Where do I research ancestors from Northern Ireland specifically?
Start with the records that cover the whole island: the 1901 and 1911 censuses are free at the National Archives, and civil records before partition sit in the same Irish system. For the six counties after that, use two Belfast based services. The General Register Office of Northern Ireland, reached through nidirect, sells credits to view civil births over 100 years old, marriages over 75 years old and deaths over 50 years old. PRONI, the Public Record Office of Northern Ireland, holds church registers, estate papers and wills, and puts its Valuation Revision Books of 1864 to 1933 online free. County libraries and the RootsIreland centres cover local material that never reached Belfast.
Useful pages: The Irish surnames map · Trace your Irish roots · The 1926 Census guide · Coming home · Irish around the world · Plan your journey
Sources
- Public Record Office of Northern Ireland and the General Register Office of Northern Ireland, via nidirect: valuation revision books, church records and civil records
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