From post-Famine Ireland to the 1922 fire at the Four Courts, everything you need to know about locating the Irish records for your ancestors online.

An often-quoted myth about Irish civil records is that an unspecified number of Irish certificates “burned in the fire in Dublin”. I can reassure family historians that no single civil birth, marriage, or death record was burned in the Four Courts fire of June 1922 for the simple reason that they were not in the Four Courts in 1922.

The General Register Office of Ireland is the government body responsible for civil registration in Ireland. In 1922, all civil records were safely lodged in their office at Rutland Square Dublin, (modern-day Parnell Square) along with the 1901 and 1911 Census returns which were also in the custody of the Registrar General thus preserving both collections from destruction.

When did Irish civil registration begin?

To be successful in locating Irish records for your ancestors, it is important to be familiar with the key dates of Irish civil registration:

• 1 April 1845: beginning of registration of non-Catholic marriages
• 1 January 1864: registration of births, marriages and deaths for the whole population
• 1 January 1922: records of birth, marriage, and death for the 6 counties of Northern Ireland are accessible in Belfast at the GRO Northern Ireland

If your ancestors were born prior to 1864, there will be no birth certificate for him or her so you will be directing your…