One way traffic

[hallmark]

People in Ireland know their roots so don't need to go looking for them.

Finding those that left is difficult for us! As it insufficient census details etc. and their descendants might not be looking....

Scottish and English census records aren't free either!

[heywood]

Most English censuses invariably just have 'Ireland' as a birthplace.
My ancestor moved from Suffolk to Lancashire but his place of origin was recorded on most censuses.
I wonder why were Irish places of origin not recorded that often?
Just looking briefly at 1861 (nothing scientific) Welsh birthplaces seem to be shown much more than Scotland or Ireland.

[anniedwyer84]

@ Hallmark...I know my roots up until a certain point - but I don't know all of my roots. I'm from Ireland, and have an enormous amount of trouble finding out some stuff about my ancestors. The 1901 and 1911 Census is free, which can be a blessing but would be nice if the other census records were not burnt because it would be easier to get back another generation. I use www.rootsireland.ie for some record searching and have come across alot of records. I also use GRO Ireland to buy certs.

Annie

[Elwyn Soutter]

Most English censuses invariably just have 'Ireland' as a birthplace.
I wonder why were Irish places of origin not recorded that often?
Just looking briefly at 1861 (nothing scientific) Welsh birthplaces seem to be shown much more than Scotland or Ireland.

I think that the reason you generally only see “Ireland” as a place of  birth in an English census, is that that is all that was required. Where a more detailed answer is given, it’s a lucky bonus, but wasn’t required as a part of the census process. Here’s the enumerators’ instructions from the 1841 census. Presumably later censuses had similar guidance:

Whether in Scotland, Ireland, or Foreign Parts. –Write in this column, “S.” for those who were born in Scotland ;
“I.” for those born in Ireland ; and “F.” for Foreigners. This latter mark is to be used only for those who are subjects
of some Foreign State, and not for British subjects who happen to have been born abroad.

[myluck!]

Just as a note to Elwyn Soutter's comment

Women when they married took their husband's citizenship and I have come across one woman with an F in early census returns but with an exact place of birth in a later census; most likely the enumerator only spoke with the husband and made an assumption about the wife we'll never know!

The scarcity of records can be a problem searching in many places however the scarcity of family information is a greater problem!

Family research is never easy, never finished but ever satisfying!

[hallmark]

@ Hallmark...I know my roots up until a certain point - but I don't know all of my roots. I'm from Ireland, and have an enormous amount of trouble finding out some stuff about my ancestors. The 1901 and 1911 Census is free, which can be a blessing but would be nice if the other census records were not burnt because it would be easier to get back another generation. I use www.rootsireland.ie for some record searching and have come across alot of records. I also use GRO Ireland to buy certs.

Annie

Yes, it's all a matter of luck after that, church records, gravestones, Griffiths, etc plus if they owned land etc, finding leases, Wills, some Census fragments exist, Thrift's extracts of the various Census or similar.... I've found stuff for mine back to 1600's but am darned if I can find my Canadian ones who married in 1850's.