Church of Ireland parish registers
Parish registers are invaluable for tracing family histories. They record baptisms, marriages, and burials, providing insight into our ancestors. These registers are essential for establishing legal rights and inheritance and preserving the history of the Church of Ireland and its role in Irish society.
Historians and sociologists also use these records to study population trends, migration patterns, health and social changes, and the impact of historical events on Irish communities.
Accessing church records
Records of baptisms, marriages and burials from the Church of Ireland before 1870 are public records and may be held on microfilm in the National Archives.
Pre-1870 records
The National Archives of Ireland has microfilm copies of many pre-1870 Church of Ireland parish registers. These are available to view in the Reading Room.
To prepare for a visit to the archives, you can search for specific registers and their microfilm reference numbers in the Church of Ireland microfilm list PDF. Please note that the list doesn’t detail the content of the microfilms.
Post-1870 records
To access records published after 1870, visit the Representative Church Body Library’s website (RCB Library).
The RCB Library’s website provides access to an updated list of parish registers, indicating their survival status and where they are held.
Records in Northern Ireland
The Public Record Office of Northern Ireland (PRONI) in Belfast holds copies of all surviving Church of Ireland registers for the northern dioceses.
Search PRONI’s eCatalogue
Genealogical abstracts of Church of Ireland parish registers
The transcripts of parish registers are an additional research source made for genealogical purposes.
The best of these genealogical transcripts are the parish searches undertaken by Gertrude Thrift (mainly for Dublin), James Grove White (mainly for Cork), Tenison Groves and TU Sadlier.
The Thrift Abstracts are the best example of collections indexed according to surname. The rest are listed according to parish. Parish registers that are searched for genealogical purposes are listed in the finding aids in the National Archives, or listed by the surname of the researcher, for example in the Thrift card index.
Surviving Church of Ireland parish registers list
The Church of Ireland parish registers, which have been microfilmed or copied, are available at the National Archives. You can find them using the card index, organised by parish name. The index also includes vestry minutes and preachers’ books.
