Dear Catherine, You wrote: "Let me see if I understand. If I can't find my relations on familysearch.org, albeit with little detail, it probably means that getting the films from the LDS library would be futile? " I think I would have to agree with that statement. The LDS have put 1864-80 ( with a few 1881) on the IGI online -BIRTHS only. Initially ,although they were presumably extracting from microfilm, year by year, and should have got ALL the births,there were mysterious gaps in the Irish civil reg extractions on the IGI records. A bit like turning over 2 pages without realising it. So they brought out Vital Records 1+ 2 to fill these blanks (I'm only talking about Ireland - the VR CDs cover ALL the UK) They were advertised as not containing names already on the IGI. When they first came out,that was definitely the case. Now,I've checked several names,and it looks like the Irish records on VR1+2 have been incorporated onto the IGI. Can't swear to it,of course..... If you want to see the names on the 1864 films for Galway etc. (vol.4,9,14,19) then you can do so without having to order the film. You just need to enter the batch numbers and "British Isles" on the IGI search form. In this case the batch numbers are: C701224 C701229 C701235 C701241 You have to make an allowance for the info. (above) about the missing names. Presumably,these will have been entered,at a later date, with a different batch number. And of course,you won't get the townland info,just the registration district. You can search any year/quarter,by batch number. Most people will not need to use this facility,but those of us like Tim, doing a broader search,it can be quite useful. Re your Pat Burke. Birth either pre 1864 (birthdates notoriously inaccurate in western Ireland) or just not registered. March 1864 was the first quarter of the first year of registration. It was new,and word spread slowly in such a rural backwater like Galway. If the family was already in the process of making the move to Scotland,registration probably wasn't high on their list of priorities. STAUNTON/STANTON is very much a Galway/Mayo name. For what it's worth,I think that the name is found most frequently in the west of Galway- Clifden,Outerard,Lettermore etc, Re: the half -brother/sister thing. Do you think that Patrick's mother was NOT Bridget Stanton? It might be better to get an Irish researcher to cover the Irish bit. Cathy