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County Leitrim

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"Leitrim, a maritime county of Ireland, province of Connaught, bounded S by Roscommon and Sligo, W by the bay of Donegal, N by Donegal and Fermanagh, and E and SE by Cavan and Longford; 52 m. long and 16 in its greatest breadth, and 6 m. its least, containing 407,260 acres. The surface is extremely uneven, being composed of bogs and high mountains, which afford sufficient herbage for the breeding of cattle. The valleys are fertile, and watered with rivulets, and the mountains contains inexhaustible stores of lead, iron, and copper ores, and coal mines. Potatoes, barley, rye, and wheat, are cultivated in small quantities, and oats in greater abundance. Chief river, the Shannon. 2 members are retutned to parliament. Chief town, Carrick. Pop. 105,976."[From The New London Gazetteer (1826)]

"COUNTY LEITRIM, a maritime county in the province of Connaught, in the N.W. of Ireland, bounded on the N. by Donegal Bay and the counties of Donegal and Fermanagh, on the E. by Fermanagh and Cavan, on the S. by Longford, and on the W. by Roscommon and Sligo. Its greatest length, N. to S., is 51 miles, and its breadth varies from 5½ to 26 miles. The circuit is about 134 miles, of which 4 miles, in Donegal Bay, are sea-coast. The area is 613 square miles, or 392,363 acres, of which 249,350 are arable, 115,869 uncultivated, 3,396 planted, and 23,748 covered by water. It extends from 53° 45' to 54° 29' N. lat., and from 7° 53' to 8° 8' W. longitude. According to the geographer Ptolemy, Leitrim, with Fermanagh and Cavan, was occupied by the tribe of Erdini, or Erneigh, and this district subsequently was known as Breifne, or Brenny. Leitrim was known as West Breifne, Hy-Brinia-Breifne, or Breifne O'Rourk, the former name arising from Brian, son of Eachod, the first Scotch king of Connaught, and the latter from the chief family in the district; while Cavan was called Breifne O'Reily, from the name of the ruling family there. ....More " [Description from The National Gazetteer of Great Britain and Ireland (1868) Transcribed by Colin Hinson ©2018]

"COUNTY LEITRIM, a county, of which a very small portion is maritime, in the province of CONNAUGHT, bounded on the west by the counties of Sligo and Roscommon, on the south by that of Longford, on the east by those of Cavan and Fermanagh, and on the north by that of Donegal and by Donegal bay. It extends from 53° 45' to 54° 29' (N. Lat.) and from 7° 33' to 8° 8' (W. Lon.); and comprises, according to the Ordnance survey, 420,375 statute acres, of which 266,640 are cultivated land, 128,167 are unimproved mountain and bog, and 25,568 are under water. The population, in. 1821, was 124,785, and in 1831, 141,303.....More [Transcription from A Topographical Dictionary of Ireland - Samuel Lewis - 1837 Mel Lockie ©2013]

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Archives & Libraries

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Cemeteries

Leitrim Cemetery Records - on IGP

Leitrim Headstone photographs - on IGP

Cemeteries in County Leitrim - on Find a grave

County Leitrim Cemetery Records - on interment.net

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Census

National Censuses/Substitutes, list - on fianna

1911 census FHLC numbers - on fianna

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Church History

Leitrim Church photographs - on IGP

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Church Records

Leitrim Church Records - on IGP

Leitrim Roman Catholic Records - on Irish Ancestors

County Leitrim; Roman Catholic Records  - on fianna

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Civil Registration

Leitrim Vital Records - on IGP

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Description & Travel

County Leitrim on wikipedia

‘Leitrim is divided into the following five baronies:-Carrigallen, Dyomahaire, Leitrim, Mohill, and Rossclogher, which contain 14 parishes and parts of 3 others. There are four market towns-Carrick-on-Shannon, Manorhamilton, Ballinamore, and Mohill. The first mentioned is the county, assize, and sessions town; the first three have quarter sessions courts; and the first two, with Mohill, are the heads of Poor-law Unions.” [Description from The National Gazetteer of Great Britain and Ireland (1868) Transcribed by Colin Hinson ©2018]

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Directories

List of national commercial directories - on fianna

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Emigration & Immigration

Leitrim Immigration Records - on IGP

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Gazetteers

The transcription for this county from the National Gazetteer (1868), provided by Colin Hinson.

The transcription for this county from the 1837 Lewis's Topographical Dictionary of Ireland  [Mel Lockie ©2013]

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Genealogy

The Ireland Genealogy Project's County Leitrim page, and its listing of the Project's available Leitrim Records.

The Irish Ancestors website (subscription) has the following types of records: State Registration of Births, Marriages & Deaths, Census returns, Land records, Church records, Genealogical Office records, Gravestone inscriptions, Directories, Newspapers, Wills, Deeds, and Occupations.

Irish Ancestors' extensive County Leitrim website.

The LDS FamilySearch Wiki's Ireland Online Genealogy Records.

The Fianna website's pages for County Leitrim provide important addresses and extensive information about online and other genealogy resources.

Roots Ireland (subscription) "offers access to a unique database of more than 20 million Irish records". Its Leitrim coverage includes Baptismal/Birth Records, Marriage Records, Burial/Death Records, Gravestone Inscriptions, Griffith's Valuation (Free Access), and Census Substitutes.

The Leitrim-Roscommon Home Page

Leitrim-Roscommon Surnames List

Leitrim-Roscommon Townland search engine - an extensive and very useful database

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Historical Geography

Leitrim Civil Parishes - on Irish Ancestors

List of townlands in county Leitrim on wikipedia

See the Liatroim​/​Leitrim page on logainm.ie which has links to county Leitrim civil parish pages

  • "The Placenames Database of Ireland was created by Fiontar & Scoil na Gaeilge in collaboration with The Placenames Branch (Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht). This is a comprehensive management system for data, archival records and placenames research conducted by the State. It is a public resource for Irish people at home and abroad, and for all those who appreciate the rich heritage of Irish placenames."
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History

“The county infirmary is situated at Carrick, and dispensaries in that town and at Ballinamore, Carrigallen, Drumsna, Kinlough, Kiltubrid, Manorhamilton, and Mohill. Leitrim has the right of sending 34 patients to the Connaught lunatic asylum at Ballinasloe.”[Description from The National Gazetteer of Great Britain and Ireland (1868) Transcribed by Colin Hinson ©2018]

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Land & Property

Searchable database of Griffiths Valuation for Leitrim and Roscommon

Leitrim Landowners 1870 - on IGP

Griffiths Valuation 1856 for county Leitrim

Griffiths Valuation 1847/64 on the Ask about Ireland site. Use the search box to bring up entries showing Barony/Parish/Townlands and lists of Occupants

The Tithe Applotment Books for county Leitrim and its  parishes are available online on the National Archives of Ireland website (free).

  • The Tithe Applotment Books were compiled between 1823 and 1838 as a survey of land in each civil parish to determine the payment of tithes (a religious tax). Unlike Griffith's Valuation they do not cover cities or towns.
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Military Records

Leitrim Military & Constabulary Records - on IGP

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Monumental Inscriptions

Leitrim Headstone photographs - on IGP

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Names, Personal

Surnames found in Leitrim Co 1100 thru 1600 - on IGP

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Obituaries

Leitrim Obituaries - on IGP

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Occupations

“The climate is cold and damp, and subject to sudden changes. The land is more suited for grazing than for agriculture, and though the dairies are neither large nor numerous, still, as nearly each family possesses a cow or two, large quantities of butter are made for exportation to England. The best breeds are a cross between the old Leicester and Durham for the lowlands, and between the Leicester and the native long-horn for the uplands. The new Leicester breed of sheep, or a cross between that breed and the sheep of the country, are found to thrive exceedingly well. The breed of pigs is not so good as in other parts of Ireland, and the horses are not equal to those of-Longford, Roscommon, and Sligo. The agricultural capabilities of the county are not sufficiently developed, and modern improvements are but sparingly used. The most fertile tracts are the valleys of the Shannon, Rinn, and Bonnet, and the flat country in the S.W. of the county. The chief crops are oats, potatoes, and flax, but wheat, barley, and clover are becoming more common. Good orchards and kitchen gardens are found attached to most of the farmhouses. The food of the country people is chiefly oaten bread and potatoes, with buttermilk and fish. Meat is not within the reach of the lower classes.” [Description from The National Gazetteer of Great Britain and Ireland (1868) Transcribed by Colin Hinson ©2018]

“The manufactures in the county are unimportant, the principal being the spinning of flax and weaving of linen. Friezes, flannels, and other coarse woollen stuffs are also made,and the flannel especially is considered as good as any made in Ireland. At Dromahaire and Leitrim a considerable quantity of common pottery is manufactured.‘[Description from The National Gazetteer of Great Britain and Ireland (1868) Transcribed by Colin Hinson ©2018]

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Periodicals

From Fianna:

Leitrim Guardian (annual),
Mr. N. Moloney, Hon. Secretary, Ballinamore
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Politics & Government

History of the Irish Parliament - County Leitrim on the  Ulster Historical Foundation site

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Probate Records

Leitrim Wills - on IGP