Anyone with experience researching Irish relatives in Dublin

DH and I are planning a short trip to Dublin for St Patricks Day -- Sat - Weds.  I would like to do some genealogical research at the Ireland National Archives and General Registers Office on the Monday I am there.   I do have a specific set of family members I am trying research in advance of a longer trip in May.

Has anyone done genealogical research at either of these two facilities and can offer advice?  I know exactly what I am looking for (confirm parents of my great-grandfather, if I'm lucky also confirm their parents and where they hail from, and location of my great-grandfather's family in the 1901 and 1911 census records.)  As they protestants in Northern Ireland I understand that marriage, death, and birth records from 1847ish through 1922 should give me the basic info I'm looking for. Not planning on going too much farther back than that.

I will ask my DF for advice and get back to you. He did this type of research (in Ireland) for his PhD and can hopefully give you advice. The one thing that did jump out at me though, I know that the Tuesday is the bank holiday, but you may just want to make sure it is open on Monday before you plan on going there.

Hi,

I am Bmore's fiance. You would be better to start with the National Library. They have a genealogical advisory service http://www.nli.ie/en/family-history-introduction.aspx

It would help them alot if you know any address associated with your family. If you know the County, Civil Parish and Townland that would be ideal, that way they can use land valuations and possibly estate records to get the information you need. Where in Ulster do your family come from? The Public Records Office in Northern Ireland might have more information. The National Library in Dublin is the most poorly resourced library in Europe but they do a god job with little or no resources.

Also bear in mind it will be closed on 17 March and if you can I would make an appointment. Try and give as much information as you can before the appointment and be explicit about what information might be of interest to you.

Some of the 1911 census is available online http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/

If you can have an address estate records might provide alot of additional information on your family.
Hope this helps.

Don't forget that a lot of records were destroyed when the Public Records Office burned down in 1922. 

Thanks for the suggestions.  My great-grandfather was born in and his parents lived in Rathwarren, a townland near Fintona in County Tyrone, Donacavey parish, Northern Ireland.  He emigrated to the US in 1909 and his WWI draft registration card (before he got married) records his father's name and the description of where they live.  Since they were protestants and they were likely married around 1878 I understand that at the very least his birth and likely his parents' marriage records would be available at the research office of the General Registry Office in Dublin.  His parent's marriage records should (hopefully) record the parents and their places of birth for the bride and groom, which I suspect for various reasons may not be Ireland.

Unfortunately the 1911 census isn't yet online for Tyrone.  I do want to check them to confirm the exact location (where possible) of the family home so that I can bring my grandmother to the area in May (her family heritage).  That was the main reason for my visit to the Archives in Dublin.

Oh, you don't have to go through Dublin at all if its Co. Tyrone.  Go to the Public Records Office of Northern Ireland (PRONI) in Belfast.  www.proni.gov.uk  They are much more likely to have the records than Dublin.  You can send them the details you have for your ancestors and they will do a search.  It costs £12 to get a copy of a birth certificate.  I requested both my grandparents and they did find my grandmother but not grandfather (we had sketchier info on him)

We're in Dublin for a long St Patrick's day weekend trip, which is why I'm focusing on the Dublin-based materials available.

I know, but maybe if you could get the info from Belfast first it could be of some help in Dublin.  I think they were pretty speedy.

A colleague who is very into her Irish genealogy is planning a trip to Dublin in July -- she goes at least once a year.  She says she's planning on spending at least 3 days in the records office.  She gives her husband a list of names to look up and she has another list.  So it can become pretty addictive.