Ireland, Select Catholic Confirmation Registers, 1775-1923

This collection includes Catholic confirmation registers from 12 parishes in Ireland, with dates ranging from 1775 to 1923 (noninclusive; coverage will vary by parish). Children were typically confirmed after age 12, and records can include:

• name of the person being confirmed
• date, name of clergy, and location of confirmation
• parents’ names
• age
• residence

Although the Church of Ireland was the established state church from 1536 to 1870, Ireland’s population remained overwhelmingly Roman Catholic. According to the 1861 census, almost 78 percent of the population was Catholic; by 1891, this had risen to 89 percent. This fact makes Catholic parish registers, where available, particularly valuable sources for Irish family history, both before and after civil registration began in 1864.

Registers from the following parishes are included in this collection:

• Ballina (Kilmoremoy)
• Ballinakill
• Ballon and Rathoe
• Baltinglass
• Canice's (Finglas and St Margaret)
• Castleconnor
• Easkey
• Killala
• Moneymore
• Mountrath
• Rathvilly
• Tourlestrane (Kilmactigue)

See our Latin glossary for help with some terms found in these records.