2. Your Trail of Breadcrumbs to Ireland Begins here!

3. Where In Ireland were yours from?

4. Which of the 26 Counties of Ireland?
Carlow Kilkenny Offlay
Cavan Laois Roscommon
Clare Leitrim Sligo
Cork Limerick Tipperary
Donegal Longford Waterford
Dublin Louth Westmeath
Galway Mayo Wexford
Kerry Meath Wickford
Kildare Monaghan

5. Or, which of the 6 Counties of Northern (British) Ireland?
Antrim Down
Armagh Fermanagh
Derry Tyrone

6. As most Irish records are organized by location, you must know where your family lived!

7. However, the task is not quite as insurmountable as it may first appear. A major aid is that as David Rencher, Chief Genealogical Officer, Family-Search has noted:
“Surnames were pretty stable and stayed in the same geographic areas over hundreds of years. Because of this we can go to a specific geographic area in Ireland, look for that surname and from there look for the most probable places where your ancestors might have been.”

8. What do I need to find the name of the place?
  At least one of the following:
Irish Surname and forename [first name]
County
Townland and/or town]
Parish

9. Where do I find these things?
Irish Surname & Irish forename [first name]? 
From YOU!
But for the others,

11. A native of the parish of Roslea, County Fermanagh

14. The Townland Index for Roslea

15. The Townland Index for Freshford

16. U.S. census birth locations

17. And what if all you know is the name?
Then we apply Mr. Rencher’s surname stability test.

18. Tithe Applotments
The first Irish tax. Compiled between 1823 and 1837 in order to determine the amount which occupiers of agricultural holdings over one acre should pay in tithes to the Church of Ireland (the main Protestant church and the church established by the State until its dis- establishment in 1871). Listed head of households only.
Using only your surname, go to

19. Tithe Applotments Surname Forename Townland/Street Parish County Year
Hardiman
Michl
Kilglass
Ahascragh
Galway
1824
Thomas
Peter Wm
Drimgriffin
Annaghdown
John
Shehane Park
Athenry
1827
Erriff
Ballyhean
Mayo
1830
Ringarraun
Jas
Knockawn
Ballynakill
1834

20. Using only your surname, go to
Griffith’s Valuation
Carried out between 1847 and 1864 to determine liability to pay the Poor rate (for the support of the poor and destitute within each Poor Law Union).
Surname Cluster
Graphically depict where your surname was in mid-19th century ( ) Ireland.
Using only your surname, go to

21. Surname Map

22. Surname Results Households by County in Griffith’s 1847-1864
Down 1
Galway 65
Roscommon 14
Westmeath 1
Dublin 1
Mayo 4
Tipperary 1

23. Using only your surname, go to
Griffith's Valuation
Provides detailed information by head of family on where people lived in mid-nineteenth century Ireland and the property they possessed.
Using only your surname, go to or

24. Griffith’s Occupier Surname Hardiman Occupier Forename Thomas
County Galway
Parish Abbeygormacan
Townland Knockaun
Original Page
Map Views

25. Griffith's Valuation

26. Irish Censuses 1821, 1831, 1841, 1851 Remnants
Check to see which Counties are not included!
All Counties in 1901 and 1911 censuses
Using your surname, go to

29. Irish Pension Records Old Age Pension 1908 applicants Parents’ names
Residence 1841/1851
Their age 1841/1851
Using only surname, go to or

30. A Pension Record

31. Using the parish name, go to
Irish Church Records
Using the parish name, go to
Baptisms to 1882
Marriages to 1882
Marriages 26 Apr to
02 Feb. 1881
38 images
Incomplete

32. Irish Church Records-Northern Ireland
The Church of Ireland currently is getting its records online; they are free to see at

33. Hope this helps you in following your trail of breadcrumbs
to your Irish ancestry