world.
Accessing the Parish Records Online
Finding Your Parish
Go to the online Parish registers at https://registers.nli.ie/.
Access to the information is via the parish name. If you are uncertain there is a map which shows the dioceses and Catholic parishes in a particular area. Once you have typed in the parish required, the records available will be listed. Again due to historical events and preservation conditions not all parishes will have a complete set of records. A small number of post 1880 parishes will not be on the website, so it may be advisable to contact the parish directly in these cases.
Using the NLI Parish Register Website
These documents were handwritten and legibility can vary however, there is a zoom and brightness facility. Also be aware that some Priests recorded Christian names in Latin (see sample list below) at the foot of this article.
It is possible to print and share an image. If you know the birth or marriage date or have a general idea, you can click on the Filter icon on the top left of the screen and choose a year and month. This will bring you to the relevant page in the register more quickly.
What is Recorded in the Registers?
These are Church recordings and do not give as much information as the later Civil Records. Birth entries will show the baby’s first name(s), surname, parents’ names (including mum’s maiden name), date and witnesses.
Marriage records will give the name of the groom (the sponsus) and the bride’s name (the sponsa). It will also list the date and the names of the two witnesses. Sometimes the record will also give the name of the celebrant, the location where the couple live and the amount paid towards the ceremony.
All these registers belonged to the parish, occasionally you can come across odd entries depending on the whim or interests of the Parish Priest. One such instance I came across in my own family search is contained at the start of the parish register for Ballymena 1866-1881. The priest has written what he calls a “Catholic Census” of the town. It lists all his parishioners by their address, gives their age and their family relationship. He also records if they have received the Sacraments and whether or not they are regular church-goers – complete with some rather embarrassing comments!
See also:
Tracing Your Irish Family Tree
Contact Information:
National Library of Ireland
7 – 8 Kildare Street, Dublin 2
Tel +153 1 603 02 00
Website: www.nli.ie
Sample Latin Names
| Boy’s Names |
|---|
| Adrian – Hadrianus Andrew – Andreas Anthony – Antonius Arthur – Arthurus Bernard – Bernardus Benedict – Benedictus Brendan – Brendanus Charles – Carolus Colin – Colandus Daniel – Daniele Derek – Theodoricus Dominic – Dominicus Edmund – Edmundus Edward – Eduardus Eugene/Owen – Eugenius Francis – Franciscus Frederick – Fridericus George – Georgius Gerald – Geraldus Harold – Haraldus Henry – Henricus Hugh – Aedus or Hugo James – Jacomus John – Johannes Joseph – Iosephus Kevin – Coemgenus Laurence – Laurentius Luke – Lucius Malachy – Malachias Mark – Marcus Martin – Martinus Matthew – Matthaeus Michael – Michaelis Nicholas – Nicolaus Patrick – Patricius Paul – Paulus Peter – Petrus Philip – Philippus Raymond – Reimundus Richard – Ricardus Robert – Robertus Roger – Rogerius Simon – Simonis Stephen – Stephanus Terence – Terentius Thomas – Thomasum Vincent – Vincentius William – Gulielmus |
| Girls Names |
| Amy – Amata Agnes – Agna or Agneta Alice – Alicia Ann – Anna Bridget – Brigitta Carol – Carola Catherine – Catharina Cecilia – Cisley or Cecily Clare – Clara Denise – Dionysia Eleanor – Eleonara Elizabeth – Elisabetha Faith – Fides Grace – Gratia Heather – Erica Helen – Helena Jane – Johanna Josephine – Ioephina Louise – Ludovica Lucy – Lucia Margaret – Margarita Martha – Marta Mary – Maria Matilda – Mathilda Nora – Honorah Rose – Rosa Sarah – Sara Teresa – Theresia |
| More names can be found at Wiktionary.org |
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