Ireland: civil registration districts

In Ireland, civil registration districts were created shortly after Poor Law Unions and followed the same boundaries. Each had a market town at its centre and they were of varying size, depending on the level of population in the town's natural catchment area.

King's Inn, Dublin, the old General Register Office

Crucially for Irish genealogy research, these Poor Law Unions and registration districts do not necessarily obey the county or parish lines by which other records are arranged. For example, in the Republic of Ireland, the civil registration district of Shillelagh is centred on the Wicklow village of that name but includes rural areas in both co. Carlow and co. Wexford.

The list below, created from information supplied by the General Register Office's Research Room in Dublin, covers both Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.

Civil registration offices, the National Archives and National Library hold lists of all townlands in each district. Working in the other direction, where you have a townland but not the name of the local register district, you should consult the Alphabetical Index to the Towns, Townlands and Parishes of Ireland (which is held in the National Archives, National Library and in major libraries around the world) to find the name of the relevant PLU or registration district.

Alphabetical by counties of Ireland: civil registration districts (wholly or partially within the county).

Antrim

Antrim, Ballycastle, Ballymena, Ballymoney, Belfast, Coleraine, Larne, Lisburn, Lurgan.

Armagh

Armagh, Banbridge, Castleblaney, Dundalk, Lurgan, Newry.

Carlow

Baltinglass, Carlow, Enniscorthy, New Ross, Shillelagh.

Cavan

Bailieborough, Bawnboy, Cavan, Cootehill, Enniskillen, Granard, Irvinestown, Kells, Lisnaskea, Oldcastle.

Clare

Ballyvaughan, Corrofin, Ennis, Ennistimon, Killadysert, Kilrush, Scarriff, Tulla, Limerick.

Cork

Bandon, Bantry, Castletown, Clonakilty, Cork, Dunmanway, Fermoy, Kanturk, Kilmallock, Kinsale, Macroom, Mallow, Middletown, Millstreet, Mitchelstown, Skibbereen, Skull, Youghal.

Derry

Ballymoney, Coleraine, Derry (Londonderry), Limavady, Magherafelt, Newtown.

Donegal

Ballyshannon, Derry (Londonderry), Donegal, Dunfanaghy, Glenties, Inishowen, Letterkenny, Milford, Strabane, Stranolar.

Down

Banbridge, Belfast, Downpatrick, Kilkeel, Lisburn, Lurgan, Newry, Newtownards.

Dublin

Balrothery, Celbridge, Dublin North, Dublin South, Dunshaughlin, Rathdown.

Fermanagh

Ballyshannon, Clones, Enniskillen, Irvinestown, Lisnaskea.

Galway

Ballinasloe, Ballinrobe, Clifden, Galway, Glenamaddy, Gort, Loughrea, Mountbellew, Oughterard, Portunna, Roscommon, Scarriff, Tuam.

Kerry

Cahirsiveen, Dingle, Glin (dissolved after 1892 and split between Listowel and Rathkeale in co. Limerick), Kenmare, Killarney, Listowel, Tralee.

Kildare

Athy, Baltinglass, Celbridge, Edenderry, Naas.

Kilkenny

Callan, Carrick-on-Suir, Castlecomer, Kilkenny, New Ross, Thomastown, Urlingford, Waterford.

King’s, see Offaly

Laois (Queen’s)

Abbeyleix, Athy, Carlow, Donnaghmore (dissolved after 1887 and split between Roscrea and Urlingford), Mountmellick, Roscrea, Urlingford.

Leitrim

Ballyshannon, Bawnboy, Boyle, Carrick-on-Shannon, Castlerea, Manor Hamilton, Mohill, Roscommon, Strokestown.

Limerick

Croom, Glin ((dissolved after 1892 and split between Listowel and Rathkeale), Kilmallock, Listowel, Mitchelstown, Newcastle, Rathkeale, Tipperary.

Londonderry, see Derry

Longford

Ballymahon, Granard, Longford.

Louth

Ardee, Drogheda, Dundalk.

Mayo

Ballina, Ballinrobe, Belmullet, Castlebar, Castlereagh, Claremorris, Killala, Newport (included in Westport after 1886), Swineford, Westport.

Meath

Ardee, Celbridge, Drogheda, Dunshaughlin, Edenderry, Kells, Navan, Oldcastle, Trim.

Monaghan

Carrickmacross, Castleblayney, Clogher, Clones, Cootehill, Dundalk, Monaghan.

Offaly (King’s)

Edenderry, Mountmellick, Parsonstown (Birr), Roscrea, Tullamore.

Queen’s, see Laois

Roscommon

Athlone, Ballinasloe, Boyle, Carrick-on-Shannon, Castlereagh, Roscommon, Strokestown.

Sligo

Ballina, Boyle, Dromore West, Sligo, Tobercurry.

Tipperary

Borrisokane, Callan, Carrick-on-Suir, Cashel, Clogheen, Clonmel, Nenagh, Parsonstown, Roscrea, Thurles, Tipperary, Urlingford.

Tyrone

Armagh, Castlederg, Clogher, Cookstown, Dungannon, Enniskillen, Gortin (dissolved after 1899 and split between Omagh and Strabane), Irvinestown, Omagh, Strabane.

Waterford

Carrick-on-Suir, Clonmel, Dungarvan, Kilmacthomas, Lismore, Waterford, Youghal.

Westmeath

Athlone, Ballymahon, Castletown, Delvin, Granard, Mullingar, Tullamore.

Wexford

Enniscorthy, Gorey, New Ross, Shillelagh, Wexford.

Wicklow

Baltinglass, Naas, Rathdown, Rathdrum, Shillelagh.

Where next?

• It's helpful to be aware of some of the other administrative divisions of Irish land and how these impact your search for Irish ancestors.

• Discover more about the all-Ireland civil registration system and the value of the records it created. (Coming soon)

• Don't know the townland where your ancestors lived? Some strategies to further your Irish ancestry quest.

Return to Irish Genealogy Toolkit Home page.