Free Irish Records on FindMyPast

FindMyPast is one of the best online resources for British and Irish records. You need a subscription to access its collections but they do make a few records available for free.

One free collection is Ireland Roman Catholic Parish Baptisms. Create a free account with FindMyPast and you can search and view these Baptismal records without a subscription.

These records will tell you birth and baptism dates, parents' names, and information on the Parish and Diocese. Note that the records are written in Latin but FindMyPast gives you a handy guide Latin phrases.

This collection is made available from the National Library of Ireland. Most of the records date from the 1850s onward but you may find a few older records as well. 

For more free(ish) online Irish genealogy, try IrishGenealogy.ie, RootsIreland, and the National Archives of Ireland.

Comparing the 'Big 4'

Ancestry, FamilySearch, findmypast, and MyHeritage are currently the four biggest genealogy databases available. Which one(s) should you be using? Are they worth purchasing a subscription?

At this year's RootTech, Sunny Morton compared the "Big 4" to help users understand which databases best fit their research needs. You can watch her discussion here.

Ms. Morton says that when choosing a database, you need to consider what you need right now. Remember that no one website will have what you need all of the time.

The biggest question you probably have is: Which site holds the historical records I want? Here is a brief overview of the databases:

Ancestry.com

• 80 countries -- particularly: USA, Canada, Germany, France, Italy, Australia, Mexico, and the UK

FamilySearch

• 96 countries -- strong global outreach with a unique collection of Central & South American, African, and Asian records

findmypast

• 7 countries -- focus is on UK and Irish records as well as US, Australia, and New Zealand

MyHeritage

• Claims to cover 'all' countries -- primarily Europe and global Jewish collections

For more information, watch Sunny Morton's informational presentation.