Irish lore and genealogy were primarily passed down verbally through song and poetry. With the 5th century arrival of Christianity (i.e., priests and monks who were literate), written records began. Then, the destruction of the written words started.
The Vikings did their best to sack and destroy the Irish monasteries, with the loss of many precious documents. The Viking’s depredations were followed by repeated English invasions and ongoing internecine war. Yet, the various tribes of Ireland kept “books” about their region, their kings, and their religious leaders. We had the Book of Leinster, the Book of Antrim, etc., ancient manuscripts, some of which have survived to this day in various museums and archives.
English warring and the subsequent “plantations” sought to convert Ireland into an English colony, displacing the natives. The land was surveyed and allotted to English nobility (folks who hung out at the Royal court), soldiers and merchant organizations. England generously endowed Ireland with the English church, the Church of Ireland. The Church of Ireland began recording births, deaths, and marriages. In many of the large gentry holdings across the land, landlords kept records of their tenants, their holdings, and rents due. And, in 1821, the country introduced the census. So, we had even more written records.
Unfortunately, the Irish Civil War of 1922 resulted in the sad destruction of most of the records centrally held in Dublin. Researchers have turned to other sources of data. In 1823, the Church of Ireland introduced an “Allotment Survey” to establish a taxation system to support the church. The Griffith Valuation of 1847 to 1864 mapped the entire island to create a basis for property taxation. These surviving archives have proven extremely helpful to genealogists where census records do not exist.
Now, Irish dog license records from the 1800’s have surfaced providing yet another tool for researchers. Who knew? We now have online access to these records which provide the name of the owner, typically, the head of the household, their location, the breed of their dog (or dogs), and even the dog’s sex. How cool! You can now add yet another dimension to the view of your ancestor’s life. And we can also see their neighbors and friends nearby.
These records are now available online through Ancestry, Findmypast or Irishcentral.com.
Ron Gilmore
Email: rvg3@me.com
Website: https://www.rgenealogy.ca