While it is true most service and pension records will give you information do not expect a whole lot. Many of the men who volunteered for Civil or spanish American wars, didn't "always" put a location (city/town) though they probably put a county. Also, you will have a long wait getting the pension records-sometimes up to a year. I was really frustrated and finally called the NARA in Washington DC to find out how and why it was taking so long. I was lucky and found someone who got back to me within the week, and said they would get them right out, and that since ( at that time) I was coming thru the area if I wished to stop and pick up copies I could do so. It still took quite awhile to get the pension records but they did finally come-almost a year to the date of original request. I read quite anxiously my Grandfathers pension records that he had written, as being born in Liscarroll, Co. Cork.........no parents names at all was requested or given. Writing to Liscarroll parish Liscarroll itself yielded nothing, when I wrote to the parish preist ( with donation), and was told no one by that name ever in the parish ofr that church, or they had no records of the family anyway. Liscarroll parish, I since found has a few other RC churches, (not all of course go back to when I needed)but still have nothing at all to prove they came from that area.. So I am still pursuing any CARMODY's in that area, in a hope of one day finding an actual relative, and all of this took almost 35 years to find. All I had was a name-his name- no parents names except from death certificate when the right one was found. (And he died 8 years before I was born, and then after I was 6, had no relatives to ask questions.) I would advise while you wait that you check the British Census for 1881 (indexed) at your local FHC, and see if you can get any information from that. Many of our Irish ancestors went to England before finally immigrating to the USA. And remember many if not most of our Irish ancestors were very suspicious of giving any "true" information so there relatives at home would remain safe. Some of these ancestors were escaping for more than one reason, given the circumstances at the time in the 1851-1921 period. I am not trying to discourage anyone from going this route-but just to tell you they aren't going to answer immediatly, but I do wish you luck!!!!! Pat