Genealogy Chat

Gwenda, most of the pre-1901 Irish census returns were destroyed in a fire in Dublin. Sections survive, for some small areas. If you know which 'civil parish' your rellies came from, there's usually a library or parish church in the area with records that you can consult. In Dublin, there's the general registry office in Kildare Street, which goes back to the mid-19th century, I believe. There you can look up indexes of names for different years, but if you don't know the area people are from, it makes identification difficult. There can be so many people of the same name, (first & family), that even in villages, nicknames were always used, & it's hard to uncover the 'real' name! Had some of that in my family! This isn't to discourage you- all kinds of 'chances' lead to great discoveries, & the sense of achievement in 'meeting' your family is very strong, & rewarding. It's just a different experience from 'tracing' on this side of the water- good luck, Mary

Can anyone tell me how to find ancestors who were born in Ireland (southern) before 1900? They do not seem to have census returns. Ever hopeful.