The IGRS Early Irish Birth, Marriage and Death Indexes are being updated again. The cumulative number of entries in all three now breaks the 100,000 barrier for the first time.
The addition of 5,670 events to the Death Index brings the total to over 11,800. The Birth Index stands at 10,410; and the Marriage Index at 77,780. That’s a grand total of just over 100,000 BMD references gleaned from lesser or rarely used sources.
In the first of three updates over the coming weeks, the Death Index now includes deaths noted in Walker’s Hibernian Magazine or from other similar sources where Walker’s is not readily available. In additional to the magazine’s formal announcements, items such as the grim lists of executions following the various Assizes are also included. One correspondent has also drawn our attention to a rich mine of dates in a county history of Monaghan and several other publications.
Roz McCutcheon, the creator and coordinator of the BMD Indexes, said of the latest update: “I’m thrilled that the database has now passed the 100,000 barrier. It is a goal we have been steadily working towards. It’s always terrific too to hear from from researchers who have found a record, long sought, through the database.”
The update to the Death Index is launched today. The Birth and Marriage Index updates will be launched later in July. Here is a link to the updated Death Index.