Records of first-generation Irish emigrants can hold more detail than the records that survive in Ireland. The Ellis Island database holds 65 million passenger records for the Port of New York, 1820 to 1957, and Scottish death records name both parents.
Last checked: November 2026. Every fact below links to the official page it came from. This page gives no fees or waiting times; follow the links for those.
Which records abroad does Irish Genealogy point to?
England and Wales: General Register Office records start in 1837, none of the registers are online, but almost all indexes are on FreeBMD. Scotland: ScotlandsPeople has Scottish birth, marriage and death records from 1855, and the death records contain the full names and addresses of spouses and both parents. Australia: the CoraWeb site gives an overview of death records, which record the names and addresses of both parents. For many Irish immigrants this may be the only place such information is recorded. U.S. marriage records: FamilySearch has a collection. Source: Irish Genealogy: the Irish abroad.
Where are passenger lists?
The Statue of Liberty Ellis Island passenger search database has 65 million records of passengers arriving at the Port of New York from 1820 to 1957. Irish Genealogy also points to an Irish passenger lists research guide, and to One-Step Webpages by Stephen P. Morse, for U.S. and Canadian passenger lists kept at the port of arrival, many published or digitised.
What about transportation to Australia?
The National Archives of Ireland holds records of the transportation of convicts from Ireland to Australia, 1788 to 1868, on a transportation database. Some include members of convicts’ families transported as free settlers.
Which place did my family leave from?
Our guides help: find your ancestors’ emigration port and the Cobh Heritage Centre.
Common questions
Is there a database of passengers arriving in New York? Yes. The Statue of Liberty Ellis Island passenger search holds 65 million records of arrivals at the Port of New York from 1820 to 1957.
Where are Irish convict records? The National Archives of Ireland holds records of transportation of convicts to Australia, 1788 to 1868, on a transportation database.
More from us on this
This page is part of Irish family records by county.