How do I plan a heritage trip around a townland, parish church and graveyard?
Do the record work first and travel second. Fix the townland from a census return or a civil record, find it on logainm.ie, and use the Griffith's Valuation map on AskAboutIreland to see where the family plot sat within it. Work out which church parish served that townland, since its boundaries may differ from the civil parish, and note the graveyard beside that church as well as any older burial ground nearby. Contact the parish and the county archive or local studies library before travelling, and allow a full day for one townland rather than three in a rush. Much of a townland is working farmland in private hands, so plan to stand on the road and look, and ask at the nearest house before going further.
Useful pages: The Irish surnames map · Trace your Irish roots · The 1926 Census guide · Coming home · Irish around the world · Plan your journey
Sources
- Historic Graves: community graveyard surveys, historicgraves.com
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