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Some Sources in the Cork City and County Archives Relevant to Family History and Genealogy

Property Rate (Tax) Valuation and Payment Records

Valuation Lists

Valuation lists record the names of occupiers and immediate lessors of property, extent of property, its valuation, and rates due. Valuation lists remained in use for several years, and changes, eg in ownership, were noted.  Cork City lists are arranged by ward/electoral area. The main body of County valuation lists held at consist of volumes for the years 1908 to c.1948, with one or more volumes for each electoral division within each rural district. Also held are valuation lists covering the years from c.1888 to 1897 arranged by barony, based on the old Cork baronies as per the earlier Primary Valuation (Griffith’s Valuation) in the 1850's.

• Valuation Lists, Cork City, 1853, 1900–c.1980
• Valuation Lists, County Cork, 1888-c.1980

Rate Collection Books.

These volumes record the payment of rates to the local authority by property owners and occupiers.

• Rate Collection Books, Cork City, c.1929-c.1961.
• Rate Collection Books, Youghal, County Cork, 1844-1969
• Rate Collection Books, Clonakilty, County Cork, 1911-1975
• Rate Collection Book, Cobh, 1917-1919
• Rate and Valuation Books, Fermoy, County Cork, 1861-1979
• Rate and Valuation Books, Mallow, Co Cork, 1936-78

Poor Law Unions / Workhouses

From 1838, Ireland was divided up into Poor Law Unions. Within each Union was a workhouse where the poor and the destitute could be accommodated. This was termed 'Indoor Relief'. There were approximately 15 Unions and workhouses in Cork City and County. Indoor relief registers and related records often give the name, address, occupation, age, sex, condition, date of admission and date of discharge or death of those admitted to the workhouse.

Extensive indoor relief records are available for

• Cork Union Workhouse
• Kinsale Union Workhouse
• Midleton Union Workhouse

Cork Union Workhouse, Douglas Road, covered the area of Cork city and environs (it later became the Cork County Home and Hospital). Records include:

• 29 indoor relief registers (some with indexes) plus related records; 1840-1925 (with gaps)
• Cork Poor Law Union National School, Registers of Male pupils, 1873 - 1904
• Records of Deaths 1853-1863, 1876-1909, 1922-1925

Kinsale Union Workhouse records include:

• Indoor relief registers 1841 - 1927 (with gaps)
• Admission and discharge Books, 1845 - 1925 (with gaps)
• Pauper discharge books, 1855-1884
• Register of fever hospital patients, 1849-1850
• Record of death book, 1842- 1899

Midleton Union Workhouse records include:

• Indoor relief registers 1841-1923 (with gaps)
• Admission and discharge books 1913-1925
• Record of Births 1844-1898, 1908-1930
• Record of Deaths 1899-1932 

Limited numbers of indoor relief records are also available for the following Poor Law Unions/ Workhouses in Cork;

• Bandon Union, West Cork, 1920-1925
• Macroom Union, Mid-West Cork, 1916-1921
• Youghal Union, East Cork, 1848-1851 

Other Local Government and Health Records

• Index/Digest to Council Books of the Corporation of Cork, with alphabetical list of Freemen, 1710-1841.
• Cork Corporation records, including committee minute books, 1867-1929
• Cork County Council records, from 1899-
• Cork Board of Health & Public Assistance, 1925-1960. (Access restrictions apply.)
• Labourers Cottages Ledgers and Rentals, 1887-2000 (Access restrictions apply.)
• Cork County Home & Hospital, 1925-1957. (Access restrictions apply.)
• Our Lady’s Hospital Cork Mental Hospital, 1840s, 1883-1958. (Access restrictions apply.)
• North Infirmary Hospital, Shandon, Cork City (Access restrictions apply)

Burial/Cemetery Records

• Inniscarra, 1896-2002 (10km West of Cork City)
• Clonmult, 1946-98 (near Midleton, East Cork)
• Aghabullogue, 1938-88 (near Macroom, mid-West Cork)
• Dunbullogue, 1896-1988, Templeisque, 1896-1986, Balivinny, 1959-1982, all near the Riverstown/Glanmire area, to the Northeast of Cork City.
• Kilroan, near Kinsale, Feb. 1949 - Apr. 1973,
• Caherlag, near Carrigtohill/ Midleton, Oct. 1896 - May 1972.
• Kilcully, just to the North of Cork City, July 1931 - August 1974
• Cobh/Queenstown, Clonmel, register of internments Jul. 1897 - Jul 1985
• Cobh, Clonmel, register of burial grants, May 1897 –  Dec 1919.
• Cobh, Old Church graveyard, applications for licences for internment, Aug. 1880 - [1900's]
• Cobh/Queenstown Cemetery, register of persons interned, May 1879 - Mar 1929, Nov. 1933 - Sep. 1975
• Society of Friends (Quakers), microflims, including burial lists.

For access to records of St.Finbarr’s and St. Joseph’s public cemeteries in Cork City, contact the Cork City Council Recreation Amenity and Culture department, cemeteries section, email recreation@corkcity.ie.

School Records

Please note that some access restrictions apply to school records that are less than 80 years old.

• Ballyphehane National School, Cork City, 1959 - 1992
• Blackpool National School, Cork City, 1869 - 1988
• Cork District Model School, Anglesea Street Cork City, 1865 - 1988
• Cork Poor Law Union (workhouse) National School, Male Registers, 1873 - 1904
• Crosshaven and Myrtleville National School, 1854 - 1954
• Dromina National School, Charleville, 1872 - 1995
• Slievereagh/St.Michael's National School, near Ballyvourney, (1867) 1886-1950
• Shandrum National School, Newtownshandrum, 1854 - 2003
• St.Luke's National School, Cork City, 1887 - 2003
• Templebreedy National School, near Crosshaven, 1880 - 1972

• Buckingham House School, Protestant Charity School, 1891 - 1971
• City of Cork Vocational Education Committee (V.E.C.) including the precursor body, Crawford Technical Institute, and including items relating to the old School of Art, old School of Music and old School of Design / School of Science, 1849-1981.
• Rochelle Girls Secondary School, Blackrock, Cork, c.1900 - 1990
• St. Finbarr's Industrial School, Sunday's Well, Cork, Register of Baptisms c.1917-c. 1968

Electoral Registers, Cork City and County

These contain the names and addresses of those registered to vote. A 30 year rule applies: Only records more than 30 years old are open for research.

• Cork Borough / Cork City 1957/8, 1963/4, 1966 - 1980
• Cork North East, 1965-1982
• Mid Cork, (Mid West and North West of County Cork ) 1965-1982
• Cork South West, 1965-2000
• Cork South Central, 1982-2000
• Cork East, 1982-2000
• Cork North Central, 1983-2000
• Cork North West, 1982-2000
• South Kerry, 1969-1982

(Note: Cork City Library, Cork County Library and the National Archives of Ireland also hold some Cork electoral registers)

Also held is a series of 4 Election Poll Books plus 1 Electors Register for Youghal Borough, 1830-1837

Other collections in CCCA of general family history interest

• Society of Friends (Quakers) records, including including Minutes of Cork Meetings and Munster Provincial Meetings, Men's and Women's Meetings, Ministers, Elders and Oversight Minutes, Testimonies of Disunity and Epistles, Family Lists, Copies of Marraige Certificates, Marraige Register, Female Bounty Fund, Treasurers Accounts, Certificates of Removal, Lists of Members, Minutes of Poor Committee. Minutes of Bandon, Charleville and Youghal Meetings. c.1650 - 1909
• Postal and Trade Directories, published, series, with gaps, from 1844-1945
• Landed estate papers; contain material such as deeds and tenant rental ledgers. Major collections include: Earl of Bandon Estate, Colthurst Estate, Blarney and mid-Cork, Egmont Estate, Kanturk, Ryan-Purcell papers, Churchtown and the Blackwater valley, and also other landed estates in Cork.
• Solicitors papers;  include marriage settlements, wills, and property records such as leases and deeds of sale, for a great many Cork families
• Paddy O’Keeffe Papers consist of local history and genealogical writings and notes concerning the Bantry area and other parts of West Cork.
• O'Kief, Coshe Mang, several volumes, published by Dr. A.E. Casey, contains transcriptions of many original genealogical sources, including transcripts of birth, baptismal and marriage records for a number of parishes in the Blackwater valley and Kerry border areas of north County Cork.
• Collections of business archives, often containing staff material.
• Various small collections that include some personal/family material

Online Digitised Documents

The CCCA has carried out the full digitisation of a number of useful source documents over the past number of years, including: