Birth certificate, Connemara

[JacquiA]

I want to make the first move towards buying my first Irish birth certificate but dont know where to start!!!
I belive my grandmother was born in Connemara (hope ive spelt it correctly). I have her full name, fathers name and I think I have her mothers name. I just dont have her birth date. I know from her marriage certificate the year, would that be enough? Luckily for me my grandparents married in England so that was easy for me here in sunny Manchester! Where is the best place to apply and how much will it cost.
Also my grandfather was born in Galway but I have just a fathers name and a month and year of birth. HELP!

Look forward to some advice.

Jacqui

[Sandra]

Jacqui, you can search through the Irish registers of births, marriages and deaths at an LDS Family History Centre. These registers date from about 1864 which will probably cover the dates you are looking for. I see you are in Manchester and I use the FHC situated at the Mormon Church, Patterdale Road, Ashton-U-Lyne. I know they have these registers as I have used them many times. There is no charge for this service. It is similar to searching the records for England and Wales. You would need to telephone the FHC to make an appointment, the number is 0161 330 3453. They have morning, afternoon and evening sessions. If you are not in this area you might be able to find a more local Mormon FHC by searching at <www.familysearch.org> While on this website try searching for your relatives from Ireland, there are some Irish records on there. Once you have the year, quarter, volume and page number you can then apply for the certificate. I've tried Googling for the register office local to the area you are researching but a quick look hasn't found it nor can I find it on the Genuki website so if you don't find the address you will need to apply to the General Register Office in Rosscommon, the details being on their website. At the GRO you have the choice of a full certificate or a photocopy of the entry in the register, the latter being much cheaper and usually quicker. The details on both are the same but the certificate is prettier of course although on a photocopy you have a copy of what is in the register which I prefer. Payment is of course in Euros and you would need to find the best method for you to send payment. You can download the appropriate form from the GRO website.

The service from the GRO in Ireland has in the past sometimes been very slow but recent applications have been extremely quick, faster than for some English ones so this is a huge and welcome improvement.

Good luck

[JacquiA]

Thank you Sandra for replying. The information you gave was very interesting. Ashton -Under-Lyne isnt more than half an hour away from where I live and my husband knows it quite well, so visiting shouldnt be a problem. I didnt realise they held so many BMDs!
If I was to apply to the Irish GRO do they need the exact birthdate. We are a little unsure of the actual date, we think its 11th March 1909 but arnt too sure. Would they do a small search or do you have to be exact?
Also, do you know how, from this side of the water,to access the 1901 1911 census. I have done a lot of work on my English ancestors with a lot of luck, but doing the Irish side is very daunting, I have so many unanswered questions.
Sorry to ask so many questions but you seem far more knowledgeable than I.

Thank you once again

Jacqui.

[Sandra]

Jacqui, the GRO will just need the year, quarter, volume and page numbers. All this you would hopefully find in the register at the FHC.

As for the censuses, they are available to order in at the same FHC. These I have also searched there. As you can imagine the censuses run to many films and to order in the complete census would be very expensive but a small section, narrowed down and identified from the address on the birth/marriage/death certificate (hopefully the family didn't stray too far) would only cost between two to four pounds per film depending on how long you rented them for. The staff at the FHC are very helpful and would help you to identify the film(s) you need from their catalogue. It can be a bit complicated so arm yourself with the certificate first which usually shows the district where the birth was registered. You can order films for a period of one month or three months and they are kept at the FHC during that time for you to search on their readers. How long you need the film(s) for will depend on how often you can get to the FHC to search. A member of staff would telephone you when the film has arrived but you may need to be patient as the time between ordering and receiving can vary depending on how many other people want or are currently using the films you require.

It's well worth mentioning that you can search the catalogue yourself on the family search website I mentioned in my previous message but again you would need an address to identify the district and therefore the film.

Sandra

[JacquiA]

Sandra,
thank you once again for the information, it will be really useful to be able to access the census from close to home. I cant wait to get started.
I have managed to download an application form for my grandmothers birth certificate (violet O'Sullivan) and will be faxing it off ASAP. My uncle seems to think he has my grandfathers cert somewhere in his garage!!!!( Arthur Ryan) It looks like my life is going to be taken over by my Irish research again!

Hopefully I will be successful.
If you have anymore tips I would be very grateful. My grandparents were from county Galway,so far Oughterard, Connemara and Galway itself.

Thanks again

Jacqui.