Records in Ireland are very much a hit-or-miss affair. Until Catholic Emancipation in 1830, a lot of the Catholic Church's activities in Ireland had to be "underground." Hence, no records where the enemy could get at them. While there were censuses conducted in Ireland throughout the 19th century, starting in 1821, all but scattered bits of the underlying data for the 1821/31/4151/61/71/81 and 1891 censuses were destroyed by one means or another, accidental or deliberate. (By contrast, the 1901 and 1911 census records are admirably complete, and you can find out all sorts of neat things).

(National Archives of Ireland: The original census returns for 1861 and 1871 were destroyed shortly after the censuses were taken. Those for 1881 and 1891 were pulped during the First World War, probably because of the paper shortage. The returns for 1821, 1831, 1841 and 1851 were, apart from a few survivals, notably for a few counties for 1821 and 1831, destroyed in 1922 in the fire at the Public Record Office at the beginning of the Civil War.)

Thus, the further back you go, things can get a bit sketchy, especially if your ancestors hail from a relatively remote area, like Killaloe Parish in County Clare, far out in the west-central part of Ireland. What you see here is the oldest family record I know of, the baptism of my great-great grandfather Michael Costelloe [sic -- the final "e" tended to wink on and off well into the 20th century, and Costelloe is still a common spelling in Clare), on February 15, 1837. It's also the only record I know of that lists my great-great-great grandparents, John and Bridget Costelloe. (It's far down on the left hand side of the page.)

One amusing thing is how the name was recorded in the book: C O S T E L E A C H. My literary historian uncle said that was likely someone's attempt to render the Irish version of my name (pronounced CUSH-tel-ah) into English.

This sort of thing does inform some of my writing, you know. Elfhame is, in part, based on Connaught (of which Co. Clare is a part), and the obsession that the Fifth of His Name has about his ancestors -- most of whom he never met, except in spirit form, is in part a reflection of my detachment from my ancestors. I have seen the census reports from 1901 and 1911 for Michael (he just barely lived to be recorded in the latter), and I've seen a picture of his grave. Other than that, no photos of him.

As for my great-great-great grandparents, this, as I say, is the only record I have of them, one shadowy reference in a document. Did they survive the Great Hunger that poleaxed County Clare a decade or so later? Obviously, Michael survived, but how many of his kin didn't, or how many emigrated to America?

I may never know the answers.