Our genealogy guide offers practical advice on accessing historical school records – including registers and roll books – from schools across Co. Wicklow.
If you want to know what genealogical data Irish school records contain and how to use this information to trace your family history, we recommend starting with our general guide to Ireland’s historical school records, which includes expert advice on how to get the most from these sources.
>>> RELATED: Find your ancestors in Ireland’s historical school records
Where can I find historical school records from Co. Wicklow?
Tracking down school records from Co. Wicklow can be challenging. Some have been lost or destroyed over time, and those that survive are not held in a single location. Many original records remain with local custodians, while others have been transferred to archives and libraries.
In terms of online access, there is significant overlap between the digitized school records available on FamilySearch, FindMyPast and Ancestry. Of these, FindMyPast provides access to the largest number of school records for the county.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T
Below, we outline the main online and physical repositories for the county’s school records – including free and subscription-based websites for digitized records, as well as archives and libraries where you can consult original documents or microfilm copies “on-site”.
– FamilySearch (online, free)
FamilySearch.org offers free access to digitized school registers from eight national schools in Co. Wicklow. The schools featured are:
- Ardoyne (1904–25)
- Ballyduff, Killiskey (1905–25)
- Conary, Kilmacanoge / Kilmacanogue (1916–25)
- Mount Kennedy / Mt Kennedy, Newcastle Lower (1897–1925)
- Mucklagh, Rathdrum (1871–1925)
- Sheeana, Ballykine (1893–1925)
- Tourboy, Kiltegan (1884–1925)
- Windgates / Windgate, Delgany (1903–25)
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On FamilySearch, you can find high-resolution digitized images of the original register books. Entries have been transcribed and indexed, allowing you to search the index of national school registers by name, place, year and other criteria. Click here to begin your search – just remember, you must be signed in to your account to search, but accounts are free to set up.
For a full list of all the schools and registers featured in this record set, visit the FamilySearch website here, where you can browse the individual register books, page by page, with just a few simple clicks.
– FindMyPast (online, €)
On the subscription website FindMyPast, national school registers from eight Wicklow schools can be searched within their Ireland National School Registers record set. The schools included are:
- Ardoyne (1904–25)
- Ballyduff (1905–25)
- Conary (1916–25)
- Mount Kennedy (1897–1925)
- Rathdrum (1871–1925)
- Sheeana (1893–1925)
- Tourboy (1884–1925)
- Windgate (1903–25)
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FindMyPast provides high-quality digitized images of the original registers, with key details transcribed and indexed. You can search the index of national school registers by name, year, religion, school, parish, county and other criteria here. To check whether additional schools have been added, you can browse their full list here.
Separately, registers from two more Wicklow schools are available in their Wicklow Registers & Records record set:
- Kilcoole School (boys: 1861–1938; girls: 1864–1918)
- Newcastle School (1864–1948)
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Click here to search the Kilcoole and Newcastle records.
A F F I L I A T E A D
– Ancestry (online, €)
On the subscription website Ancestry, national school registers from eight Co. Wicklow schools can be searched and viewed. The schools covered are:
- Ardoyne (1904–25)
- Ballyduff (1905–25)
- Conary (1916–25)
- Mount Kennedy (1897–1925)
- Mucklagh (1871–1925)
- Sheeana (1893–1925)
- Tourboy (1884–1925)
- Windgate (1903–25)
A D V E R T I S E M E N T
Ancestry provides high-quality digitized microfilm images of the original registers, with key details transcribed and indexed. You can search the index of national school registers by name, birth, residence, admission date and other criteria here. The option to browse the original registers page by page is also available.
– National Library of Ireland (mix of online & on-site, free)
The National Library of Ireland, located on Kildare Street in Dublin 2, holds various materials relating to Wicklow schools. These include books based on school registers from Aravon (1862–1928), Newcastle (1864–1947) and Kilcoole (from 1861), as well as works on the history of education in Co. Wicklow, histories of individual schools, alumni lists and photographs of schools and pupils. You can find these by searching the library catalogue. While most have not been digitized, they are available to view in the library – some by request only.
– National Archives of Ireland (on-site)
Some school records from Co. Wicklow are held by the National Archives of Ireland, located on Bishop Street in Dublin 8. Most of the digitized school records on FamilySearch, FindMyPast and Ancestry derive from the collections held in the National Archives. These websites often provide only partial information for records less than 100 years old, and the original record images may not be viewable for this timeframe. In such cases, note the register or roll number and submit a request to access the original record at the National Archives.
The National Archives also holds school records that, in some cases, continue further into the 20th century than those available on FamilySearch, FindMyPast and Ancestry. In addition, it holds records for schools that have not been digitized at all. The following list is not comprehensive, but includes some of the Wicklow schools featured in the archive’s collections:
- Countess WW Hospital School (1937–52)
- Donoughmore
- Dunganstown
- Dunlavin
- Ferrybank
- Glebe
- Glenealy
- Knockanargan
- Kilcommon
- Mount Kennedy (1897–1940)
- Mucklagh (1872–1961)
- Redcross
- St Andrew’s, Bray (1888–1971)
- St Paul’s, Bray (1888–1971)
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Find out how to prepare for your visit to the National Archives in Dublin here.
– Local collections (mix of online & on-site)
Most original paper school records have been preserved locally in Co. Wicklow, often held by the schools themselves. You can contact a school or its board of management directly to check if they still have the old records. In cases where a school has closed, a nearby school or a newly established school may have taken over custody of these records.
If you’re still unable to locate the records through the school, contact Wicklow County Archives:
Wicklow Library & Archives
The Mall
Wicklow Town
Co. Wicklow, A67 X504
Tel: +353 404 20100, ext. 7204
Email: archives@wicklowcoco.ie
Local historical and genealogical societies, as well as local historians, may also be able to assist. These include:
- Blessington History Society
- Bray Cualann Historical Society
- Enniskerry Local History
- Greystones Archaeological & Historical Society
- Kilmacanogue History Society
- Roundwood & District Historical and Folklore Society
- West Wicklow Historical Society
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You may also find school records or photographs of schools and pupils on locally run websites operated by heritage groups, historical societies or community organizations. To locate them, try a range of search terms based on the school or area, and consider checking social media platforms where such resources and images are sometimes shared. Patience and persistence can pay off.
For instance, County Wicklow Heritage – a community heritage archive created by the Wicklow Heritage Forum – has detailed information on various Wicklow schools, including those in Wicklow town (available here). The Enniskerry Local History website also features valuable information on schools in Enniskerry, Annacrivey, Curtlestown, Dargle and Powerscourt. You can browse their table of contents here and view school photographs here.
– Private collections
Unfortunately, some national school records from Co. Wicklow have ended up in private collections. One known example is the Fortgranite (Baltinglass) National School roll book from 1885–92, which was auctioned in 2019 by Fonsie Mealy Auctioneers in Co. Kilkenny. We would encourage the purchaser of this lot to donate it to Wicklow County Archives or the National Archives, where it can be properly preserved and digitized so it can be made accessible to the public and the descendants of those recorded within.
Related collections
– Poor Law Union records (mix of online & on-site)
If your ancestors spent time in a workhouse as children, they probably attended a workhouse school and may appear in poor law union records. Wicklow County Archives has digitized the following records:
- Rathdrum Workhouse Admission & Discharge Registers (1842–1914)
- Shillelagh Workhouse Admission & Discharge Registers (1842 –1918)
- Rathdrum Board of Guardians Minute Books (1839-1921)
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The Poor Law and Board of Guardians records for Rathdown Union for 1839–1920, which covered part of Co. Wicklow – encompassing Powerscourt, Delgany and Bray – are available on the subscription website Ancestry here.
>>> RELATED: Did your ancestor spend time in a workhouse?
– Schools’ Folklore Collection (online, free)
If your ancestor attended school in the late 1930s, they might appear in the Schools’ Folklore Collection. Between 1937 and 1939, more than 50,000 pupils from 5,000 primary schools across the 26 counties of the Irish Free State compiled around 740,000 pages of handwritten folklore. Each folkloric account typically records the student’s name, address, school and teacher, along with the informant’s name – often a parent or grandparent – making it a valuable genealogical source.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T
The digitized collection on duchas.ie includes material from over 70 Wicklow schools. You can view both the images of the original handwritten pages and the transcribed versions. The collection can be browsed by school here or searched by pupil’s name.
Things to remember
- Most surviving school records date from the latter half of the 1800s onwards, though some go back earlier.
- School records containing personal or sensitive information under 100 years old are typically subject to access restrictions, while more routine administrative material (such as minutes) is usually restricted for only 40 years.
- When using FamilySearch, FindMyPast or Ancestry to search school records, always consult the original images as they often include more detail than the transcripts – and transcripts can contain errors.
- For more tips, see our general guide to Irish school records here.
A F F I L I A T E A D
If you know where to access other school record collections from Co. Wicklow, please share the details in the comments below.
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