What should I bring or copy before visiting a county archive in Ireland?
Bring the research in a form that can be used at a desk. Pack a printed timeline for the family, with each event, its date, its townland and parish, and the record it came from, plus printouts or clear copies of the census returns and civil records already found. Add a short list of the exact items to look for, in the order they matter, and the references for them where the archive's catalogue gives them. Check the archive's own page before travelling for opening days, booking, identification requirements and rules on pencils, laptops and copying, since these differ between archives. Leave original family documents at home and bring copies. A visit goes furthest when no desk time is spent re-finding what was already known.
Useful pages: The Irish surnames map · Trace your Irish roots · The 1926 Census guide · Coming home · Irish around the world · Plan your journey
Sources
- National Archives of Ireland: the 1901 and 1911 censuses, census fragments, Tithe Applotment Books and research guidance, nationalarchives.ie
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