What can county genealogy centres and RootsIreland add that free sites do not?
The county genealogy centres, working through the Irish Family History Foundation, transcribed registers from the originals held locally, and RootsIreland is their shared database. Three things follow. The transcripts are searchable by name, parent, witness or sponsor and by townland, where the National Library's register images can only be browsed by parish. Many transcripts run past the Library's cut off of about 1880, in places into the early 1900s and beyond. And the database adds Church of Ireland, Presbyterian and Methodist registers for some counties, civil record transcripts for many counties, and graveyard inscriptions for some. Coverage is uneven between counties, so check the source list for the county before subscribing.
Useful pages: The Irish surnames map · Trace your Irish roots · The 1926 Census guide · Coming home · Irish around the world · Plan your journey
Sources
- Irish Family History Foundation: RootsIreland and the county genealogy centres, rootsireland.ie
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