John Burns IRWIN of Rathmelton

[hevside]

Hi all
Can anyone offer me any suggestions re finding a recent birth certificate.

I am seeking John Burns IRWIN born 29 Aug 1928 (according to his English death cert)
His grandson believes the family were from Rathmelton and he travelled over to England in his teens and married in England in 1956. His marriage cert shows no father details at all so I am assuming an illegitimate birth.

I have applied to the GRO for a birth cert using these details but they are unable to find a matching entry.
On the 1911 census there are only 2 IRWIN families in Rathmelton. One in Aghangaddy Glebe has no suitable age ladies to be his mother. The other family at 7 Back Lane contains Hannah ( aged 8 ) and Mary (6), either of which could be the mother.

I've also checked births in Scotland and England to no avail.

Other than waiting until 2028 to search the records myself online, any suggestions?
Thanks
Heather

[Elwyn Soutter]

The middle name Burns can sometimes be a clue as to parentage with illegitimate births. The father might have been a Mr Burns. But without a birth certificate, you can’t be sure of anything. Who brought him up? It’s possible he adopted that family’s surname. (Formal adoption law wasn’t introduced in the Republic of Ireland till the 1950s. Prior to that children were just handed over to a relative or a couple willing to look after them, with little or no paperwork. And they would often give the child their surname).

If you know his denomination, you could perhaps search local baptism records to se if there’s a likely birth around 1928. They won’t be on-line. You would need to contact the relevant church(es).