Irish historical records collection goes online

THE British family history website Ancestry.co.uk today launches a collection of 19th century historical Irish records, to help Irish family historians and the estimated 80 million people worldwide of Irish descent to explore their heritage.

There are now more than 35 million historical Irish records on the website, including two million upgraded records from shortly before and after the Famine (1845-1852). Famous names whose Irish ancestors appear in the collection include Oscar Wilde, Walt Disney, John F Kennedy and Barack Obama.

Launching the collection in honour of St Patrick’s Day, the company’s international content director Dan Jones described it as the definitive resource for 19th century Irish family history.

“The Irish Potato Famine was a significant event in world history which caused a huge spike in international emigration from across Ireland — meaning these records can connect Irish families to their cousins from every corner of the globe,” he said.

“These may hold the only or final record of many Irish citizens during these tragic yet nation-defining years in Ireland’s history.”

The collections include the Ireland Tithe Applotment Books, 1824-1837, featuring more than 600,000 Irish land tax records which cover all of pre-famine Ireland, creating a snapshot of Irish life prior to mass deaths and emigration.

The website features Griffith’s Valuation of Ireland, 1848-1864, which shows more than 2.5 million names and addresses in land tax records of people living in Ireland in the mid-19th century. According to Ancestry.co.uk, they are especially valuable as a substitute for 19th century censuses of Ireland, most of which were destroyed during the Civil War.

Also online are almost 2,000 Ordnance Survey maps of Ireland featuring early geographical details of the whole country, revealing how Ireland evolved during the mid-19th century.

Descendants of famine emigrants heavily influenced politics, history and culture in their adopted home nations.

In North America, Irish immigrants have been very successful in achieving political influence, with 27% of American Presidents claiming Irish roots, including John F Kennedy, Barack Obama and Ronald Reagan. Reagan’s great-grandfather, Michael O’Reagan, was born in Ballyporeen, Co Tipperary. John F Kennedy’s great-grandfather Patrick Kennedy was from Dunganstown, Co Wexford, while Bill Clinton’s maternal ancestors came from Co Fermanagh.

A quarter of Australian Prime Ministers and a third of all Canadian prime ministers have also been descended from Irish stock and, since 1810, six British prime ministers have had Irish heritage.

* For a 14-day free trial go online to www.ancestry.co.uk/Irishrecords.