Follow-up: Church Records Re-Opened at National Library of Ireland

Three months ago I wrote about the National Library of Ireland's actions to  remove access restrictions to its microfilm copies of Catholic parish registers. These restrictions had applied only to records from three dioceses - Cashel & Emly, Cloyne and Kerry - while those of all 23 other dioceses had been on unrestricted access for several years. You can read my earlier article at http://blog.eogn.com/eastmans_online_genealogy/2008/05/church-records.html.

Genealogists cheered when the restrictions were removed.

The reopening of Cashel & Emly records is of major importance to those trying to trace their ancestry in an area covering almost half of Co. Tipperary as well as a large part of East Limerick. However, two Catholic bishops are angry that the National Library is giving unrestricted access to historical parish registers and are contemplating what action they should take.

Paul Gorry, president of the Association of Professional Genealogists in Ireland, has written an excellent explanation of both sides of this issue. You can read his article in the Irish Times at http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/opinion/2008/0828/1219873097684.html.

Comments

[Mary T]

I always feel angry that heads of churches think it is their records, when really it is their followers history, people when they get in high positions forget that without the mass they would not be where they are today?
That goes for head of church or head of government.
It is the peoples history first and foremost and everyone should be allowed to view their history.

[Dae Powell]

Mary,

I agree with you, but you and I are thinking 21st century democracy. Churches are theocracies (supposedly) and take a different view. Governments take on a life of their own, too. In the end, though, the bureacrats seem insecure and need to have something under their control and too often it is "public" records.

In Fort Worth, for example, they removed the word "Public" from the name of the library, which is now simply Fort Worth Library. This was not decided by the staff, but the dictatorial administrators in charge. These are the same bunch who earlier removed Christmas and Easter from their public documents.

My opinion? Clerks are too often put in a position of authority.

Happy Dae.
http://www.ShoeStringGenealogy.com

[Bernadette Maurer]

As a cradle Catholic, I find the Catholic church's greed disgraceful. These narrow-minded "shepherds" of the church, are NOT the church. The people are the church and if the people want access to THEIR records, no one should prevent them from doing so.

This goes for the US bishops who now forbid the Mormons access to Catholic records.

The Catholic so-called "religious" are on the whole anything but.

[Nancy Augustowski]

If the Catholic Church bans the LDS from filming their records they should make it easy for Catholics to get access. The old guard refuses to make it even remotly easy to get your own family records and probably is not taking care of the documents either.

[Sandra J Smith]

I remember the furore in England when the Mormon church started microfilming the Church of England records back in the 60s/70s. To this day some diocese/counties are poorly represented on the IGI due to their outright refusal to permit the filming.
In those days, genealogy appeared to take second place to the sealing that the LDS performed and this "baptism and marriage of the dead" caused a lot of upset And as one genealogy colleague stated at the time - I dont want my ancestors "mucked about with".
So it may be that the Irish church are not against the publication per se, but against any rituals relating to them?

[Anne L]

The Church has become primarily a business. Honest clergy will admit this. Dr. Clifford has a degree from the London School of Economics which may explain his scheme to collect Euros.

[Marylee H]

I too have been a Catholic since birth and have ancestors from County Kerry, Ireland. Two years ago I went to Ireland to do research and had to get permission from the bishop of Kerry to look at records. I did receive a written letter stating I could view three parishes at a time. If I needed more, I was to get a fax sent from his office to the National Library in Dublin. I totally agree that he should not be able to make the decision to keep these records from public. Personally, I think it is a case of power and stubbornness!

Before I left for Ireland, I checked the online Diocese of Kerry Civil and Catholic Parish Index to find dates of the earliest records for births and marriages in the parishes of my ancestors. I also contacted the individual parishes to see if I could visit their churches and see the original records. One Parish Secretary showed me their book of records and unfortunately, my great grandfather was born a few MONTHS too early! However, I did get to see the church where his family would have attended in the 1830's. Two other great grandparents were born a few years too early to be recorded.