Ireland Research Guidance: Marriage 1619-1863

Ireland Ireland Research Guidance

Search Strategy
Search the following records in the order given.

1. Church Records: Church records
Church records are the christenings or baptisms, marriages, and burials recorded in registers by church officials at the time of an event. Marriage records usually give the names of the bride and groom and the date and place of marriage. Sometimes the occupation of the groom, residences, or names of witnesses are included.

Before searching church records, it is vital to know the religion of your ancestors. Read more about Ireland Church Records.

2. Marriage Certificate: Civil registration
Civil registration is the government registration of births, marriages, and deaths. In these records you may find the names of the bride and groom, their ages, marital status, residences, occupations, their fathers' names and occupations, marriage date and place, and names of witnesses. Protestant marriages were recorded from 1 January 1845. All marriages were recorded from 1 January 1864. Civil registration marriage records cover most of the population and are indexed countrywide. Use the national index to identify and obtain a copy of a marriage certificate.

3. Marriage Bonds and Allegations: Church records
Marriage bonds and allegations were records created for licensed marriages. A license was issued by the Bishop of the Church of Ireland diocese in which a couple lived. In order to be granted a license, a couple was required to make an allegation of intent to be married and post a bond insuring that all information given was valid. In these records you may find the names of the bride and groom, date of allegation or bond, residences, intended place of marriage, and names of bondsmen. A father may be named if the bride or groom was a minor. The existance of a marriage bond or allegation is no guarentee that a marriage took place. Most allegations, bonds, and licenses have been destroyed. However, some abstracts and indexes for various dioceses exist.

4. Census: Census
A census is a count and description of the population. Government census records are especially valuable because they list the majority of the population and are available at many repositories. In these records you may find names of the members of a household, gender, and each person's religion, marital status, relationship to the head of the household, age, address, occupation, and county of birth. Though many Irish census records have been destroyed, those that survive can provide clues that may lead you to other records.

5. Census Substitutes: Census
Census substitutes are lists of individuals in a specific place at a given time. Various lists have been compiled by church and civil authorities to determine such things as the religious makeup of the population, an assessment of military readiness, the number and identity of eligible voters, or those persons receiving charity from the church or government. Due to the loss of many government census records, census substitutes are especially valuable.

6. Death Certificate: Civil registration
Civil registration is the government registration of births, marriages, and deaths. In these records you may find the name and residence of the deceased, sex, death date, cause of death, and the name of the informant. Civil registration death records cover most of the population and are indexed countrywide. Use the national index to identify and obtain a copy of a death certificate. © 1999-2001 by Intellectual Reserve, Inc. All rights reserved. English approval: 3/1999 Use of this site constitutes your acceptance of these Conditions of Use (last updated: 3/22/1999). Privacy Policy (last updated: 10/12/2001). http://www.familysearch.org