Irish Genealogy, Family History Specialist
Categories of surnames found in Ireland: Gaelic Irish surnames, born by the aboriginal population from the time when surnames were adopted (900 to 1100) Viking or Ostman surnames, from Scandinavia or Scotland, same time range Anglo-Norman surnames, mostly English, Welsh, … Continued
Gaelic Irish forenames older than surnames By Dr Paul MacCotter Theoretically one’s surname preserves the name of a direct male ancestor who may have lived up to 1,200 years ago. Why theoretically? What is known as a non-marital event as … Continued
The Barretts of Cork, part two In Cork there was a lack of records for the fifteenth and much of the sixteenth centuries, and this is reflected in the story of land. We know that the Barrett lordship as bestowed … Continued
The Barretts of Cork: part one This is a brief history of the Barrett or Barratt surname in Ireland, mainly focussed on the Cork surname, although there was another important branch in Mayo. The Barrett surname is of unclear origin. … Continued
Irish Placenames and Genealogy Placenames are important in genealogy as without them little progress can be made. This brief overview discusses how the various placename systems found in Ireland are grouped and structured and the relevance of each one to … Continued
In my last blog I dealt with the history of the Tithe Applotment Books in Ireland. In this blog I deal with this set of documents as a census substitute, a genealogical source. The Tithe Applotment Books are a … Continued
Census substitutes, the Tithe Applotment Books, part one In this presentation we’re going to look at the following: The history and origins of tithe payments in Ireland and generally The history of tithes and the Tithe Applotment Books (TAB) … Continued
Valuation Office House, Field and Valuation Books (census substitutes) The first forms of taxation to raise money for poverty relief in Ireland date to the early eighteenth century, but it was only with the establishment of what became known as … Continued
Valuation Office cancelled rate books Most genealogists with an interest in Ireland are familiar with Griffith’s Valuation. (see my earlier blog on this subject). It is a list of householders and the rates or taxes computed to be owed from … Continued
Census substitutes The term ‘census substitutes’ has been coined to refer to non-genealogy specific document types which contain material of genealogical relevance. These are needed as Irish census records have fared badly over time. Only two complete Irish census record … Continued
Guinness, the dark past of Ireland’s national drink Guinness has been described as ‘more than just an alcoholic beverage, it is a national icon full of history and heritage’. While there is some truth in this description it ignores the … Continued
How to fill in some gaps in missing Irish census records Census records are the principal source of genealogical data in modern times. Unfortunately in Ireland almost all census records before 1901 were destroyed at various times, some because of … Continued
A little about myself and my ancestors This blog is to mark the launch of my new website. The old site ran into IT difficulties and some of the blogs were lost. Turning bad things into good things, the old … Continued