Land and Property
Land records are an excellent source for researchers - they can give you important information about where and when your ancestor lived in Ireland. They also can give you details on names of children, heirs, spouse, other relatives and neighbors. Land records come in a variety of forms but chief among them are deeds and estate records.
Deeds
Registration of deeds in Ireland began as early as 1708. However, many landowners didn't register their deeds because deeds were required to be filed in Dublin and a fee was required. Deed records can contain information about marriage settlements, leases, mortgages and wills.
There are two types of deed indexes available for Ireland. They are indexed by surname and by county. The surname index is a listing of grantors (seller or transferror of land) and the county index lists deeds by town lands or towns. Deed records are kept in Dublin at the Registry of Deeds, Henrietta Street, Dublin 1, Ireland.
Estate Records
Most Irish lived on large estates owned by a small minority of the population. Land owners usually hired agents to keep records of transactions involving their families and their tenants. Estate records will vary in their content but are a valuable resource for researchers. Estate records may include items such as rent rolls, deeds, leases, account books. To locate an estate record you must have the name of the account holder. If you can locate your ancestor in Griffith's Valuation, you may also learn the name of the owner of the estate where your ancestor lived. Note: Not all estate owners lived in Ireland - many lived in England and records of these estates are recorded there.