People seem to think that Irish genealogy is impossible, or that all of the records were burned during the civil war. While it's true that there are almost no census records available from before 1911, land records provide a valuable census substitute that can help you flesh out the bones of your Irish family tree. Chris Paton guides the reader through Irish land records (and the history behind them) in a way that is easy to understand and with clear advice on how to start practically using these records and building your Irish family tree.

This guide for genealogists provides extensive guidance on tracking Irish ancestors through land records. The author includes information on the history of Ireland and especially those historical events impacting property holdings from 1520-to 2011. Every aspect of land ownership and records is addressed. The book lists resources including digitized records, libraries, Internet sites, and archives. Holdings are provided for these collections, with web addresses and hours of operation given. The author also discusses the difficulty in locating specific records and gives suggestions for moving forward in a search.

Fantastic resource for anyone chasing their Irish family history! Highly recommend to all genealogist, new and old!

Talk about information overload! I just recently found out I have family from Ireland so this book was the perfect jumping off point for me. I’m so excited to see what I can find out. There was much more than just reference links. I was fascinated by the history included. Wonderful, helpful book!

This book goes through the process of finding your family through land records. With so many records lost or damaged over the years you can come to a dead end quite quickly. This book does exactly what it claims. Easy to follow and refer back to when needed. Find all your resources in one place. And ideal guidance for genealogy and social history. Thank you #NetGalley for the book to review.

This straightforward account offers suggestions for genealogists and historians to assist in tracking ancestors through the use of land records in Ireland. It includes links to further investigation as well as practical tips for research. Starting with an examination of the history of the Emerald Isle, the book covers the types of resources that will help in genealogical pursuits. This includes examining the breakdown of the Irish towns, parishes and baronies. Then it proceeds to cover the information that can be found in the census records and the Valuation Surveys. These include indenture status, rental records, inheritance laws and deeds. Other recommended sources include the Land Registry of 1892, town atlases and parish histories.

This book should be an important source for those interested in pursuing their Irish ancestors. The information will make exploring people through land documents easier and will highlight the nuances of the Irish records that are unique to the country. Included at the end is a list of recommended further reading that is also helpful.

An Informative look and researching your Irish roots. Very detailed on using land records to fill in gaps from other missing records. This book is geared towards a niche group of people, genealogist, historians and those wanting to find out more about their Irish Ancestors.

Really good reference book. Lots of links to sites and explanations of how records work in Ireland.

Thank you to Chris Paton and Pen & Sword for my ARC of “Tracing Your Irish Ancestors Through Land Records: A Guide for Family Historians” in exchange for my honest review.

As someone with Irish roots and a keen interest in genealogy, I absolutely wanted to read this book. I have spent years doing genealogical research and a gap I have is from the Irish side of the family. While they immigrated to the US in 1900, I have been unable to find many records of them in Ireland. However, a large part of this is because much of the national registers were destroyed during the Irish Civil War and a fire that engulfed many of the records in 1922.

Paton’s book is a great guide on not only the how and whys the records of Ireland were and are recorded and preserved the way they are but also how to find and navigate different types of records, like tithe, land, birth, etc. It is quite informative and Paton includes a lot of links and screenshots of the website they discuss.

However, my only possible hesitation with this is that websites are constantly updated, links are changed, websites may no longer exist. Paton has obviously put in a lot of work into cultivating these resources but with URLs and webpages, they are always in flux and not static like print books and records are.

I received an advance copy of, Tracing Your Irish Ancestors through land Records, by Chris Paton. This is a great guide on how to start or continue your journey with finding your Irish Ancestors. I can not wait to get started.

What a wonderful, well-researched resource for anyone wanting to trace your Irish roots! Chris Paton’s Tracing Your Irish Ancestors Through Land Records is a wealth of information all in one place! A book I will return to again and again to help me on my journey to find my Irish ancestors!