Despite the Dissolution of the monasteries by Henry VIII, the 17th-century confiscation of land from Catholics and the enforcement of the Penal Laws, which limited the rights of Catholics (and Presbyterians) to own property and practise their faith, the population of 18th and 19th-century Ireland remained largely Roman Catholic. The majority were small farmers and labourers, although there was also a small but wealthier Catholic merchant and land-owning class.
Civil birth, death and marriage registrations for Catholics in Ireland only commenced in 1864. Although compulsory, not all births, deaths and marriages were registered with the civil authorities. In the absence of civil records, Catholic parish registers can be used for birth and marriage information.
CATHOLIC BOUNDARIES
Every part of Ireland, including Northern Ireland, falls within a Catholic parish. It
