This particular update draws from a range of material: surviving 19th century census records; marriage licence indexes; pre-1922 abstracts from exchequer and chancery court records; memorial inscriptions; biographical notices from newspapers; a large number of long forgotten published works on particular families and places; and memorials from Ireland's Registry of Deeds.
One of the rare books from which data is drawn is the Memoirs of the Fultons of Lisburn, which was published in 1903 and includes references not only to folk called Fulton, but many other associated families from the area.
Early BMD Index Project coordinator Roz McCutcheon says the book provides great detail, allowing long dead people to be easily identified. "Take Richard Fulton of Lisburn, as an example" she says. "We can conclude he was dead by April 1823, having outlived his wife, Elizabeth, whose maiden surname was Shanks, and who had died before him in July 1812 aged 60, and thus born about 1752."
"This particular update also draws heavily from Registry of Deeds memorials, access to which is now much easier since FamilySearch uploaded images of the old 1950s microfilms at the beginning of this year. Contrary to popular belief, the memorials make reference to all sorts of types and classes of people. A deed of 1808 allowed us to flesh out an entry in the death index to a widowed shopkeeper called Jane Rooney, noting her address as South Great George's, Dublin and her maiden surname as Kirk. It also linked her to her married sister, Matilda McDonnell."
The Society says there will be a further update of BMD data to the indexes before the end of the year.
You can search the databases here:
IGRS Early Irish Marriages Index - Free to all
IGRS Early Births Index - Name search only for non-members
IGRS Early Deaths Index - Name search only for non-members