Births, Deaths and Marriages: Parish Registers

For most family history researchers, parish registers provide the earliest direct source of family information. These are an excellent source of genealogical research and the best starting point as they include baptisms, marriages and sometimes deaths for all classes of the population. They also pre-date civil registration which did not begin in Ireland until 1864 (Church of Ireland & Anglican marriages were recorded from 1845).

Roman Catholic
Roman Catholic Registers are kept in individual parishes, with every parish having a different starting date for their records. Roman Catholic Registers for the Diocese of Clogher for the period up to 1880 are also available on microfilm at Monaghan County Library, Clones, The National Library of Ireland and The Public Record Office of Northern Ireland (PRONI), Belfast.

Church of Ireland (Anglican)
Church of Ireland (Anglican) Records are held in a number of different locations. Some original registers are held in the National Archives, Dublin. Others are held in the Representative Church Body Library, Dublin and some are retained in individual parishes. The Public Record Office of Northern Ireland (PRONI) also holds many original and copy registers.

The Monaghan County Library holds a number of Church of Ireland Parish Records on CD Rom, they are: Clontibret, Donagh, Drumsnat & Kilmore, Errigal Shanco, Errigal Truagh, Tydavnet & Tyholland.

Presbyterian
Presbyterian Records are held in three main locations:

  1. Parishes
  2. The Presbyterian Historical Society, Belfast
  3. PRONI

The Monaghan County Library hold a number of Presbyterian Parish Records on CD Rom, they are: Ballyalbany, Braddox, Scotstown, Corlea, Derryvalley(marriages only), Glennan, Legnacreeve and Monaghan First.

Monaghan County Library also hold a small number of Parish Registers for Clones, Aughnamullen West, Aughnamullen East, Tullycorbet/Ballybay and Marriages for Errigal Truagh (1837-1849).

Methodist
Methodist Records are held in PRONI. Records prior to 1820 are found in the Church of Ireland registers.

Quaker
Quaker records are held in two main repositories

  1. Libraries of the Society of Friends in Dublin.
  2. Lisburn

Jewish
Enquiries about Jewish records should be addressed to the Irish Jewish Museum