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Question regarding GRO Research Facility

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  • 13-04-2015 5:48am
    #1
    rxan90
    Registered Users Posts: 62 ✭✭


    According to this website, any person can go into the office in Werburgh street and for 20 euro a day (or 2 euro if you only want specific years) "search" the indexes.

    What I want to know is, what do they mean by this? They say it's for births, marriages and deaths from 1864-1922 (Ireland as whole) and 1922 onwards for the ROI only. If I pay this fee of 20 euro, does this mean I can search the index in this building as long as I wish and it will include everything up to 2014? So, essentially what the Irish Genealogy website had available last July that was taken away? And I assume they have computers in there with this data? Has anyone been there and paid the 20 euro fee and what was the experience like?

    I ask because I am interested in filling in the blanks (dates) for more recent years than 100,75,50 years ago is the reason I am asking, and I completely missed the opportunity last July :(


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    #2
    pinkypinky
    Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 6,623 Mod ✭✭✭✭pinkypinky


    Hi Rxan90,

    Afaik, you can search without limit in the GRO up to 1995. You search through the physical books and there is one copy of each book for each year. They're on shelves and once you've paid, you just help yourself. NB: each book has to be searched by quarter alphabetically.

    However, Irish Genealogy has the civil indexes back online now, in their limited 100/75/50 format.

    Also: familysearch.org still has the complete indexes from 1845/1864 - 1958 (or 1921 in NI case).

    There are no computers available in the GRO to search either index online. In fact, I believe there's only one powerpoint, so if you're going with a computer, best have a fully charged battery.

    Genealogy Forum Mod



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    #3
    Thomas from Presence
    Registered Users Posts: 1,151 ✭✭✭Thomas from Presence


    The best way to get the worth out of a visit there is to have your homework done in advance. The facsimiles are the real reason to be there as the indexes are freely available on familysearch.org and are stuttering back to life on IrishGenealogy.ie

    A smartphone is highly useful due to the aforementioned IT and outlet deficiencies!


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    #4
    KildareFan
    Registered Users Posts: 683 ✭✭✭KildareFan


    The 'research' facility is a bit of a misnomer as the only source of data are the index books. You'd be better off finding the index details on Family search. Then all you have to do when you reach Werburgh st is to fill in the little white forms, tick the birth/marriage/death box, fill in the name of the person, the registration district, the quarter - if relevant, the year, the volume and page number. Hand over 4 euro [cash only - no cards] for every record you want, then wait until they call your name. You receive a photo copy of the register page with the details - hopefully you've got the right one as sometimes with common names you have to guess which record is the one you want.

    You can order 8 records per day; they'll email or post any additional records.

    I usually take home a fistful of the forms and fill them out as I research online.


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    #5
    KildareFan
    Registered Users Posts: 683 ✭✭✭KildareFan


    GRO has entered the twentieth century - they take cards now.


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    #6
    Waitsian
    Registered Users Posts: 1,708 ✭✭✭Waitsian


    KildareFan wrote: »
    GRO has entered the twentieth century - they take cards now.

    Wow, welcome to the modern age, wha?

    Is it still fax only to Roscommon? :rolleyes:


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    #7
    Waitsian
    Registered Users Posts: 1,708 ✭✭✭Waitsian


    KildareFan wrote: »
    I usually take home a fistful of the forms and fill them out as I research online.

    And I usually go home (inadvertently, I swear!) with one of their pencils - behind my ear. :o


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    #8
    pinkypinky
    Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 6,623 Mod ✭✭✭✭pinkypinky


    You can also post to Roscommon!

    Genealogy Forum Mod



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    #9
    Waitsian
    Registered Users Posts: 1,708 ✭✭✭Waitsian


    pinkypinky wrote: »
    You can also post to Roscommon!

    Is it on horseback? :D

    In all seriousness we all know the GRO in Dublin could improve their research facilities and Roscommon their online presence but let's not forget that historic BMDs will be going online (actual, real images) in the near future.

    It would help if Roscommon had e-mail order forms at least, and apart from the location and it's exterior I kinda like the Werburgh St space. It's clean, comfortable and I've always been treated well by staff.


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