The Clock Is Still Going

If you wish to find out about a relative or ancestor who may have taken part in the Easter Rising, War of Independence and/or Civil War, here are some web sites to check (All free to use except where noted).

Military Service

• Military Archives Collections
• Military Archives Genealogy
• Witness Statements Index
• Witness Statements Search
• Military Pension Applications
• Medal Applications
• IRA Membership files
• Brigade Activity Reports
• War of Independence
• National Army Census 1922
• Military Archives blog article on The Destruction of the Custom House in the Military Pensions Collection
• Findmypast.ie (paying site with a 14-day free trial option)
  • British Military/Auxiliaries – Irish Operations, Search, Raid & Arrest reports
  • Court Martial files
  • Military Inquiry files (in place of Inquests into deaths)
  • Irish Jail Registers (to 1924)

Irish Newspaper archives One and Two (paying sites but free to use at your local Irish public library).

General Family History

• Historic Irish Birth, Marriage & Death records
• Historic Irish Censuses (1901 and 1911)
• Familysearch.org (free to use after registration)
• Findmypast.ie and ancestry.co.uk (paying sites with 14-day free trial options).

There are also many other online and offline resources not listed above. For example Burial Records for many Irish cemeteries are online and most are free to use.

We have focused on Irish records, mainly related to the Irish Volunteers, Cumann na mBan, Old IRA and National Army.

If you are seeking British military records, ancestry.co.uk or findmypast.ie may be good starting points. But there are many other sources online like Commonwealth War Graves, regimental histories and online forums.

For Irish police ancestors, findmypast.ie has good content covering the RIC, DMP and very early Garda Service Registers. A spreadsheet for the last two can be downloaded free here. There is also an excellent forum here (registration required).

And if you are interested in a more in-depth guide to Irish family history resources, then Claire Santry’s fantastic site is for you.

Best of luck with your research!

The Team