Government (civil) registration of marriages began for non-Catholic marriages in 1845, and for Catholic marriages in 1864. The index to civil registration is available on findmypast. The full records reside in The General Register Office and photocopies for genealogical research can be ordered, for a fee, from that office. To order a certificate you will need the registration year/quarter, registration district and volume and page number provided in the transcript. Please note no labelled space is provided on the current GRO forms for Volume and Page number, you can fill in this detail in Section 2 of the form.

Multiple Spouses?

Understanding the search results.

Do your search results list several possible spouses? Does this mean your ancestor married each of these people?

Our search provides potential matches for people found on the same page of a register (volume).This extremely useful function allows you to match spouses more easily, especially in cases where a spouse’s first name is all that is known, or both spouses have very common surnames, or where the precise year or registration district is not known.

The original Index to the registers lists spouses separately and in alphabetical order.

For example:

"Martin Walsh" would be listed alongside all of the other Walshs that married that year and beside each is a Volume and Page number.

His wife "Mary Smith" would be listed alongside all of the other Smiths that married that year, again with a Volume and Page number next to each.

Rather than searching separately and trying to match Volume & Page numbers of all the Walshs and Smiths that married in a particular year the MarriageFinder matches them for you.

We have taken the work out of searching the Index of Ireland Marriages. Our flexible search allows you to search for a married couple using first names. This is particularly useful in cases when the bride's maiden name is unknown. Use the 'What Else?' box at the start of your search, or the Spouse Forename/Spouse Surname boxes on the left hand side after choosing the Ireland Marriages record set.

Record Coverage

1845 – 1863, all non-Catholic Marriages in all 32 counties in Ireland

1864 – 1921, all marriages in all 32 counties in Ireland

1922 – 1958, all marriages in 26 counties of the Republic of Ireland

Civil Registration Districts

The original civil registration districts were based on 160 medical dispensary districts and in many cases cross county boundaries. This means that in certain cases marriages will be recorded in a county other than where the person lived. We have provided a list of the registration districts and their counties below.

Some districts were absorbed by others or changed name, these are as follows:

Parsonstown = Birr

Irvinestown = Lowtherstown

Donaghmore, after 1887 search: Roscrea and Urlingford

Glin, after 1892 search: Listowel and Rathkeale

Gortin, after 1889 search: Omagh and Strabane

Newport, after 1886 search: Westport

County	Registration District		County	Registration District
Antrim	Antrim		Leitrim	Ballyshannon
Antrim	Ballycastle		Leitrim	Bawnboy
Antrim	Ballymena		Leitrim	Carrick-on-Shannon
Antrim	Ballymoney		Leitrim	Manorhamilton
Antrim	Belfast		Leitrim	Mohill
Antrim	Coleraine
Antrim	Larne		Limerick	Croom
Antrim	Lisburn		Limerick	Glin
Antrim	Lurgan		Limerick	Killmallock
			Limerick	Limerick
Armagh	Armagh		Limerick	Mitchelstown
Armagh	Banbridge		Limerick	Newcastle
Armagh	Castleblaney		Limerick	Rathkeale
Armagh	Dundalk		Limerick	Tipperary
Armagh	Lurgan
Armagh	Newry		Londonderry	Ballymoney
			Londonderry	Coleraine
Carlow	Baltinglass		Londonderry	Londonderry
Carlow	Carlow		Londonderry	Magherafelt
Carlow	Enniscorthy		Londonderry	Limavady
Carlow	New Ross
Carlow	Shillelagh		Longford	Ballymahon
			Longford	Granard
Cavan	Bailieborough		Longford	Longford
Cavan	Bawnboy
Cavan	Cavan		Louth	Ardee
Cavan	Cootehill		Louth	Drogheda
Cavan	Enniskillen		Louth	Dundalk
Cavan	Granard
Cavan	Kells		Mayo	Ballina
Cavan	Oldcastle		Mayo	Ballinrobe
			Mayo	Belmullet
Clare	Ballyvaughan		Mayo	Castlebar
Clare	Corrofin		Mayo	Castelreagh
Clare	Ennis		Mayo	Claremorris
Clare	Ennistimon		Mayo	Killala
Clare	Killadysert		Mayo	Newport
Clare	Kilrush		Mayo	Swineford
Clare	Limerick		Mayo	Westport
Clare	Scariff
Clare	Tulla		Meath	Ardee
			Meath	Celbridge
Cork	Bandon		Meath	Drogheda
Cork	Bantry		Meath	Dunshaughlin
Cork	Castletown		Meath	Edenderry
Cork	Clonakilty		Meath	Kells
Cork	Cork		Meath	Navan
Cork	Dunmanway		Meath	Oldcastle
Cork	Fermoy		Meath	Trim
Cork	Kanturk
Cork	Killmallock		Monaghan	Carrickmacross
Cork	Kinsale		Monaghan	Castleblaney
Cork	Macroom		Monaghan	Clogher
Cork	Mallow		Monaghan	Clones
Cork	Middleton		Monaghan	Cootehill
Cork	Millstreet		Monaghan	Dundalk
Cork	Mitchelstown		Monaghan	Monaghan
Cork	Skibbereen
Cork	Skull		Offaly	Edenderry
Cork	Youghal		Offaly	Mountmellick
			Offaly	Parsonstown
Donegal	Ballyshannon		Offaly	Roscrea
Donegal	Donegal		Offaly	Tullamore
Donegal	Dunfanaghy		Offaly	Birr
Donegal	Glenties
Donegal	Inishowen		Roscommon	Athlone
Donegal	Letterkenny		Roscommon	Ballinasloe
Donegal	Londonderry		Roscommon	Boyle
Donegal	Milford		Roscommon	Carrick-on-Shannon
Donegal	Strabane		Roscommon	Castlereagh
Donegal	Stranorlar		Roscommon	Roscommon
			Roscommon	Strokestown
Down	Banbridge
Down	Belfast		Sligo	Ballina
Down	Downpatrick		Sligo	Boyle
Down	Kilkeel		Sligo	Dromore West
Down	Lisburn		Sligo	Sligo
Down	Lurgan		Sligo	Tobercurry
Down	Newry
Down	Newtownards		Tipperary	Borrisokane
			Tipperary	Callan
Dublin	Balrothery		Tipperary	Carrick-on-Suir
Dublin	Celbridge		Tipperary	Cashel
Dublin	Dublin North		Tipperary	Clogheen
Dublin	Dublin South		Tipperary	Clonmel
Dublin	Dunshaughlin		Tipperary	Nenagh
Dublin	Naas		Tipperary	Parsonstown
Dublin	Rathdown		Tipperary	Roscrea
			Tipperary	Thurles
Fermanagh	Ballyshannon		Tipperary	Tipperary
Fermanagh	Clones		Tipperary	Urlingford
Fermanagh	Enniskillen		Tipperary	Birr
Fermanagh	Irvinestown
Fermanagh	Lowtherstown		Tyrone	Armagh
Fermanagh	Lisnaskea		Tyrone	Castlederg
			Tyrone	Clogher
Galway	Ballinasloe		Tyrone	Cookstown
Galway	Ballinrobe		Tyrone	Dungannon
Galway	Clifden		Tyrone	Enniskillen
Galway	Galway		Tyrone	Gortin
Galway	Glennamaddy		Tyrone	Irvinestown
Galway	Gort		Tyrone	Lowtherstown
Galway	Longhrea		Tyrone	Omagh
Galway	Mountbellew		Tyrone	Strabane
Galway	Oughterard
Galway	Portumna		Waterford	Carrick-on-Suir
Galway	Scarriff		Waterford	Clonmel
Galway	Tuam		Waterford	Dungarvan
			Waterford	Kilmacthomas
Kerry	Cahersiveen		Waterford	Lismore
Kerry	Dingle		Waterford	Waterford
Kerry	Glin		Waterford	Youghal
Kerry	Kenmare
Kerry	Killarney		Westmeath	Athlone
Kerry	Listowel		Westmeath	Ballymahon
Kerry	Tralee		Westmeath	Delvin
			Westmeath	Granard
Kildare	Athy		Westmeath	Mullingar
Kildare	Baltinglass		Westmeath	Tullamore
Kildare	Celbridge
Kildare	Edenderry		Wexford	Enniscorthy
Kildare	Naas		Wexford	Gorey
			Wexford	New Ross
Kilkenny	Callan		Wexford	Shillelagh
Kilkenny	Carrick-on-Suir		Wexford	Wexford
Kilkenny	Castlecomer
Kilkenny	Kilkenny		Wicklow	Baltinglass
Kilkenny	New Ross		Wicklow	Naas
Kilkenny	Thomastown		Wicklow	Rathdown
Kilkenny	Urlingford		Wicklow	Rathdrum
Kilkenny	Waterford		Wicklow	Shillelagh
Laois	Abbeyleix
Laois	Athy
Laois	Carlow
Laois	Donaghmore
Laois	Mountmellick
Laois	Roscrea