A recent tweet from a project on welfare and public health in Belfast 1800 – 1973 at Queen’s University Belfast drew my attention to a collection of Poor Law Union Maps and figures for Poor Relief in each union across the entire country from 1851 to 1911. Following the 1838 Poor Relief Act for Ireland, Poor Law Unions were formed. A Poor Law Union
Read MoreAssisted Emigration from Ireland
Two fascinating accounts of assisted emigration from Ireland have recently been inspected; State Aided Emigration Schemes from the Crown Estates in Ireland and Assistance to Emigrate from the Castlecomer Board of Guardians. The first of these, without provenance, relates to the Castlecomer Poor Law Union (Kilkenny) for the periods 1847-1853. This
Read MoreIrish Emigrant Women in New York
A new source that documents Irish emigrant women in late 19th and early 20th century New York has recently been published online. The records originate with Our Lady of Rosary Mission, established in 1883 in response to the campaigning of Charlotte Grace O’Brien. Charlotte Grace O’Brien was born in 1845 in Limerick the daughter of Irish Nationalist,
Read MoreTwo Unusual Irish Emigration Records
Irish Emigration Records represent a real challenge for those searching for evidence of the departure of their family from Ireland. Passenger lists were usually deposted a the port of arrival and many of the surviving records can now be found online at Ancestry. Arrivals in America can also be found at Ellis Island and Castlegarden. There are,
Read MoreDeceased Irish Seamen
Following on from our previous post on Deceased Irish Seamen, some interesting information has come to light regarding the monthly returns made during the war periods of 1914-18 and 1939-45, which include deceased Irish seamen. The Returns of Deaths of Seamen Reported to the Registrar General of Shipping and Seamen under the Provisions of the Merchant
Read MoreGeneral Register Office Ireland – GRO
The GRO or the General Register Office hold records of all births, deaths and marriages registered in Ireland. Civil registration in Ireland commenced in 1864, when it became compulsory to register these events. It should be noted that non-Catholic marriages were being registered from 1845. Civil registration in Ireland commenced quite late, when
Read MoreEjectment Books
Have you ever wondered why your ancestors may have suddenly and seemingly inexplicably left their family farm? The Ejectment Books might provide an answer. The Ejectment Books contain information on cases brought before a judge at county Quarter Sessions concerning the ejectment or removal of tenants from the landholdings by their landlords or agents.
Read MoreMilitary Service Pensions Collection
The Military Service Pensions Collection are applications made by individuals or their dependants for the award of a pension and gratuities for service with the Irish Volunteers, the Irish Citizen Army, the Irish Republican Army, Cumann na mBan and any other organisation who saw active service or were casualties or wounded while on duty between April
Read MoreThe Settlement of the Ashe Family in Cavan
The following is an account of the settlement of the Ashe family in Cavan. Sir Thomas Ashe and his brother, John Ashe, began to develop their respective estates in Ireland in earnest from the beginning of the 17th century and before the plantation of Ulster. In a recently-published account of the Ulster Plantation in counties Armagh and Cavan it was
Read MoreValuation Office Revision Books
With the exception of Parish Registers and Civil Births, Deaths and Marriages, the Valuation Office Revision Books are amongst the most useful sources available to the Irish genealogist. The Revision Books are a continuation of Griffith’s Valuation of Ireland – officially the Primary Valuation of Tenements. The purpose of this survey, conducted
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