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Family history at Donegal County Archives 

Donegal County Archives holds records which might be of help when undertaking family research from the late eighteenth and nineteenth centuries onwards: 

  • General Valuation registers. These registers list occupiers and owners of land and property in Donegal from the 1880's (though we do not hold the actual maps, which are available in Dublin);
  • Electoral (voters’) registers for the county, some dating from the late nineteenth century. 
  • 19th –20th century workhouse and medical records (Boards of Guardians/Board of Health), including information on inmates of workhouses and infirmaries. Records vary for each district.
  • A small number of estate and housing records and other private and public records.
  • Primary/National School roll books and registers.
  • Donegal Grand Jury: presentment records from c.1753 to 1899.
  • A small number of legal documents including abstracts of title, leases, etc.
  • Records relating to staff and members of Donegal local authorities. 

For further information on Researching your family history please see the links below:

Approximately 100 items, including wills, probates, leases, assignments and agreements from c. 1767 – 1978.

Legal Deed 1909

 

Legal Contract, 1909

The majority of legal deeds are open to the public, unless they relate to private agreements with individuals and are less than 60 years old.

Second edition Ordnance Survey maps of Donegal: six inch and one inch maps, including: 

  • Index to the Townland Survey: Complete map of the county of Donegal with certain areas marked in red. Includes table of areas: west and east Inishowen; Banagh; Raphoe north and south;

  • Kilmacrennan; Boylagh; and Tirhugh; plus, summary, 1867/1874; 
    Ordnance Survey Map of Ireland showing the top half of Ireland. Gives the administrative counties and boundaries and also county boroughs, Urban Rural and Dispensary Districts and District Electoral Divisions, 1913;

  • 24 one Inch signed maps (second edition) of various areas of the county of Donegal, surveyed in 1836 – 26, signed 1855 - 1925;

  • 69 six inch signed maps of various areas of the county of Donegal, 1852 – 1880. Some revised in 1846 - 49. 

All the above Ordnance Survey maps are open to the public. 

Valuation Records

  • Griffith Valuation Surveys: 52 small volumes. Griffith’s Survey records are the handwritten booklets of the topographical survey of the parishes of Donegal. Each parish is subdivided into townlands and the townland is further subdivided into plots. The surveys are of properties worth over £5 only and include descriptions of quantity of land; rate per statute acre; amount (value) of land; number of houses. If there are no houses worth over £5, there is a comment that 'there are no houses in this townland worth £5 a year'. An overall description of the land includes drainage, relief and soil quality. The collection also includes correspondence, summaries and accounts, 1833 – 1840.

Griffiths Survey Buncrana

Griffifth's Valuation Survey, Buncrana

  • General Valuation: 400 volumes for most areas of Donegal, 1889 – c. 1980. General Valuation Records for the electoral divisions of Donegal showing how much each household had to pay in rates. It is subdivided into townlands and gives the name of the head of each household. The General Valuation is based on Griffith's Valuation or the Tenement Valuation and the value of the property was updated on a yearly basis. As a result of this, corrections were made to the valuation books, these normally were in a different colour of ink with the year of the revision marked in.

Valuation Book; Mintiaghs

Extract: Valuation Book for townlands in Mintiaghs 1917-1934‌

All the above Valuation records are open to the public. 

School Roll Books, Registers and other records: 

Primary School records 
Primary schools have been depositing their records for safekeeping in the County Archives since 2001. The main classes of records deposited in the Archives are: 

  • School roll books: give names and number of pupils and class, date of birth of pupils. 
  • Attendance books: gives number of classes, number of pupils on roll, and number absent. 
  • Registers: gives date of entrance of pupil to school, pupil's name in full, pupil's date of birth and residence, occupation of parent/guardian, place where pupil last attended school. Gives details of attendances during each school year. There are some indexes to pupils' names. 
  • District Inspector Report books: inspections of schools carried out. 

Schools Drumoghill NS

Inspector's Report, Drumoghill National School 

  • General items, including correspondence, Departmental and local circulars, photographs. 

Teachers' Salary Teachers' Salary Scale, 1885‌ 

Primary Schools (mainly rolls and registers) collected to date: c.1855 – 1990’s (dates and volume and types of records held vary considerably): 

  • Scoil Mhuire (Creeslough) 
  • Kildarrach 
  • Mas-an-Eas 
  • Dunfanaghy 
  • Faugher 
  • Glassan 
  • Glendowan 
  • Stramore 
  • Creevy 
  • Ellestrin 
  • Gortnacart 
  • Lifford Endowed Schools 
  • Ray (Raphoe) 
  • Creevy 
  • Ellistrin 
  • Gortnacart, Ardara 
  • Thorr, Gweedore 
  • Dore, Gweedore, NS 
  • Dunlewy NS 
  • Scoil Phadraig, Bunbeg 
  • Scoil Naomh Fiachra, Kilmacrenan 
  • Scoil Michael O'Cleirigh (Ballyshannon) 
  • Coolmore NS (Ballyshannon) 
  • Scoil Carraig Na hCorna (2) NS (Ballyshannon) 
  • Scoil Bearaic (Ballyshannon) 
  • Castlefinn (2) National School 
  • Donaghmore NS (Liscooley) 
  • Scoil Cholmcille (Fintown) 
  • Shallogans / An tSealgain (Fintown) 
  • Beal-an-Ath-Moir (Fintown) 
  • Glenleigham / Gleann-Leitin (Fintown) 
  • Ceann Garb (Fintown) 
  • Glenmaquin (Lurgybrack) NS 
  • Dumhaigh / Dumhai (Lettermacaward) 
  • Lettermacaward 
  • Croagh / Cruac NS (Dunkineely) 
  • Calhaim / Ceallseim NS (Dunkineely) 
  • Dunkineely National School 
  • Min Beannaid (Burtonport) 
  • Acres / Na hAcrai / Ailt an Corrain (Burtonport) 
  • Meenmore (Burtonport) 
  • Ardbane NS (Mountcharles) 
  • Glencoagh NS (Mountcharles) 
  • Naomh Peadar NS (Mountcharles) 
  • Muintir Naois (Mountcharles) 
  • Lettermore NS (Inver) 
  • Scoil Iosagain NS (Buncrana) 
  • Naomh Colmcille NS (Buncrana) 
  • An Croi Ro-Naofa/ Sacred Heart Convent School (Buncrana) 
  • Cockhill Boys NS (Buncrana) 
  • Tullydish / Naomh Baoithin (Buncrana) NS 
  • Scoil Mhuire/ St. Mary's (Ramelton) 
  • Killycreen/ Na Coilleadh Crine (Ramelton) 
  • Cruachan N.S (Ramelton) 
  • Tank / Ramelton No. 2 (Ramelton) 
  • Castleshanaghan 
  • Droimin (Ramelton) 
  • Donegal NS, The Glebe 
  • Cill na mBaird/Killymard (Donegal) 
  • Clar Robertson (Donegal) 
  • Tulaig Sneachta (Donegal) 
  • Naomh Mura Fahan 
  • Fahan Mura Iochtar and Uachtar 
  • Carrowreagh (Fahan) 
  • Dooey National School 
  • Drumoghill National School 
  • Caiseal Mhuire NS (Fanad) 
  • Ballymichael NS (Fanad) 
  • Scoil Bhrid (Fanad) 
  • Ballymore C. of I. NS (Creeslough) 
  • Newtowncunningham NS 
  • Doochary NS 
  • Dungloe NS 
  • Kincasslagh NS 
  • Ballyraine NS (Letterkenny) 
  • Termon NS 
  • Scoil Aodh Rua agus Nuala (Donegal Town) 

Post-primary Schools: 

Lifford Endowed Schools: collection includes rollbooks, registers, financial records, correspondence. 

St Eunans’ College: Three photographs from 1920’s. 

School St Eunan's 1921 

St. Eunan's College, 1921  

The majority of school records acquired in the County Archives are open to the public, once listed, and by agreement with the school. However, if there are any which are recent and of a sensitive nature, restricted access rules will apply. 

 

Donegal County Archives Service is happy to assist researchers in any way possible with their research. However the County Archives is not a genealogical institution and in general we cannot conduct detailed research for individuals. We will however carry out research for researchers in records that, for privacy reasons, cannot be made generally available to the public.

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