I occasionally use Internet databases in my research. No really. One of the best is offered by the IFHF. For years researchers have wanted and now they have the capability of searching for Irish parish records of births, marriages, and deaths, across an entire county and across all of Ireland.
I have had two successes using this database. I found the baptism of my ancestor Abigail Cody in Lisgoold, Cork County in 1821. I also found Michael's ancestor, Bridget Cashin in 1841 in Rosbercon, County Kilkenny. I have also spent some money needlessly using this database, for indeed, it is a paid database. I just consider that amount a donation to the organization. However, I had to look for several Thomas Stacks in Cork (the husband of Abigail Cody) and never found the right one.
Pros: Searchable across counties. You register for free and can see the following information for free: the type of record, surname, given name, and year of the event. At that point you must pay 5 Euros (or slightly less the more credits you purchase) to see the actual record which will give parents, the exact date, and place. And 5 Euros is much cheaper than an airplane ticket to Ireland.
Cons: Not all counties are online (or in the case of Cork, only half is). Not all parishes are in yet either. And you do have to fly blind in viewing records. This is particularly bothersome when you have a common name to research. I couldn't see the parents of Thomas Stack (which I know from his death certificate) in order to choose wisely among the 20+ Thomas Stacks baptized around 1819-1821.
I'm sure more records will be added in the upcoming years and this resource will be a great boon to anyone searching for Irish forebears.
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