I know from personal experience that it is difficult tracing Irish ancestors, especially before 1900 as many records no longer exist, especially pre-1901 census records. However there are many other records available and an increasing amount is becoming available online. There are now quite a few books devoted to this topic. These are the top 10 Irish genealogy books on Amazon.com:
The Family Tree Irish Genealogy Guide: How to Trace Your Ancestors in Ireland
This is the #1 bestselling Irish genealogy book on Amazon.com. Claire Santry is a respected journalist and writes the popular Irish Genealogy News blog. This book takes you through the resources available online for Irish research as well as giving you tips on finding records that can help you. There is also background on Irish history, geography and administrative divisions. It also includes case studies.
A New Genealogical Atlas of Ireland, Second Edition
Brian Mitchell’s atlas was first published in 1986 and this is the 2nd edition. It contains maps for all of the 32 counties in the Republic of Ireland as well the 9 in Northern Ireland. There are at least four maps for every county:
- Civil and Church of Ireland parishes
- The baronies and Church of Ireland dioceses
- Poor law unions and the parishes included within the probate districts of the county
- Roman Catholic parishes and dioceses
- Presbyterian congregations for the nine Northern Ireland counties
Clans and Families of Ireland: The Heritage and Heraldry of Irish Clans and Families
This book traces the origins of the Irish people from pre-history up to the present day, focusing on place names and surnames. It looks at 200 of the most common Irish names and is illustrated with photographs, coats of arms and clan tartans.
Irish Genealogy Online: A one stop guide and directory
A guide to online resources with links to hundreds of websites as well as instruction on the types of sources available in Ireland, both North and South.
Tracing Your Irish Ancestors: The Complete Guide. Fifth Edition
The fifth edition of a popular guide on Irish genealogy. Tracing your Irish Ancestors has an extensive directory of online resources as well as step by step instructions on how to find and use physical records in archives. Heritage Quest has described this book as “the most comprehensive and authoritative book on Irish genealogy available”.
How to Trace Your Family Tree in England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales: The Complete Practical Handbook For All Detectives Of Family History, Heritage And Genealogy
This book covers not only Ireland but also England Wales and Scotland.
Tracing Your Irish History on the Internet
Chris Paton is well known in the UK as a writer of genealogy books, magazine articles and his popular Genes Blog. This book is an extensive look at many of the resources that are now available online both in the North and South of Ireland. It is an essential introduction and reference source for Irish genealogical research and one that I personally use for my Irish research.
Handy Irish Genealogy Handbook: Everything You Need to Find Irish Genealogy Records FAST!
This book focuses on the (mostly) free online resources available for Irish research
Researching Your Irish Ancestors at Home and Abroad (Genealogist’s Reference Shelf)
David Elliot is an experienced genealogist who has made many trips to Ireland. The book details how research should be conducted in Ireland and should you be planning a trip there for researching your own family, how to get the most from it.
Pocket Guide to Irish Genealogy. Third Edition
This is a condensed guide to research in Ireland giving you the basics of Irish genealogical research in 60 pages.
In addition to the 10 books listed, I would also recommend:
Your Irish Ancestors; A Guide for Family Historians
Although Ian Maxwell originally published this book in 2008 (this is a 2014 reprint), it is still worth buying. Some understanding of Irish history is essential for successful genealogical research and this book can help with that. More than half of it is devoted to a social history of the Irish which helps put things into context.
For Irish websites, see the Irish Genealogy Links page.
And for more Irish genealogy articles, please visit the Ireland page here.
Good luck with your Irish research!
There are more genealogy books in the Resources section here.
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