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Roman Catholic Parish Record Indices : Gravestone Photographs Index :

1901 Census Heads of Household Index : Parish Histories

New this week : 16th - 22nd Nov : Portlaoise New graveyard Gravestone Photographs - part 1

New last week 9th - 15th November. Doonane & Mayo Baptismal index 1843

Killeshin & Graiguecullen (Graigue) Baptismal index 1840

County Laois, Laoise, Leix or Queen’s County, Ireland,

Laois is 34 miles long at its longest point and 30 miles wide at its greatest width. Within the county there are or were approximately 55 or 56 civil parishes (depending on which reference you use and the time frame), 28 Roman Catholic parishes, and Grenham lists seven Church of Ireland parishes. There are and were other religions in the county, but I have no figures for the number of circuits or meeting houses for any of these. Some of these civil parishes really belong to another county, but a townland or two within the parish occurs in County Laois. The same goes for religious parishes, some of them which we would associate with another county take in a few townlands in Laois, and again, with civil registration districts, some of them take in some townlands in Laois but the vast majority of the townlands lie in another county.

So, if you have ancestors supposedly from any of the areas on the County Laois borders, don’t ignore records from those counties.

The percentage of the population of various religions from 1861-1911 varied, Roman Catholics (1861, 88.3% - 1911, 88.74%) ; Church of Ireland (1861, 10.7% - 1911, 9.71%) ; Methodists (1861, 0.5% - 1911, 0.68%) ; Presbyterian (1861, 0.3% - 1911, 0.62%) with other religions combined (1861, 0.3% - 1911, 0.52%).

The total population of the county in 1821 was 134,275, in 1841 before the Great Famine it had reached 153,930 and in 1861 this had dropped to 90,650, with a further fall by 1926 to 51,540.

Roman Catholic Parish Records

D = Diocese of Dublin ; K = Diocese of Killaloe ; K&L = Diocese of Kildare & Leighlin ; O = Diocese of Ossory

Initially, the links below will bring you to a page which gives a list of the existing parish registers for the parish and/or an index or partial transcript for some of the register. This will change as I get my records on line

A few weeks ago, I was running around looking for someone who had a computer that could take photos off my camera disc as it was full when I spotted an old friend walking along the street. John Maher. We spent an evening playing 'catch up' and talking history, not just Irish history.

From the book: "John Maher is a winner of the Francis McManus Award, the P.J. O'Connor Award, the Lar Cassidy Memorial Award, a Marianne Palotti Fellowship, and an Arts Council Writer's Bursary. Under the pen-name Jack Barry he is author of a crime novel, Miss Katie Regrets."

Other Records currently on 'Laois or Queen's Co. Ireland Genealogy'

Gravestone photographs :Abbeyleix Church of Ireland : Abbeyleix RC old : Abbeyleix new : Acragar Ivy Graveyard : Aghmacart or Aughmacart old cemetery : St. Jude's, Anatrim : Anatrim Old : St. Bridget's (COI), Attanagh : Ballacolla Old, R.C. : Ballybuggy, Rathdowney : Ballyfin, Round Bush (COI) : Ballynakill New : Bordwell : Camross Old Friary : Castlefleming : Clonkeen : St. Lazerian's, Chapel Cross Roads, Spink : Clonaslee new : Coolbanagher, St. John's : St. Fintan's, Cromogue : Cullahill (see Millenium Garden below) Curraghclone : Durrow Church of Ireland : Durrow Roman Catholic :Dysart Wooden Bridge : Emo RC : St. Kieran's, Errill : Ironmills Bridge : Keeloge or Killogue : Killenard : Killasmeestia : Killenard : Killermogh : Kilmanman : Kyle old : St. Joseph's, Mountmellick : Moyacomb : Okanaroe : Pike of Rushall : Portarlington New : Portlaoise new - Part 1 : Part 2 : Rahanavannah : Raheen new : Raheen old : Rathdowney Church of Ireland : Rathdowney old 1 : Rathdowney old 2 : Rathdowney new : Rathsarn : Rosenallis new : St. Bridget's Church, Rosenallis : Shanahoe new : Stradbally Old : Round Tower Timahoe :

Memorial Parks: Abbeyleix : Ballyquaid Mass Pit : Cullahill Millenium Garden :

1901 Census Heads of Household Index : Civil Parishes

Parish Histories

History of Offerlane Parish. (pt. 2 info on names : Baldwin, Delany, Sawyer, Trench & others)

Google Groups: Carlow, Kildare, Kilkenny, Laois, Offaly Ireland Genealogy A new group that I set up recently. It's only got a few members so far, but then again, once upon a time Y-IRL the Yahoo group which I created back in 2001 had only a few members and today, it's one of the largest Irish Genealogy groups on the internet

Yahoo Group : Ireland Genealogy (Y-IRL) A group set up by me in 2001 and currently with over 1800 members

This web site belongs to one individual, not an organisation of any sort. The information you find here has been collected or transcribed by me, Jane Lyons. I began by transcribing gravestones in 1996, back when there were few if any digital cameras, back when I worked just with paper, pen and elbow grease. A lot of the stones I transcribed back then cannot be read today so you will find information on this site which you will find no-where else in the world (Once I have it all sorted!) . This web site is still under construction, the material held on my From Ireland web site has to be moved, records I have not put on the From Ireland web site have to be put on this site and more records have to be collected.

http://www.laoisgenealogy.com©Dr. Jane Lyons 2008

 janelyons1@laoisgenealogy.com