Although most, if not all, of the records housed in the Four Courts building were lost to the fire which resulted from shelling during the Irish Civil War, it is important to keep the loss in perspective. If all the records were restored today, it would not make it a cakewalk for those of us who descend from humble folk. The most serious loss was the burning up of the census returns of 1821 to 1851. Census returns from 1861-1891 were destroyed prior to 1922. The government decided that since the returns were obtained on forms which stated that they would not be reproduced or used for anything other than statistical purposes, the government (Great Britain) decided to destroy them by burning. The records destroyed in the shelling and subsequent fire were the equivalent of the contents of a Public Record Office. The records included records of the Irish Parliament, Deeds (land and other type), Wills, Patents, Manorial Records, and Parish Records of the Church of Ireland, among others. Still existing are most Roman Catholic Parish records, Tithe Applotments, Land Office Records such as tax levies and updates, Griffith's Evaluations, many Poor Law Union records, Estate Records which remained in private hands at the time of the war, Birth, Marriage and Death records from 1864, and Encumbered Estates records. The Roman Catholic Parish records are only as good as the limitation on their original compilation, i.e., most RC parish priests did not keep records before about 1820. If they did keep records, they were carried around on their person or stashed in a less secure environment where rain, mice, or fire could cause difficulties. Add to that, many parish priests were only moderately educated in penmanship and Latin translation. This is by way of a saying that the Burning of the Four Courts was not a tragedy which made our genealogical lives impossible. For descendants of the Bog Irish such as myself, it only made it a little more difficult. Fortunately for most of us descended from mid 19th Century Irish families, many of their direct descendants are alive today, living in the same communities, and can be found with some perseverance. Take heart! Sheila