Genealogy Centres in West Galway

West Galway Family History Society

Research Unit
Venture Centre
Liosbaun Estate
Tuam Road
Galway
Co Galway
Ireland

Some Galway Surnames

The chief surnames in West Galway include: Joyce, Conneely, Burke, O'Malley, McDonagh, Flaherty, Faherty, Mannion, Walsh and King.

Boston's Mayor James Michael Curley has West Galway family roots as has the actor Macauley Culkin, former Beatle Paul McCartney, Col. Reilly founder of the famous San Patricio Brigade and Archbishop Cooke of New York.

Services

This centre offers a Full Service to enquirers. Church records in the Galway west area have various starting dates:

  • The Roman Catholic records commence between 1789 and 1872 depending on the parish.
  • Church of Ireland (Anglican /Episcopalian) records commence between 1808 and 1841.
  • Records of the Presbyterian Church commence in 1833
  • Reccords of the Methodist Church commence between 1836 and 1860.
  • Civil records from their inception to 1922
  • Electors lists
  • Detailed Parish and Townland maps
  • Gravestone inscriptions
  • Indexed directories (Slater's, Pigot's and Thom's)
  • Parochial censuses (the oldest of which dates from 1821), lists of subscribers from the 1840s
  • Newspaper obituaries Encumbered Estates Court rentals
  • Workhouse
  • Gravestone inscriptions

The centre has built up an extensive collection of local family history publications.  

The centre has access to over a million records.

Emigration from County Galway

The period of the Great Famine (1845 -1851) was a time of particularly high emigration from this area. The chief destinations of West Galway emigrants were the U.S. cities of Boston, New York, Philadelphia. Others settled in New Brunswick, Canada and in New Zealand and Australia. There was also much seasonal migration from this area to the north of England and Scotland and many West Galway people settled there too.

The Great Famine dramatically altered and accelerated the rate and pattern of Galway emigration. Many thousands perished at that time. Such comments onm church records as '400 people from this parish died from Famine' bear testimony to this. Tens of thousands of people of Galway ancestry are to be found throughout the world today.

The Chief Towns of Co Galway

The main towns in West Galway are Galway City, Tuam, Clifden, Oughterard, Athenry and Kinvara. The Aran Islands and Inishbofin are also in this centre's catchment area.

In addition to providing a Full Service for those who wish to have their family roots traced this centre has some excellent publications for sale including:

  • The annual journal 'Galway Roots' (Vols. 1,2 and 3)
  • 'Forthill Cemetery'

Prices range from $4 to $10 plus postage. Write or phone for an exact quotation including postage costs to your country.