We are not primarily a genealogical archive, however, our collections often document people, property and places in Cork. To begin, we recommend doing a search of our online catalogue. The archives listed on our online catalogue, and collections pages, are mainly in hard copy and may be accessed, by prior appointment, in our research room. Please note that we are unable to undertake detailed genealogical research for the public, however we may provide a limited research service.
PLEASE NOTE: We do not hold birth, marriage, or death certificates: These are held by the General Register Office of Ireland, and older records are also freely searchable on www.irishgenealogy.ie
We have burial records ranging from the 1870s to the 1990s, from over 20 cemeteries in Cork city and county.
See the list of Cemetery/Burial Records held here. These are mainly in hard copy.
Burial records from a small number of these cemeteries are also available online in our digital archive.
For records that are not online, you may access our research room in order to view records in person. We also provide a (limited) research service.
These contain the names and addresses of those registered to vote. Access: Hard copy only by appointment. Registers more than 30 years old are open for general research.
Also held is a series of 4 election poll books plus 1 electors register for Youghal Borough, 1830-1837
Note: Cork City Library, Cork County Library and the National Archives of Ireland also hold some Cork electoral registers
See our collections pages for lists of hospital and home records held. Access: Hard copy only. Restrictions apply to personal records that are less than 100 years old.
See our collections pages for an outline of local authority archives held. These archives are in hard copy only and may be accessed in our research room by appointment.
From 1838, Ireland was divided up into poor law unions. Within each union was a workhouse where the poor and the destitute could be accommodated. There were 15 poor law unions in Cork city and county. Each union was run by a separate Board of Guardians, that each maintained a separate set of records. See the Boards of Guardians collections page for full lists of all records. For genealogical purposes, the most important documents are those recording inmates. These comprise indoor relief registers and related records, that record the name, address, occupation, age, sex, condition, date of admission, and date of discharge or death of inmates.
We hold extensive inmate and related records for the following poor law unions/workhouses in Cork:
A small amount of inmate and related records are also available here for the following poor law unions/ workhouses in Cork;
For the other poor law unions/workhouses in County Cork, it is mainly administrative records that survive, such as minute books recording the proceedings of meetings of the board of guardians of each union. These will give information on what was happening in the workhouse/poor law union, but they only occasionally contain personal information about inmates. These records often do record the names of officials and staff of the board/union.
Access: These archives are in hard copy only and may be accessed in our research room by appointment.
Local directories and almanacs contain names and addresses, occupations, and information on businesses, trades, and officials of governmental and public institutions and other organisations. The Archives collection of these spans the period 1821 to 1973 and contains several directories not available in Cork City Library. The directories are in hard copy and are available to view in our research room. See the Directories and Almanacs section of our collections pages.
Access: These archives are in hard copy only and may be accessed in our research room by appointment.
Property rate/tax valuation lists, of which the Griffith's/Primary Valuation was the first, record the names of occupiers and immediate lessors of property, extent of property, its valuation, and rates due. Valuation lists remained in use for several years, and changes, eg in ownership, were noted. Cork City lists are arranged by ward/electoral area. The main body of County valuation lists held consist of volumes for the years 1908 to c.1948, with one or more volumes for each electoral division within each rural district. Also held are valuation lists covering the years from c.1888 to 1897 arranged by barony, based on the old Cork baronies as per the earlier Primary Valuation (Griffith’s Valuation) in the 1850's.
Access: These archives are in hard copy only and may be accessed in our research room by appointment.
Civil birth marriage and death records, from 1864 (and from 1845 for non-Roman Catholic marriages) are held by the General Register Office of Ireland and on www.irishgenealogy.ie.
The Irish Archives Resource web site has lists of material available in archives across Ireland.
Published books, newspapers, directories and other sources are available in Cork City Library, local studies department, Grand Parade, Cork and Cork County Library, Model Farm Road, Cork. The Cork Past and Present website has much useful material online.
The National Archives of Ireland, Bishop Street, Dublin, has ‘Griffith’s Valuation’ c.1847-1864, the Tithe Applotment Books 1823 – 1837 and the 1901 and 1911 Census and also provides a genealogical advice service.
Many parish/church records for Cork are now available on the Irish Genealogy web site http://www.irishgenealogy.ie/ .
Catholic church records are also to be found with local parishes http://www.corkandross.org/ and http://www.cloynediocese.ie/ and also in the National Library of Ireland http://www.nli.ie/. For Church of Ireland (Anglican) parishes contact the Representative Church Body Library, Dublin. Regarding Presbyterian congregations in Cork contact the Presbyterian Historical Society, Church House, Belfast.
