Harrison/Carey

Hi,

Thank you for your message.

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. As the Church of Ireland was the official church of the country the bulk of what does exist from this period can be found in these register. For more information on Church of Ireland registers check http://ireland.anglican.org/about/42 and http://www.nationalarchives.ie/.

Most Catholic records are held locally. One website which is helpful is the Irish Times where they give an overview of what records are available in specific parishes. For Carrickfergus follow this link:

http://www.irishtimes.com/ancestor/fuses/rcparishmaps/index.cfm?fuseaction=showidrecords&CityCounty=Antrim&parish=Carrickfergus&churchid=1142

There are also some websites that give access to some records:

www.familysearch.org has a huge database of genealogical records including some births and marriages from Ireland.

www.rootsireland.ie also has a vast collection of Irish Church records, however you have to pay to use this site.

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/antrim/index.html

You may also want to contact the Ulster Historical Foundation for assistance, however a fee may apply. Here are their contact details:

Ulster Historical Foundation,

49 Malone ROad,

Belfast BT9 6RY

Northern Ireland.

Phone: +44 28 9066 1988 EMail: enquiry@uhf.org.uk

Remember to post as much information as you can with regard to the people you are researching. The more information you post, the more likely it is that one of our volunteers will be able to advise or assist you. Also include information concerning which sources you may have already used so others may further your search.

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