seeking ancestors details

Hi Raymond,

Thank you for your message.

For the time period you have mentioned the main source of information is Church records. Unfortunately the reality of finding documentation pertaining to births/baptisms/marriages/deaths in Ireland prior to 1800 ? particularly in rural areas ? is that they simply may not exist. This is the case for Kinvara. Using the Irish TImes websites you can see that Catholic records for the parish do not begin until 1831.

http://www.irishtimes.com/ancestor/fuses/rcparishmaps/index.cfm?fuseaction=showidrecords&CityCounty=Galway&CityCounty=East%20Galway&parish=Kinvara&churchid=632

It will not be possible to find birth records for Patrick or his parents however you may be able to find his marriage record. Most Catholic records are still held locally so you may need to write to the local parish priest for possible assistance. The above link also shows you where copies of the records can be found.

Church of Ireland records generally tend to have an earlier start date than Catholic ones as it was the official church of the country at the time. Most surviving Church of Ireland records are still held by the local clergy, although some are in the National Archives of Ireland and others are in the Representative Church Body Library in Dublin. Here are their websites: http://www.nationalarchives.ie/ and http://ireland.anglican.org/about/42

Lists of these surviving registers can also be found at the National Library of Ireland.

You could also check for record of the family in the land acts pertaining to Ireland in the 19th century. There are two:

The Tithe Applotment Books (1823-1838) found at http://titheapplotmentbooks.nationalarchives.ie/search/tab/home.jsp

and Griffith?s Valuation (1848-1864) found at http://www.askaboutireland.ie/griffith-valuation/

Some other websites that you may find useful are:

The National Archives of Ireland http://www.nationalarchives.ie/genealogy1/genealogy-records/introduction/

The National Library of Ireland http://www.nli.ie/en/family-history-introduction.aspx

The National Archives UK ? genealogy search: http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/records/looking-for-person/

The Public Records Office of Northern Ireland http://www.proni.gov.uk/index/family_history.htm

Genealogy Links: http://www.genealogylinks.net/uk/ireland/galway/index.html

Family Search: www.familysearch.org

It may also be an idea to contact the Galway Family History Society West for some assistance, however a fee may apply. Here is their email: galwaywestroots@eircom.net

I hope that some of these links are helpful. Please be patient - as our programme has only begun to rollout across the island of Ireland and volunteers in some areas may not yet be organized.

Kind regards,

Genealogy Support