Irish Records Online
- IrishGenealogy.ie — Civil registration records, church registers, and census records. Free access to millions of Irish records including births (1864–1922), marriages (1845–1947) and deaths (1871–1972).
- National Archives of Ireland — Free access to the 1901/1911 census, tithe applotment books (1823–1837), soldiers’ wills (1914–1918), Irish wills, and much more.
- National Library of Ireland — Browse digitized microfilms of Catholic parish registers covering most parishes across Ireland up to 1880. Free access.
- PRONI (Public Record Office of Northern Ireland) — Records for the six counties of Northern Ireland.
- Griffith’s Valuation / Ask About Ireland — 1840s–1860s land valuation survey with full maps and indexes, free of charge. Useful for locating ancestors before civil registration.
- Tithe Applotment Books — 1820s–1830s records of landholders in Ireland.
- Ulster Genealogy — Research resource for Ulster and Northern Ireland ancestry, covering all nine counties of the historic province.
Major Genealogy Platforms
- Ancestry.com — The largest genealogy database in the world with approximately 200 Irish record collections. Subscription required for most records.
- FamilySearch.org — Free genealogy records from the LDS Church. Excellent Irish collections and one of the most popular free genealogy resources worldwide.
- Findmypast — Strong Irish and British records — considered by many to have the largest collection of Irish records of any subscription platform.
- MyHeritage — International genealogy platform with DNA testing options and growing Irish collections.
Immigration & Passenger Records
- Ellis Island Passenger Search — Search passenger manifests for immigrants who entered the US through Ellis Island. The database contains approximately 65 million searchable records and is free online.
- Ellis Island Records on FamilySearch — Free access to the complete archive of Ellis Island passenger records including New York arrivals from 1820 through 1957.
- Pennsylvania Genealogy Guide (FamilySearch) — Comprehensive guide to Pennsylvania genealogy research including naturalization records which often list Irish county of origin.
- Pennsylvania State Archives — Pennsylvania vital records, naturalization records, and more.
DNA & Genetic Genealogy
- AncestryDNA — The largest DNA database for genealogy matching.
- 23andMe — DNA testing with health and ancestry reports.
- Family Tree DNA (FTDNA) — Specialized genealogy DNA testing including Y-DNA and mtDNA. Home to many Irish surname projects.
- Irish DNA Atlas — Hosted by the Genealogical Society of Ireland, this research project maps genetic diversity across Ireland by county. Useful for identifying which regions of Ireland your ancestry is most closely associated with.
Pennsylvania & Local Irish Heritage
- Berks County Historical Society — Local history and genealogy resources for Berks County, PA.
- Pennsylvania State Archives — Pennsylvania vital records, naturalization records, and more.
Guides & Tips
- Irish Genealogy Toolkit — Practical guides for Irish research including important advice: don’t be discouraged by the 1922 fire — many records survived and many more are being recreated from duplicates held in other archives.
- Family Tree Magazine — Best Irish Genealogy Websites — Regularly updated guide to the top resources for Irish ancestry research.
- FamilySearch Ireland Wiki — Comprehensive listing of Ireland websites useful for family history, arranged by record type.
Societies & Publications
- Irish Genealogical Society International — Minnesota-based society dedicated to helping people discover their Irish heritage and ancestry.
- Genealogical Society of Ireland — Active community dedicated to family history research, advice clinics, publications, lectures, and database creation. Also home to the Irish DNA Atlas.
- Irish Genealogical Research Society — Founded in 1936, widely recognised as holding the world’s largest and most important collection of Irish genealogical material in private hands.
- TIARA (The Irish Ancestral Research Association) — Boston-based Irish genealogy organization.
Know of a resource we should add? Contact us at info@berksirish.org and we’ll consider adding it to this list!