What are the Civil Records

The Civil Records of Births, Marriages and Deaths are the official State records of Births, Marriages and Deaths in Ireland. The registers of births, marriages and deaths and the related indexes are maintained by the Registrar General in the General Register Office. The Index books can be viewed at the General Register Office, Werburgh Street, Dublin 2.

The General Register Office (Oifig An Ard-Chláraitheora) is the central civil repository for records relating to births, stillbirths, deaths, marriages, civil partnerships and adoptions in Ireland.

The General Register Office (GRO) operates under the aegis of the Department of Social Protection and has responsibility for the administration of the Civil Registration Service in Ireland. The General Register Office is located at Government Offices, Convent Road, Roscommon.

The Registrar General is responsible for managing and controlling the system of registration in Ireland, however, the Health Service Executive (HSE) is responsible for the day to day delivery of the Civil Registration Service through a network of local civil registration service offices across the State. (www.civilregistrationservice.ie)