My ancestors are Eugene Eoin Timothy Sullivan (1804-1875) and Alice Fitzmaurice Fitzgerald (1802-1876), both of whom died in Behaghane in Caherdaniel. Most of their children emigrated to Connecticut in the United States, although there may be descendants still in Kerry of their two children who did not leave Ireland. Their oldest daughter was Barbara (Babs) Sullivan O'Connell, who apparently remained in Caherdaniel. I am traveling to Ireland in a few weeks, and am hoping to better trace my Caherdaniel ancestors in the brief time I'll have to visit there. Any suggestions on where to start?
Thursday 25th Apr 2013, 11:16PM
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Hi Dorie,
Thank you very much for your message. I am very sorry for the delay in responding to you..I hope that it is not too late and that you are still in Ireland.
Here are some places where you can get started with your research:
Church Records
Civil registration did not become mandatory in Ireland until 1864 so prior to this all births, deaths and marriages were recorded by the local parish church.
A useful website when it comes to Catholic records is the Irish Times as they give an overview of what records are available in specific parishes. For Caherdaniel parish follow this link:
An even more useful website is http://churchrecords.irishgenealogy.ie/churchrecords/ , here you can search church records from Co. Kerry online and for free, so you should eb able to find some records relating to the Sullivans.
Most surviving Church of Ireland records are still held by the local clergy, although some are in the National Archives of Ireland and others are in the Representative Church Body Library in Dublin. Here are their websites: http://www.nationalarchives.ie/ and http://ireland.anglican.org/about/42
Lists of these surviving registers can also be found at the National Library of Ireland.
Land Records
You could also check for record of the family in the land records pertaining to Ireland in the 19th century. There are two:
The Tithe Applotment Books (1823-1838) found at http://titheapplotmentbooks.nationalarchives.ie/search/tab/home.jsp
and Griffith?s Valuation (1848-1864) found at http://www.askaboutireland.ie/griffith-valuation/
Civil Records:
Civil registration began in Ireland in 1864 so any births, deaths or marriages in the family after this date would be recorded in these records. Civil records are available from the General Register?s Office in Dublin. Here is their website:
http://www.groireland.ie/research.htm
You can search the indexes to these records online at:
https://familysearch.org/search/collection/1408347
Census Records
The 1901/1911 census records are available online. These give lots of useful information. http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/search/
Some other websites that you may find useful are:
The National Archives of Ireland http://www.nationalarchives.ie/genealogy1/genealogy-records/introduction/
The National Library of Ireland http://www.nli.ie/en/family-history-introduction.aspx
The US National Archives: http://www.archives.gov/
Genealogy Links: http://www.genealogylinks.net/uk/ireland/kerry/index.html
Family Search: www.familysearch.org
You could also try contacting the Local Studies Department of Kerry Co. Library in Tralee for some additional assistance or advice. Here is their webpage:
http://www.kerrylibrary.ie/local.asp
I hope that this is helpful. Please be patient - as our programme has only begun to rollout across the island of Ireland and volunteers in some areas may not yet be organized.
Kind regards,
Genealogy Support
Tuesday 4th Jun 2013, 11:29AM