One of the more interesting sites devoted to Irish genealogy can be found at IrishFamilyResearch.co.uk. The site has hundreds of databases of Irish genealogy information. Most of these databases are searchable, and some are free to access. Others require a small membership fee to access the information.
Available databases cover every Irish county, including directories, cemetery transcriptions, census records, surveys, maps, and more. This is an excellent resource for Irish genealogists of all kinds.
One of the more interesting databases consists of transcripts from "The Association for the Preservation of Memorials of the Dead, in Ireland." The Association was formed in 1888, and its Members spent their free time transcribing Headstones in Old Churches and Graveyards that were fast disappearing in the late 19th Century - most of which no longer exist today. Some of the tombstones listed date back to the early 1500s. In many cases, Members of the Memorials Association cross-referenced their findings with historical and genealogical materials, thus providing us with a wealth of information about Irish Ancestors which would otherwise be lost today.
A full list of all the online databases available can be found at http://www.irishfamilyresearch.co.uk/dbshortlist.htm. In addition, the site has a Research Interests Forum containing thousands of messages. You can see if somebody else is researching the same family names as you.
Irish Family Research has three levels of access: Free (registration is required), Monthly (£30.00 Registration Fee) and Full Membership (£40.00 Registration Fee).
The free trial databases include:
- Country Residents in the Vicinity of Belfast (*NEW*);
- Ardoyne/Ballysillan Villages (List of Residents & Manufs/Traders);
- Ballynahinch, Co.Down (Principal Officers, Traders & Residents);
- Blackwatertown, Co.Armagh (Principal Officers, Traders & Residents);
- Cookstown, Co.Tyrone (Principal Officers, Traders & Residents).
- Donegal Town, Co. Donegal, 1846 (Principal Officers, Traders & Residents).
For more information, or to join the Irish Family Research web site, go to http://www.irishfamilyresearch.co.uk.
