"Midnight Feasts" - Hunting for Irish Baptisms
"St. Patrick baptising Irish princesses" (Wikimedia Commons)
You are generally going to find baptisms recorded within the pages of any surviving church registers of whatever faith your ancestors followed, with the most significant sources being for the Church of Ireland and the Roman Catholic Church. Some links are exclusive to one faith, whilst others are multi-denominational so be sure to check out the latter as well.
Remember, these links are not exhaustively comprehensive - just the main ones I have used myself or can see have significant numbers of records from the relevant catalogues. Let me know your favourites and I will check them out for inclusion too.
Remember, these links are not exhaustively comprehensive - just the main ones I have used myself or can see have significant numbers of records from the relevant catalogues. Let me know your favourites and I will check them out for inclusion too.
Church of Ireland
See Church of Ireland Parishes & Registers for more information. If you know the parish(es) you are interested in, start by educating yourself as to what has survived by using my own finding aid Church of Ireland Parish Records Finder by County (scroll down on linked page.)
Reference Pages & Sites
Church of Ireland Parish Finder (Shane Wilson)
"Church of Ireland Parish Registers on Microfilm" (NAI) Source used to compile my county finding aid
Church of Ireland - Table of All Parish Registers throughout Ireland (RCBL) Source used to compile my county finding aid
Records
Anglican Record Project (CoI) Selected parishes listed on this project page
Irish Genealogy (Church Records) (DCHG) Check extent of CoI records here.
Ireland, Church of Ireland Search Forms for Baptisms, Marriages and Burials, 1731-1870 (Anc=£) Very selective (under 14k records)
Irish Parish Register Baptisms and Confirmations, ffolliott Collection (FMP=£) Selected counties - check notes for coverage
See Church of Ireland Parishes & Registers for more information. If you know the parish(es) you are interested in, start by educating yourself as to what has survived by using my own finding aid Church of Ireland Parish Records Finder by County (scroll down on linked page.)
Reference Pages & Sites
Church of Ireland Parish Finder (Shane Wilson)
"Church of Ireland Parish Registers on Microfilm" (NAI) Source used to compile my county finding aid
Church of Ireland - Table of All Parish Registers throughout Ireland (RCBL) Source used to compile my county finding aid
Records
Anglican Record Project (CoI) Selected parishes listed on this project page
Irish Genealogy (Church Records) (DCHG) Check extent of CoI records here.
Ireland, Church of Ireland Search Forms for Baptisms, Marriages and Burials, 1731-1870 (Anc=£) Very selective (under 14k records)
Irish Parish Register Baptisms and Confirmations, ffolliott Collection (FMP=£) Selected counties - check notes for coverage
Roman Catholic Church
See Roman Catholic Parishes & Registers for more information.
Reference Pages & Sites
Catholic Parish and Church Search by Location (Shane Wilson)
Catholic Directory of 1848 (Shane Wilson)
Roman Catholic Parish Maps & Record References by County (John Grenham)
Roman Catholic Parish Registers (NLI) Browse register images
Roman Catholic Parish Finder (Shane Wilson)
Records
Irish Genealogy (Church Records) (DCHG) Check the extent of RC records here first.
Ireland, Select Catholic Birth and Baptism Registers, 1763-1917 (Anc=£) Limited collection - read source notes carefully at bottom of search screen.
Ireland, Selections of Catholic Parish Baptisms, 1742-1881 (Anc=£) Limited collection - read source notes carefully at bottom of search screen.
Shared indexing and linked to NLI images that can be browsed above. Large collection of records mostly up to the 1880's.
See Roman Catholic Parishes & Registers for more information.
Reference Pages & Sites
Catholic Parish and Church Search by Location (Shane Wilson)
Catholic Directory of 1848 (Shane Wilson)
Roman Catholic Parish Maps & Record References by County (John Grenham)
Roman Catholic Parish Registers (NLI) Browse register images
Roman Catholic Parish Finder (Shane Wilson)
Records
Irish Genealogy (Church Records) (DCHG) Check the extent of RC records here first.
Ireland, Select Catholic Birth and Baptism Registers, 1763-1917 (Anc=£) Limited collection - read source notes carefully at bottom of search screen.
Ireland, Selections of Catholic Parish Baptisms, 1742-1881 (Anc=£) Limited collection - read source notes carefully at bottom of search screen.
Shared indexing and linked to NLI images that can be browsed above. Large collection of records mostly up to the 1880's.
Multi-denominational
Reference Pages & Sites
"A Guide to Church Records" - PRONI Comprehensive catalogue of microfilms to view in Belfast including many dissenting congregations.
Records
Ireland, Births and Baptisms, 1620-1881 (Family Search) Faith not indicated.
Ireland, Select Births and Baptisms, 1620-1911 (Anc=£) Very large collection vaguely sourced and will need corroboration. Mirrors Family Search?
Roots Ireland (IFHF) (Subscription required) Check sources pages very carefully for coverage - Roots Ireland - Sources by County (IFHF)
Ireland, Casey Collection Indexes, 1545-1960 (Anc=£) Good for Cos. Cork & Kerry. Colloquially known as O'Kief Coshe Mang
Ireland, Non-Conformist Births & Baptisms (FMP=£) Very limited - check coverage in the notes.
FINDMYPAST Irish Baptisms Collections (FMP=£) The full list of collections that they say include baptisms.
ANCESTRY Irish Baptisms Collections (Anc=£) Results from similar search of Ancestry card catalogue - mostly births but some odd small collections?
Reference Pages & Sites
"A Guide to Church Records" - PRONI Comprehensive catalogue of microfilms to view in Belfast including many dissenting congregations.
Records
Ireland, Births and Baptisms, 1620-1881 (Family Search) Faith not indicated.
Ireland, Select Births and Baptisms, 1620-1911 (Anc=£) Very large collection vaguely sourced and will need corroboration. Mirrors Family Search?
Roots Ireland (IFHF) (Subscription required) Check sources pages very carefully for coverage - Roots Ireland - Sources by County (IFHF)
Ireland, Casey Collection Indexes, 1545-1960 (Anc=£) Good for Cos. Cork & Kerry. Colloquially known as O'Kief Coshe Mang
Ireland, Non-Conformist Births & Baptisms (FMP=£) Very limited - check coverage in the notes.
FINDMYPAST Irish Baptisms Collections (FMP=£) The full list of collections that they say include baptisms.
ANCESTRY Irish Baptisms Collections (Anc=£) Results from similar search of Ancestry card catalogue - mostly births but some odd small collections?
Overseas Baptisms
Perhaps the Irish-related person you are seeking was baptised overseas e.g. siblings in emigrant families or children of soldiers serving overseas. Or you may be following an emigrant family forward seeking foreign born siblings or descendants.
Church records in major destinations for Irish emigrants need to be your hunting ground. Here are a few suggestions - not exhaustive.
India
Did your married ancestor serve in the Army or Civil Service in India and may have had children registered there?
Scotland
Scottish Church Registers (ScotlandsPeople=Pay-per-view) See my Scotland Records & Resources page.
Scotland Roman Catholic Parish Baptisms (FMP=£) c.1.2m records but absolutely no clue as to where they are sourced from?!
ANCESTRY (Anc=£) Baptisms Collections returned with keyword "baptism" - few odd inclusions?! Many of these are births collections but there do appear to quite a few church registers for various faiths that you might get lucky in.
Perhaps the Irish-related person you are seeking was baptised overseas e.g. siblings in emigrant families or children of soldiers serving overseas. Or you may be following an emigrant family forward seeking foreign born siblings or descendants.
Church records in major destinations for Irish emigrants need to be your hunting ground. Here are a few suggestions - not exhaustive.
India
Did your married ancestor serve in the Army or Civil Service in India and may have had children registered there?
- British India Office Births and Baptisms (FMP=£)
- India Births & Baptisms, 1786-1957 (FamilySearch) Same records free to search, but no images.
Scotland
Scottish Church Registers (ScotlandsPeople=Pay-per-view) See my Scotland Records & Resources page.
Scotland Roman Catholic Parish Baptisms (FMP=£) c.1.2m records but absolutely no clue as to where they are sourced from?!
ANCESTRY (Anc=£) Baptisms Collections returned with keyword "baptism" - few odd inclusions?! Many of these are births collections but there do appear to quite a few church registers for various faiths that you might get lucky in.
Long Shots!
These are exactly as titled - you are perhaps very unlikely to find the baptism you seek in these pages and databases, but you never know as there are plenty of baptisms listed in these sources.
"A Genealogical and Heraldic History of the Landed Gentry of Ireland" (Sir Bernard Burke & Arthur Charles Fox-Davies, 1912) Landed ancestors?
"Irish Landed Gentry" (John O'Hart, 1887) (e-book) Landed ancestors?
Ireland Genealogical Projects (IGP) You might find selected transcripts on the relevant county pages.
Index of Free Irish e-Books (Peter Clarke) You might find selected transcripts here - I've been lucky.
Kings Inn Admission Papers, 1607-1867 If your ancestor was trained in the legal profession, you might find biographical details in here.
These are exactly as titled - you are perhaps very unlikely to find the baptism you seek in these pages and databases, but you never know as there are plenty of baptisms listed in these sources.
"A Genealogical and Heraldic History of the Landed Gentry of Ireland" (Sir Bernard Burke & Arthur Charles Fox-Davies, 1912) Landed ancestors?
"Irish Landed Gentry" (John O'Hart, 1887) (e-book) Landed ancestors?
Ireland Genealogical Projects (IGP) You might find selected transcripts on the relevant county pages.
Index of Free Irish e-Books (Peter Clarke) You might find selected transcripts here - I've been lucky.
Kings Inn Admission Papers, 1607-1867 If your ancestor was trained in the legal profession, you might find biographical details in here.
(c) Irish Geneaography - 2022
