About Memorials of the Dead - Counties Galway & Mayo (Western Seaboard)

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Gravestone inscriptions and church memorials are an important source for genealogical research and local studies. This is especially the case when paper records have not survived, as is the case for many parish registers from the west of Ireland.

This index includes full transcripts of the surviving memorials found in the 128 graveyards and churches of west Counties Galway and Mayo.

Over 3,000 memorials dated up to 1901 have been transcribed and over 8,000 names indexed, including names added for erectors who were not otherwise commemorated. Memorials were often erected by American relatives, and their details are included.

Records can be accessed by Name, and the following alphabetical drop-down lists: Church/Graveyard, Placename, Occupation. Results include the Memorial Inscription and often a description of the Church or Graveyard.

The index, compiled by Ian Cantwell, is published on CD by Eneclann, and is available in the Origins Store.

• Graveyard transcriptions in Ireland
• About the Index
• Further research
• Acknowledgements

Graveyard transcriptions in Ireland
Graveyard transcriptions in Ireland began in 1888 with the Journal for the Preservations of Memorials of the Dead which published memorials in order to 'secure a record of existing tombs and monuments of interest'. After the Journal folded, in 1931, graveyard transcriptions were published in genealogical and local history publications, including the The Irish Ancestor (see Origins Store).

In 1966 the Ulster Historical Foundation published memorial transcriptions of County Down, and in the 1970s The Irish Genealogical Research Society annually published indexes of graveyards transcriptions. As with the 19th century Journal, their aims were to preserve memorials from vandalism, carelessness, attrition and erosion.

Since the 1980s there has been a further interest as local history and genealogy societies, libraries, heritage centres, and many individuals have become involved and island-wide coverage is becoming a reality. Gravestone inscriptions and church memorials are an important source for genealogical research and local studies. This is especially the case when paper records have not survived, as is the case for many parish registers from the west of Ireland.

About the Index
The methodology used to build this Index follows a wide geographical approach. All graveyards and churches in west Counties Galway and Mayo are covered and all memorials with a date of 1901 or before have been transcribed. 1901 was chosen because this is the first surviving census for this section of Ireland. This purely textual approach and can be called 'Rescue History'.

When a memorial has a relevant date all the text has been included, regardless of subsequent dates. Memorials obscured under earth, grass or vegetation have not been transcribed. Sadly many memorials have not survived due to Roman Catholic church renovations, and many Church of Ireland, Presbyterian and Methodist churches have been abandoned or converted.

Graveyards were identified by examining the various editions of the Ordnance Survey 6" maps. The graveyards included are west of a north-south line starting from Belderg, west of the Nephin mountains, to Glenisland, to and including Castlebar, west of Castlebar to Partry Road and then west of Loughs Mask and Corrib to, but excluding, Galway City.

This gives approximately 3,074 memorials and 5,900 deaths. Plus another 1,500-2,000 names of erectors who were not otherwise commemorated.

Click here for numbers of memorials transcribed by county and miscellaneous churches and memorials.

This Index was researched and complied by Ian Cantwell, and has been published on on CD by Eneclann.

Click here to buy the CD in the Origins Store

Further research
To follow up any of the entries, the following sources may be useful:

General Register Office
The GRO hold records of deaths in Ireland beginning in 1864, however there is a problem with lack of registration, particularly in west. Common names may cause problems, as it may be difficult to say which (if any) is the correct one.

Church Burial Registers
Usually only found in Church of Ireland Parish Registers as, with occasional exceptions, they were not kept by Roman Catholic clerics. Many Church of Ireland records were destroyed in 1922. Calendars of surviving Parish records can be found in the standard genealogical sources. Methodists and Presbyterians are often found in Church of Ireland records.

Wills
The primary repository of Probate Records is the National Archives. Most pre-1858 records, and those of the Principal Registry (Dublin) up to 1903 were destroyed in 1922. For wills in this repository before 1858 the Index of Irish Wills, 1848-1858, available online on The Origins Network and published by Eneclann, is best though it does not include Betham's or Groves's Abstracts of Prerogative and other wills and administrations. After 1858 the Calendar of Wills and Administrations can be consulted in the National Archives up to thirty years before the present when they become public records.
Will copies and abstracts in other repositories, such as the National Library of Ireland, Representative Church Body Library, Genealogical Office, Trinity College Library, Registry of Deeds etc., can be found in either published or unpublished calendars. Probate records are most often found for property owners and are less likely for leaseholders though more are found in the late 19th century.

Newspapers
Obituaries can provide complementary items of information on the deceased. However they show an elitist bias unless the death was 'interesting' or dramatic. The growth of newspapers representing the Catholic interest near the end of the 19th century usually means that there is a wider coverage of obituaries. Standard calendars, such as Newsplan, will give the names, place of printing, coverage and location of the relevant newspapers.

Acknowledgements
The compiler Ian Cantwell would like to acknowledge: inspiration of his late father, Brian J. Cantwell F.R.S.A.I., F.I.G.R..S. (1914-92). Particular thanks to Jarlath Duffy of Carrowholly and also to Jean Carson, Castlebar; Peader Flanagan, Westport; Mary Savage, Newport; The Blackwell family, Ross House; Tim Robinson, Roundstone, plus many others for support.

See also:	Subscriber Searches - Memorials of the Dead
	Numbers of memorials transcribed by county and miscellaneous churches and memorials
	About the Author - Ian Cantwell
	Origins Store - Buy Memorials of the Dead on CD
	Source Record Archives