Tracing your Irish family history can be a daunting task. The following video contains tips and trick on how to make the most of the 1901 and 1911 Census of Ireland.

Although the regular census for Ireland began in 1821, a series of events which involved both voluntary and accidental destruction mean that only fragments of the pre-1901 census exist. This makes it far more difficult to trace Irish families in the 19th century than their English or American counterparts.

This is part of a series exploring free online historical and genealogical resources.

Intro animation by Sean Wrenn and Intro image by Bryan O’Brien

Websites mentioned in the video are:

You can read the extracts of the 1821 to 1911 census at Enhanced British Parlemtary Papers on Ireland. This gives an overview of the population by county in relation a number of criteria such as age, marital status and religion.

 Others in this series include:

For Limerick specific research you can check out this page of links to Limerick Resources. You can also check out the following page on Local History Groups which might be able to help you find out more about not only where and when your family lived but what life was like in their community.