LibGuides: Irish Studies: Find People

Irish Ancestry Books

The books listed below are excellent guides to Irish genealogical information.

To find more books on Irish Ancestry, try a Subject search in the library catalogue for a specific family name, or for the words Ireland Genealogy.

The online databases and websites listed below are all excellent ways to find information about Irish people.

FamilySearch This link opens in a new window
FamilySearch is the largest genealogy organization in the world. Millions of people use FamilySearch records, resources, and services to learn more about their family history. For over 100 years, FamilySearch has been actively gathering, preserving, and sharing genealogical records worldwide.
From Ireland
Free resource for Irish ancestry, genealogy and family history information. Thousands of available records online.
Griffith's Valuation This link opens in a new window
The Primary Valuation was the first full-scale valuation of property in Ireland. It was overseen by Richard Griffith and published between 1847 and 1864. It is one of hte most important surviving 19th century genealogical sources.

Irish Family History Foundation (IFHF)
Oversees the creation of a database of Irish genealogical sources which enables those who wish to trace their Irish ancestry to have access to all the relevant data in one place.

Irish Genealogy
A web site hosted by the Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, dedicated to helping you in your search for records of family history for past generations. View nearly 3 million pre-1900 church records free of charge.
National Archives of Ireland This link opens in a new window
National Archives holds a wide variety of records, many of which are relevant to Irish genealogy and local history.

National Archives of Ireland: Census of Ireland 1901/1911
The household returns and ancillary records for the censuses of Ireland of 1901 and 1911, which are in the custody of the National Archives of Ireland.

National Library of Ireland This link opens in a new window
The National Library has a wide variety of material available to family history researchers including microfilm copies of Catholic Parish Registers and the Tithe Applotment Books; online access to Griffiths Primary Valuation of Property and many printed resources such as newspapers and trade directories.

The online databases and websites listed below are excellent sources of Irish biographical information.

To find books about Irish Biography, try a Subject search in the library catalogue for a specific name, or for the words: Ireland Biography.

Oxford Dictionary of National Biography
The people who shaped the history of the British Isles and beyond.
Dictionary of Irish Biography
The most comprehensive and authoritative biographical dictionary yet published for Ireland. It contains over 9,000 signed biographical articles which describe people in all fields.
Irish Writers Online: A Concise Dictionary of Irish Writers
Bio-bibliographical database of over 600 Irish writers, and related resources. It is used by students, academics, media and lovers of Irish Literature from more than 170 countries.
Bibliography of British and Irish History
Bibliographic data on historical writing dealing with the British Isles, British Empire and Commonwealth, from 55BC to the present.