* Griffith's Valuation (Ireland)

[Ted]

For those researching Irish ancestors Griffith's Valuation is a vital source. However most on-line sources (all up to now?) charge for viewing - if they have digitised beyond an index. The following website address takes you to 'Ask About Ireland' http://www.askaboutireland.ie/griffith- ... /index.xml and their digitised database of the volumes. The search facility can be carried out by surname or place which takes a townland name. A view of the appropriate page digitised from the original can be seen, but the most valuable is the map view, which is the original 6in OS map showing tenements within a townland and marking individual dwellings referenced in the document. Better still, by moving a slider type button the map is overlaid onto the modern Google map and it is possible to get a transparent view of the old map with its features onto the new map, so that you can see if a dwelling or road is still in existence to be able to find it on the ground. By a bit of playing around it is possible to download all images including the map views and/or print directly (all copyrighted).

ID:4928

[g_mcallister]

Thanks for the link. With a bit of searching of the maps I was able to find the land that later became my grandfather's farm and see who was the then tenant and who was the landlord. Interestingly the field pattern had not changed much in the following 100 years and I could easily identify the fields where I had roamed, played and worked as a young boy.

[Ted]

g_mcallister said:
Thanks for the link. ...

Glad that this was of use. I stumbled across the site as a result of a Christmas/New Year initiative by an Irish Family History organisation called Enaclann that sent a daily email with links on various aspects of genealogy research in Ireland. I think this was also being done on the UK Find My Past site, but presumably with UK genealogy links?

Hopefully the site will remain foc.

[polly99]

Thank you for the link. I am puzzled by Griffith's Valuation though; if you have a common Irish name - mine is Begley - how can you tell if it is your ancestor? There is no date of birth or any other identifying info as far as I can see. Am I being daft?