These are the primary free and subscription databases used for Irish genealogy research. Bookmark this page — it covers every major archive, record index, and research tool you will need.
Free Irish Records Databases
- IrishGenealogy.ie — irishgenealogy.ie — Ireland’s official free portal: civil records of births (over 100 years old), marriages (over 75), deaths (over 50), plus indexed church records for several regions. The single best starting point. See our full guide.
- National Archives Census Collection — census.nationalarchives.ie — the complete 1901 and 1911 censuses, free and fully searchable. See how to search them.
- NLI Catholic Parish Registers — registers.nli.ie — digitised microfilm of Catholic parish registers up to roughly 1880, browsable by parish. See our walkthrough.
- Griffith’s Valuation — askaboutireland.ie — the 1847–1864 property valuation that serves as Ireland’s census substitute for the famine era. See the full explainer.
- Irish Genealogy Projects / IGP Archives — igp-web.com — volunteer-transcribed records, gravestones, and local sources organised by county.
Subscription Databases
- RootsIreland — rootsireland.ie — the largest database of Irish church records (over 23 million), maintained by county genealogy centres. Strongest for pre-civil-registration Catholic records.
- Ancestry.com Irish collections — strongest for connecting Irish records to US, UK, Canadian, and Australian immigration and family trees.
- Findmypast Ireland — particularly strong Irish collections, including court, land, and newspaper records unavailable elsewhere.
- MyHeritage Irish records — good record coverage and the strongest tool for matching with relatives still in Ireland.
Emigration & Immigration Records
- Ellis Island Foundation — US arrivals 1892–1957, free passenger record search.
- Castle Garden — US arrivals 1820–1892, the pre-Ellis Island port where most famine-era emigrants landed.
- Irish Famine Migration records — see our complete guide to emigration records for ships, ports, and passenger lists.
Maps & Place Names
- Townlands.ie — the essential index of Ireland’s 60,000+ townlands. Pair it with our townland-finding guide.
- Logainm.ie — the official place names database of Ireland, with Irish and English forms.
- OSI Historic Maps — Ordnance Survey historic 19th-century maps, viewable as overlays.
DNA Testing for Irish Ancestry
DNA testing can complement document research by confirming family connections and identifying living Irish relatives who may hold records. See our dedicated DNA guides for full reviews and comparisons: start at the DNA Testing for Irish Ancestry hub or jump to the 2026 comparison of all four services.