Christine: This is no guarantee of success, but one thing I try to do with a birth in Tipperary that occurs between 1838 and 1850 is to try and find the parent in the Primary Valuation index. This is basically a tax document, so you will only find the head of household, but when you are working with no precise location, sometimes it will help you narrow your search parameters. In Tipperary, in 1850, there were just 2 entries for a James Carr. One was in the civil parish of Nenagh, in the townland of Fawnlough. The other was in the civil parish of Loughmoe West, in the townland of Kilahara. Nenagh is part of the Killaloe Diocese, and has Catholic parish records that date back to 1792, though it does have some significant gaps in them. Loughmoe West is part of the Cashel and Emly diocese and has records that date back to 1798 and are virtually intact. It is unusual to find Catholic records for Ireland on the LDS site, so don't necessarily rely on that site as the end all be all for Catholic research. Civil registration of births in Ireland did not begin until 1864, so you will not find a birth record for Catherine and will have to rely only on baptismal records. Downie is not a spelling you will find in Tipperary, so you must also consider the Downey version of the name. This is a really unusual surname in Tipperary, so I'd probably also advise you to consider that it may not be correct. Under those circumstances, I have a tendency to check where in Tipperary I would find a James Carr in conjunction with the Downey surname. In 1850, that would have me sighting on the James Carr in Loughmoe, because in Thurles civil parish, less than 2 miles from Kilahara, I find a Downey entry. Basically, if it were me, I'd start looking for your girl in Loughmoe. As I said, it's no guarantee of success, but at least now you have a smaller area to start a search in! Unfortunately, as part of the Cashel Diocese, you may find you have to go through the Tipperary Heritage Unit. However, on the chance that you can get one of the priests in the parish to check the records for you, try writing Nativity of Our Lady, Loughmore, Templemore, Co. Tipperary. Good luck. Cindy Wood