Memorials & Genealogy Introduction

The church as a focus for community stories Local churches and graveyards provide an excellent record of the life of the local community over time. Both inside the church and outside in the graveyard the names and dates of birth and death of hundreds of local people are recorded.

Explore and record your local grave yard and church memorials Names are recorded all over the church and graveyard. You need to take down the full names and dates of birth and death of anyone you want to research. The most complete Census of Ireland available online date from 1901 and Try to find people who would have been alive at this time in order to find them on the Census.

Consider Do churches serve a wider function to the community at large? What do church records, memorials or graves tell us about the history of a community? Have family names changed over time? What does this tell us about the local community?

Task Explore the church and its grounds and find gravestones or memorials (often stained-glass windows are memorials to people and have their names in the glass at the bottom). Take down the details and photograph a number that you find interesting. See what you can find out about the people commemorated or, more generally, about what was happening in your town in the year mentioned (birth or death) using our ‘Discover More’ page. Prepare a poster that tells the story of your research.