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Press Release - 25 June 2013
Discover lost Irish links with findmypast.com.au’s Ashes to Archives
Free access to birth, marriage and death records from 27-30 June
On June 30, 1922, during the Irish Civil War, the Public Records Office of Ireland was severely damaged by shellfire resulting in the devastating loss of almost all Irish census records from the 19th century. To commemorate this event, and champion the Irish records that have survived, leading family history website, findmypast.com.au is launching its ‘Ashes to Archives’ initiative which will provide Australians free access to its Irish Birth, Death and Marriage Records.
Available from 27 until 30 June, 2013 Australians will not only have free access to over 21 million Irish birth, death and marriage records, but also plenty of useful resources for piecing together their Irish ancestry, notoriously one of most difficult genealogies to track.
Resources include tips for getting started, how Irish genealogy differs from other branches of family history, exactly what was lost in the 1922 fire, detailed information on the records available on findmypast.com.au and more.
Vicki Dawson, General Manager of findmypast.com.au said, “Such a huge loss of records was a tragedy, resulting in Irish ancestry being one of the most difficult to pursue. However this also makes it one of the most rewarding when you do uncover information.
“Our ‘Ashes to Archives’ initiative aims to help the many Australians with Irish ancestry that there are countless substitutes you can use when building your Irish family tree, which are easy to locate on our site.”
“Birth, death and marriage records are the starting point for anyone wanting to trace their Irish family history and free access to these via findmypast.com.au will give Australians a great head start on finding their Irish family tree. This should encourage everyone to get started as soon as possible. You never know what you’ll discover!” Dawson continued.
To learn more about what records were destroyed in 1922 and to access millions of Irish Birth, Death and Marriage records for free visit www.findmypast.com.au/articles/irish-records-office-destruction by 30 June.