Researching your ancestors from Great Britain and Ireland

A guide to researching your ancestors in England, Wales, Scotland, Ireland, the Isle of Man and the Channel Islands, using resources at State Library Victoria.

Ireland

The civil registration of non Catholic marriages began on April 1, 1845. Registration of all other marriages and all births and deaths began on January 1, 1864. All births, marriages and deaths were registered with district registrars and each registration district was set up within the boundaries of the existing Poor Law Unions.

Irish birth, death and marriage registers and indexes dating up to 1921 are housed in the General Register Office research room in Dublin. From 1922 onwards the records for the Republic of Ireland are housed in the General Register Office, whilst records for Northern Ireland are held at the General Register Office of Northern Ireland (GRONI) in Belfast.

Access from home

Access in the Library

Ordering certificates

Order certificates for the Republic of Ireland from the General Register Office - the central civil repository for Ireland. Order certificates for Northern Ireland from the General Register Office of Northern Ireland (GRONI).

Information on what you can expect to find on the birth, death and marriage certificates can be found on this page of the Irish Genealogical Research Society website.