This genealogy guide provides an introduction to Irish civil records of births, marriages and deaths, including those for Northern Ireland. We offer clear instructions on accessing civil records online for free and through subscription services, as well as identifying the offices and libraries that facilitate public (in-person) access to civil records.
What are civil records?
Civil registration records are the official State records of births, marriages and deaths (BMD). Across the entire island of Ireland, civil registration of non-Roman Catholic Christian, Jewish and civil marriages began on 1 April 1845. From 1 January 1864, civil registration was extended to marriages of all denominations as well as births and deaths. While registration was obligatory from the outset, the early years saw many omissions, especially in remote areas before 1880.
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Births, marriages and deaths were registered by the local registrar, then collated and copied by the superintendent registrar, who forwarded these copies to the General Register Office (GRO) in Dublin for indexing. This process created three sets of records: the original unindexed registers kept locally, the copies of the original registers held by the GRO, and the island-wide master indexes for these registers. All three sets have survived largely intact.
Following Irish independence in 1922, Ireland’s civil records were divided between two repositories: the General Register Office of Northern Ireland (GRONI) in Belfast for the six northern counties (Antrim, Armagh, Derry, Down, Fermanagh and Tyrone) and the pre-existing General Register Office (GRO) in Dublin for the rest of the island. While the GRO retains the pre-1922 civil registration records for the six northern counties, GRONI also holds a complete set of these records obtained from the local register offices.
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Where can I find Irish civil records?
This guide covers the various options for accessing Irish civil records, beginning with free online access, followed by subscription websites and finally, “on-site” collections available in paper, microfilm and computerized formats.
– IrishGenealogy.ie (online, free)
The government website IrishGenealogy.ie provides free online access to historic Irish birth register records from 1864 to 1923, Irish marriage register records from 1845 to 1948 and Irish death register records from 1871 to 1973 (as of September 2024). Bear in mind that the records do not pertain to the six counties of Northern Ireland from 1 January 1922. Also, remember, marriage records from 1845 to 1863 concern non-Catholics only.
The civil records on IrishGenealogy.ie are updated once every calendar year, with each refresh adding another year’s records. The site adheres to what is known as the 100-75-50-year rule. This means that birth records over 100 years old and marriage records over 75 years old (with some exceptions for living individuals who have requested redactions), as well as death records over 50 years old, are available for viewing online.
To search the civil records, click the “Civil Records” tab on the site. From here, you can access both the indexes to Irish births, marriages and deaths and the digitized register images of Irish births, marriages and deaths (images can be downloaded in PDF format to your device for saving or printing). These images are copies of the registers held at the GRO and are referenced in the indexes. While index entries for deaths that occurred between 1864 and 1870 are available on the site, the full register images for those years are not yet online; the GRO is currently working on updating these records back to 1864. Missing register images with existing index entries may also result from amendments made in subsequent years or from quality issues affecting the images.
In summary, records for births under 100 years old, marriages under 75 years old and deaths under 50 years old are not available on IrishGenealogy.ie. Likewise, records pertaining to the six counties of Northern Ireland after 1921 are not available.
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– FamilySearch (online, free)
In the late 1950s, the indexes for Irish births, marriages and deaths for the years 1845 to 1958 were microfilmed by the Church of Jesus Christ of the Latter-day Saints (LDS), better known as the Mormons. The data from these microfilms has since been transcribed and digitized and is available to access for free on their FamilySearch website. It includes 23 million civil registration index entries for Irish births (1864–1958), marriages (1845–1958) and deaths (1864–1958). You can search this record set here. The LDS has shared this data with the subscription websites Ancestry and FindMyPast.
It’s important to note some gaps and inconsistencies in this record set. For example, there are gaps in the births for the years 1867, 1869, 1880, 1892, 1893 and 1909, in the deaths for 1894 and in the marriages for 1897. Additionally, some marriage index records from 1849 that fall alphabetically between James McCune (Banbridge District) and Margaret McDonald (Thurles District) were incorrectly indexed as 1845; consequently, records dated 1845 that fall alphabetically between these two points may pertain to either 1845 or 1849 marriages. Although the first marriages were registered in Ireland in 1845, there are indexed entries dated 1836 that pertain to marriages actually registered in 1886. These errors and limitations also apply to the records on Ancestry and FindMyPast.
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In addition, FamilySearch provides free access to transcribed data and some digitized images from the following civil registers: births 1864 to 1881 and 1900 to 1913, marriages 1845 to 1870 and deaths 1864 to 1870. You can search this record set here.
It should be noted that FamilySearch does not provide access to records for the six counties of Northern Ireland after 1921. Although the LDS microfilmed both the indexes and the civil registers held by GRONI for the years 1922 to 1959, these records have not been made available on the FamilySearch site.
– Geni.NIdirect.gov.uk (online, €)
GRONI provides an online searchable database of historical civil registration records for the six counties of Northern Ireland on its official website, Geni.NIdirect.gov.uk. These records date back to 1845 for non-Catholic marriages and 1864 for births, deaths and Catholic marriages. The site offers access to birth records up to 1924, marriage records up to 1949 and death records up to 1974 (as of September 2024), following the 100-75-50 rule. The civil records available on this site are updated yearly, with each annual refresh adding another year’s records.
Searches on this site will generate basic results free of charge, with options to pay for enhanced transcriptions or register images. You can find information about fees here.
>>> READ MORE: A guide to navigating Northern Ireland’s church records
– FindMyPast (online, €)
The indexes for civil registration of Irish births, marriages and deaths up to 1958 are available on the subscription website FindMyPast. It features the same data as the civil registration indexes on FamilySearch (see the FamilySearch section above for more info about this record set and its limitations). In addition, FindMyPast features the death index for Northern Ireland from 1980–2024.
FindMyPast does not provide access to any register images.
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– Ancestry (online, €)
The indexes for civil registration of Irish births, marriages and deaths up to 1958 are available on the subscription website Ancestry. It features the same data as the civil registration indexes on FamilySearch (see the FamilySearch section above for more info about this record set and its limitations). In addition, Ancestry features the death index for Northern Ireland for the years 1989–2023.
Ancestry does not provide access to any register images.
– RootsIreland (online, €)
The subscription website RootsIreland.ie, operated by the Irish Family History Foundation (IFHF), provides transcriptions of register entries for select areas in both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland, but rarely do these records extend beyond the 1920s. You can check the genealogical sources available for each county here.
Genealogists at the heritage centres managed by the IFHF have been transcribing local civil registers. As a result, RootsIreland’s online database of transcribed civil registration records is unique as it is the only one created from original, locally held registers rather than the copies maintained by the GRO. Therefore, this site features registrations that were accidentally omitted or altered when the registers were manually copied by the superintendent registrars. The transcription work is ongoing and the site is updated regularly.
RootsIreland provides transcriptions only and does not offer access to any register images.
>>> READ MORE: RootsIreland grows its Kerry resources with over 13,000 baptismal records from Castlegregory
– General Register Office (on-site)
The General Register Office of Ireland (GRO) is the central repository for Ireland’s civil birth, marriage and death records. The GRO is now headquartered in their offices on Convent Road in Roscommon.
While there are no public research facilities at this location, the GRO operates a research facility at Werburgh Street in Dublin 2. Here, members of the public can search the indexes to the registers up to the present day, with the exception of records deriving from the six counties of Northern Ireland, which end on 31 December 1921. The paper indexes are available for public inspection and staff have access to digital copies of the registers. Opening times are limited.
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You can also request searches or purchase photocopies of records by emailing the GRO (more information here). If you have already found the relevant index online, be sure to provide the volume and page number, along with other relevant details, when ordering a photocopy.
– General Register Office of Northern Ireland (on-site)
The General Register Office of Northern Ireland (GRONI) has been the central repository for Northern Ireland’s civil birth, marriage and death records since its foundation in 1922. GRONI also holds all local register books for the region from 1845 (for non-Catholic marriages) and 1864 (for all births, marriages and deaths). Transcription of the original register entries has been undertaken and full digitized access to both historical and current records is available in GRONI’s public search room at Colby House, Stranmillis Court, Belfast. Appointments must be booked in advance. Learn how to prepare for your visit here.
It is also possible to purchase certificates of births, marriages and deaths from GRONI (more information here).
>>> READ MORE: A guide to navigating Northern Ireland’s church records
– Public Record Office of Northern Ireland (on-site)
At the Public Record Office of Northern Ireland (PRONI), located at 2 Titanic Boulevard in Belfast, there is full digitized access to both historical and current civil registration records for the six counties of Northern Ireland. PRONI and GRONI maintain an identical database. A visitor’s pass is necessary to access PRONI’s search room. Learn how to prepare for your visit here.
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– Local civil registration offices (on-site)
A network of local civil registration offices operates across the Republic of Ireland. You can visit these offices to purchase photocopies of the original register records. Occasionally, you may find an original registration record in one of these offices that was accidentally omitted or altered when the register was manually copied and sent to the GRO. You can locate your local civil registration office here.
– LDS Family History Library (on-site)
Microfilm copies of various Irish civil records can be viewed at the Church of Jesus Christ of the Latter-day Saints (LDS) Family History Library in Salt Lake City, Utah. USA. These microfilms include birth registrations for all of Ireland from 1864 to March 1881, 1900 to 1913, for the Republic of Ireland from 1930 to 1955 and for Northern Ireland from 1922 to 1959. Birth indexes for all of Ireland are available from 1864 up to the late 1950s. Marriage registrations are available for all of Ireland from 1845/64 to 1870 and for Northern Ireland from 1922 to 1959, with marriage indexes covering all of Ireland from 1845/64 up to the late 1950s. Death registrations are available for all of Ireland from 1864 to 1870 and for Northern Ireland from 1922 to 1959, with death indexes covering all of Ireland from 1864 up to the late 1950s.
Remember, many of these records have been transcribed and are already accessible for free on the LDS website FamilySearch (see the FamilySearch section above for more info).
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