Ann & Michael Higgins

Hi,

Thank you for your message.

Civil registration became mandatory in Ireland in 1864. Given the date of Ann and Michael?s marriage you should be able to find their marriage record in these records. This would give you her maiden name and some other useful information. You may possibly also be able to find her birth record.

These records are available from the General Register?s Office in Dublin. Here is their website:

http://www.groireland.ie/research.htm

You can search the indexes to these registers online here:

https://familysearch.org/search/collection/1408347

For more information on how to obtain these records and on what information they contain check this website:

http://www.irish-genealogy-toolkit.com/Irish-civil-registration.html

As Michael was born before 1864, you wil have to look at Church records for his birth record. Most Catholic records are held locally so you may need to write to the local parish priest for assistance.. One website which you may find helpful is the Irish Times where they give an overview of what records are available in specific parishes. For Mayo parishes follow this link:

http://www.irishtimes.com/ancestor/browse/counties/rcmaps/mayorc.htm

For information on Church of Ireland records check:

http://ireland.anglican.org/about/42 and http://www.nationalarchives.ie/. 

Just to clarify, are you certain of the place names that you have mentioned in your message? I cannot find any record of Ballyhoura in Mayo, only in North Cork. I am also having difficulty finding an Oldtown in Sligo?

Some other websites that you may find useful as you continue your research 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

Family Search: www.familysearch.org

I hope this is helpful and you can get past your brick wall. 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