LOOKING FOR INFORMATION

Hi, thanks for your message and interest in Ireland Reaching Out.

There are a number of resources available that may help you in your search for information on John and Ann including the National Library and the National Archives. Their websites are  http://www.nli.ie/en/family-history-introduction.aspx and http://www.nationalarchives.ie/genealogy1/genealogy-records/introduction/ respectively.

Also you may want to check out the land records that were drawn up for Ireland during the 19th century. The Tithe Applotment Books date from 1823 to 38 and can be found here:

http://titheapplotmentbooks.nationalarchives.ie/search/tab/home.jsp

and the Griffith's Valuation dating from 1848 to 1864, which can be found here:

http://www.askaboutireland.ie/griffith-valuation/ 

Do you know what religious denomination they were?

If they were Catholic: : Most Catholic records are held locally - One site which might be of use is the irishtimes, where you can ?browse? an overview of available records per county.  TO see what records are available for Castlebar follow this link:

http://www.irishtimes.com/ancestor/fuses/rcparishmaps/index.cfm?fuseaction=showidrecords&CityCounty=Mayo&parish=Castlebar&churchid=1039

If you have any difficulty, you could try writing to the parish priest for possible assistance. 

Church of Ireland Records can be found at http://ireland.anglican.org/about/42 and http://www.nationalarchives.ie/.

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