Genealogy in Galway
The Galway, a county of Ireland, in Connaught bounded W by the Atlantic, N by Mayo and Roscommon, E by Roscommon, King’s county, and Tipperary, and S by Clare and Galway (Hotels, Galway, Ireland) bay; it contains 2593 square miles, is divided into 116 parishes, and sends 2 members to parliament. It abounds with rivers and lakes: of its rivers, the
principal are the Shannon, the Suck, and the Blackwater. Before the advent of the Normans in the twelfth century, the west of the county was a separate territory, in the possession of the O’Flahertys. In theory, these were dispossessed by the granting of the region to the de Burgos, ancestors of the Burkes, in the thirteenth century, but they retained their power more or less intact down to the final catastrophe of the seventeenth century. One area over which the Normans gained decisive control was Galway (Bed and Breakfasts, Galway, Ireland) city. After the building of the town walls around 1270, a strong trading and seafaring tradition developed, which saw Galway merchants travelling as far a field as Spain and the West Indies. Traces of Spanish influence can still be seen in the city. In recent years it has undergone an explosive growth in population, and has become one of the major cultural centres in Ireland.
Surnames associated with the county include Burke, Conneely, Madden, O’Flaherty, Egan, Joyce, Kelly, Mannion, Lally, McDonagh, Flaherty and Hession.
The main towns in West Galway are Galway City, Tuam, Clifden, Oughterard, Athenry and Kinvara. The Aran Islands and Inishbofin are also in this centre’s catchment area. The main towns in East Galway (Self Catering, Galway, Ireland) are Ballinasloe, Loughrea, Gort, Portumna, Glenamaddy and Mountbellew. Ballinasloe.
The period of the Great Famine (1845 -1851) was a time of particularly high emigration from this area. The chief destinations of West Galway emigrants were the U.S. cities of Boston, New York, Philadelphia. Others settled in New Brunswick, Canada and in New Zealand and Australia. There was also much seasonal migration from this area to the north of England and Scotland and many West Galway (Holiday Cottages, Galway, Ireland) people settled there too.
The Great Famine dramatically altered and accelerated the rate and pattern of Galway emigration. Many thousands perished at that time. Tens of thousands of people of Galway ancestry are to be found throughout the world today. Large-scale emigration from East Galway commenced in the 1830s. Emigrants at that time chiefly went to England and America. Australia as a
destination for emigrants from here became popular in the 1840s. Of those who immigrated to the USA the chief destinations were Massachusetts and New York. The Great Famine in East Galway (Accommodation, Galway, Ireland) was severe. Government and local measures were unable to cope with the large numbers who became destitute. There was a large drop in population over the period of the Great Famine.
The West Galway Family History Society offers a full service to people eager to discover more about their Galway roots.
This centre has access to the following records containing over two million entries in the Galway west area:
The Roman Catholic, Anglican/Episcopalian, Methodist and Presbyterian Church records up to 1900
Civil records of births, marriages and deaths from their inception in 1864 up until 1900
Electors Lists
Gravestone Inscriptions
Indexed Directories (Slater’s, Pigot’s and Thom’s)
Parochial Censuses (the oldest of which dates from 1821 Newspaper obituaries)
Encumbered Estates Court Rentals
Workhouse Census search forms for Pension Applications
Tithe Applotment Records
Griffith Land Valuation Records (1848-1855)
1901 and 1911 Census of Population
Ordnance Survey Maps showing Townlands
The centre has also built up an extensive collection of local family history publications. With this vast wealth of information together with experienced researchers who know the local area, you can be assured of a full and in-depth search on your Galway family’s history. Initial enquiries are answered within four weeks and the centre has access to over a million records.
The East Galway Family History Society provides a full service for genealogical enquirers for the eastern half of County Galway from their centre at Woodford.
Church records in the East Galway area have various starting dates.:
The earliest Roman Catholic parish records computerised at this centre start in 1799
The Centre has computerised Presbyterian records which commenced in 1846
Wesleyan Methodist records commence in1834
The centre has computerised about one million pre-1901 records. Other major sources held at the East Galway Centre include:
Civil Records of Birth, Death and Marriage
The Book of Survey and Distribution
Gravestone Inscriptions
Woodford Parish Census.
The earliest surviving Census for East Galway is that of 1901. Initial enquiries are answered promptly and Family History Report usually takes about four weeks.