This list of primary resources and databases does not purport to be an exhaustive listing, but aims to provide a starting point for those who are not familiar with some of the more commonly used on-line local historical resources for the nine counties of Ulster. Please feel free to contact us if you wish to suggest additions to this listing.
Placenames and early history
- Placenames Northern Ireland
- Placenames Database of Ireland
- Northern Ireland sites and monuments record
- Archaeological Survey of Ireland
Maps and Surveys
- Barony maps of the Escheated Counties of Ireland. c.1602
- Phillips’ surveys and maps
- Civil Survey
- Down Survey Maps
- Books of Survey and Distribution
- Taylor and Skinner Maps
- Grand Jury Maps
- Lewis Maps of Ireland 1837
- Ordnance Survey maps NI
- Ordnance Survey maps Ireland
- Ordnance Survey Town Plans Ireland
Land and Property
- Registry of Deeds Ireland
- Irish deeds index This is an index in course of preparation by volunteers, updated frequently.
- Freeholders Records NI
- Tithe Records NI Downloadable books are attached to the relevant catalogue entry at FIN/5
- Tithe Records Ireland
- Valuation Office Field Books 1824-1856
- Griffith’s Valuation
- Valuation Revision Books NI
- The Gazette Official Public Record
- Landed estates database This deals with estates in Connacht and Munster, but some of these landlords also had estates in Ulster.
- Pre 1858 will indexes NI
- Abstracts of Pre 1858 wills
- Calendars of wills and administrations 1858-1922
- Will Calendars PRONI 1858 – 1968 – early wills attached
Population and Migration
- Bill Macafee website A treasure trove of databases on North Antrim and County Londonderry
- A Census of Ireland 1659 S. Pender (Ed)
- Census reports 1821-1911 for Ireland, and up to 2011 for Northern Ireland.
- Census Reports 1926 onwards for Republic of Ireland
- Census of Ireland 1901, and 1911 with earlier fragments
- Births, deaths and marriages Official registrations for the island of Ireland up to 1921. Later records for the Republic of Ireland subject to legal restrictions.
- General Register Office of Northern Ireland has official BMD registrations for Northern Ireland from date of compulsory registration to recent times, subject to the usual legal restrictions. (pay site)
- Irish Boundary Commission Papers carry population information for many of the border counties in the early 1920s
- Irish Emigration database
- Penal transportation records: Ireland to Australia, 1788–1868
- Librariesni website has additional listings for out of Ireland sites.
Education and Occupations
- Parliamentary Reports (Education)
- National School Grant Aid Applications (PRONI)– are attached to the relevant catalogue entry at ED/1
- Lennon-Wylie Street Directories
- PRONI Street Directories
Politics and Events
- 1641 depositions
- Enhanced British Parliamentary Papers on Ireland
- Hansard UK
- Ulster Covenant 1912
- British Army, Navy and Air Force records
- Military Archives of Ireland
- Irish Boundary Commission Papers
Government and Legal
- Irish Petty sessions records (not Northern Ireland) on Findmypast (pay site)-
- Irish Prison Registers 1790-1924 on Findmypast (pay site)
- King’s Inns Admissions papers 1607-1867
- The Gazette
- Dublin Gazette
- Donegal District Councils and Board of Guardians (part)
Photographic, Film and Sound Archives
- National Museums NI
- Public Record Office NI Flickr
- Armagh County Museum Flickr
- Linenhall Library postcard collection
- National Library of Ireland
- Historical Picture Archive
- Northern Ireland Screen Digital Archive
- BBC Rewind – A Portal to the Past
- BBC Archives – General
- RTE Archives
Newspapers
- British Newspaper Archive A huge growing archive with newspapers which includes a large number of Irish newspapers. (Pay site ).
- Irish News Archives (pay site)
- Newspapers.com Mainly American newspapers. (pay site)
- Chronicling America Free access to a limited number of American newspapers
- Trove Free access to Australian newspapers, which often contain news items from Ireland
- Papers Past Free access to New Zealand Newspapers
Also
- Keep up to date with new on-line family and local history materials with Claire Santry’s blog
- Follow the social media pages of the various repositories to keep up to date with their offerings
- Libraries NI has also posted a comprehensive listing of local and genealogical websites for Northern Ireland.
- Irish Geneaography has numerous links related to Ireland
- Findmypast records listing for Ireland (free access to listing)
- Ancestry.com Listing for Ireland (free access to listing)
- County genealogical sites also contain much material of value to local historians.
- Beyond2022 is a major new project aiming to recreate a virtual reconstruction of the Public Record Office of Ireland which was destroyed on 30 June 1922. It is working to recover as much as possible of what was destroyed, from copies, transcripts and other records from a number of partners around the world. Officially scheduled to launch on the 100th anniversary of its destruction, some items are already beginning to appear there.