Search Ireland, Society of Friends (Quaker) births

There are provided both images of the original records and transcripts for each entry. You may be able to discover the following details about your ancestor’s birth:

• Name
• Gender
• Birth date
• Birth place
• Parish and city/county of birth
• Address
• Father’s name
• Father’s address, parish and city/county
• Father’s occupation
• Mother’s name
• Mother’s address, parish, city/county
• Mother’s occupation
• Meeting
• Description, archive, and reference

Due to data protection laws, all births that occurred less than 100 years ago have been suppressed from results.

Images may provide additional information, such as the names of any witnesses to the recorded birth.

The first Quaker in Ireland, William Edmundson, has been called the “father of Irish Quakers.” He was converted in 1653 after being introduced to the faith while serving in the Parliamentary Army at Chesterfield. After moving to Ireland, Edmundson opened the first meetinghouse in Lurgan, County Armagh, in 1654 where the first worship meeting was held that same year. He is further credited with the record keeping that has resulted in such a comprehensive collection of births, marriages, and deaths.

Births, marriages, and deaths were recorded at each monthly meeting of the Quakers. Most of these records date back to the mid-1600s, continuing to present-day. While the Quaker community is comparatively small, it has amassed a prolific collection of records.