Ballincollig Military Men and their families, 1810-1922

Some fabulous family history research awaits discovery in this September's Archive of the Month from the RCB Library, as Church of Ireland registers unlock the stories of military men and their families based at Ballincollig in Co Cork.

Title page from the Ballincollig Garrison Church
combined register of baptisms 1810-1864;
marriages 1823-1842 and burials 1813-1882.
RCB Library P695.1.1.

The details of some 2,187 people recorded in the registers of Ballincollig Garrison Chapel (Carrigrohane parish) have been recovered using the registers of baptisms, marriages and burials between 1810 and 1922, which are now in the safe custody of the RCB Library. A variety of additional resources has further unlocked their hidden stories, and the detailed searchable list is now available for a worldwide audience through the Library’s Archive of the Month slot.

The work has been carried out by local historian Anne Donaldson, who, over the course of several years diligently extracted all of the names and details of the soldiers mentioned in the garrison chapel registers. She then fleshed out details of the individuals using other primary sources and transferred them to a spreadsheet. A pdf copy of this spreadsheet is now available via the above link.

Speaking about the online launch of her work, Anne Donaldson said: ‘As a local historian with a passionate interest to recover the past, I set myself the task of trying to counteract the sad deficiency of lost evidence. This work has been underpinned by two aspirations: firstly to compile a record of as many names as possible for research by historians, genealogists and family members, which through the Church of Ireland website is fully searchable. Secondly the project is about reconciliation, celebrating Ireland’s rich and varied multiculturalism, and cherishing different identities.’

Speaking from the RCB Library, Dr Susan Hood, Librarian and Archivist, said: ‘Anne’s work and effort demonstrate what one person with knowledge and determination can achieve to unlock information from Church of Ireland registers kept safe through the generations, now shared for a worldwide audience. It has been a delight for the Library to collaborate with her on this project’.