This page provides information and guidance to people affected by institutionalisation and forced family separation about how to access records relating to their situation. Please note that new information is constantly coming to light and we encourage you to check this page regularly for updates.
1. adopted people & boarded/nursed out people
birth information and tracing act
On 3rd October 2022 a new system opened which allows certain individuals to apply for information and records under the Birth (Information and Tracing) Act 2022. Under the BirthInfo system, you can apply for your birth certificate and various records, information and items under a number of categories. These categories can be confusing, and if you wish to avail of all records that you are entitled to, we recommend that you select all options. We also strongly recommend that you apply to both Tusla and the Adoption Authority of Ireland for your records.
For detailed guidance on how to apply, please see the Clann Project and Article Eight Advocacy Interim Guide. Please note that parts of the guide may be out of date as there have been minor changes to the operation of the system. Our FAQ page contains updates and other relevant information that has come to light since the legislation was enacted.
General Data Protection Regulation (adopted/boarded out people)
As the BirthInfo system does not provide access to all records, we strongly recommend that you also apply for information and records by submitting subject access requests (SARs) under the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). When you submit your GDPR SAR, please ensure that you request a schedule of your records, as it will assist you in ascertaining whether records have been withheld from you. For guidance on how to submit a SAR, please see the Article Eight Advocacy GDPR guide on this page.
We recommend that you send subject access requests to the following categories of data controller:
- Tusla (datacontroller@tusla.ie)
- The Adoption Authority (DataProtection@aai.gov.ie)
- Any hospital(s), nursing homes or other institutions where you spent time
- The church in which you were baptised (see the section below on church records)
- Any other institutions, individuals or agencies that were involved in your adoption
While a GDPR SAR will give you access to some records that are deemed ineligible under the BirthInfo system, there are some records on your file(s) that will be withheld under both GDPR and BirthInfo. In other cases, records may be redacted. In the next section we explain how to identify withheld records and where to find guidance on challenging the redaction and withholding of records.
RECORDS REDACTED AND WITHHELD UNDER THE BIRTHINFO SYSTEM
As stated above, neither the BirthInfo system nor the GDPR will provide access to all records relating to your situation. Under the BirthInfo system you are not entitled to a schedule of records held about you, however, this should be provided to you under GDPR (if not write to the data controller and ask them to provide one). You can use the GDPR schedule to identify what records have been provided and which ones have been withheld. Indeed, scanned records held by Tusla often contain page numbers, which can be helpful in identifying and discussing withheld records with Information Officers. If records have been redacted and/or withheld from you, please see our FAQ page for guidance on how to challenge these practices.
CIVIL REGISTRATION RECORDS (ADOPTED/BOARDED OUT PEOPLE)
The civil registration records held by the General Register Office (GRO) can be used to further your research, e.g., when searching for your mother, father, siblings or other relatives. All civil registration records are public documents, and you are entitled to access them just like any other citizen.
Older records are available free of charge on the Irish Genealogy website here. The following years are currently available:
- Births: 1864-1924
- Marriages: 1845-1949
- Deaths: 1871-1974
Updates on available records can be found on this page: https://www.irishgenealogy.ie/faq/.
For records after the above dates, you can either visit the GRO Research Room (see the Adoption Rights Alliance Information Guide here), or you can avail of the GRO’s email search service (recommended).
To avail of this service, send an email to GROResearchRoom@welfare.ie with ‘search request’ in the subject line. For example, if you are searching for birth records, your request should be worded along the following lines:
To whom it concerns:
I would like to request a search for all births with the surname [INSERT SURNAME] between [YEAR] and [YEAR].
Yours sincerely,
[YOUR NAME]
If for example, you are seeking a death record for your relative and you know their date of death and where they died, you might phrase your request as follows:
To whom it concerns:
I would like to request a search for the death registration of [name of relative], date of death [insert date of death]. I believe s/he died in [insert location].
Yours sincerely,
[Your name]
If you do not know your relative’s year and/or location of death, your request might be phrased along the following lines:
To whom it concerns:
I would like to request a search for all deaths in the name of [name of relative] between [insert year] and [insert year].
Yours sincerely,
[Your name]
The GRO might respond and tell you that your search will likely yield a large number of results and you may wish to narrow it down further, e.g., by providing a location. If this happens, don’t worry, you can simply respond to them and ask that they proceed as per your original request.
Once you have sent your email you will receive a response with a payment link. When your payment is processed, and if you have requested a search of all births/deaths, the GRO will respond to you with a database which is a digitised extract from the relevant register. Below we have provided a redacted sample of what a database generated from the Register of Births looks like. The columns outline: (1) the child’s full name; (2) year of birth; (3) sex; (4) date of birth; (5) mother’s maiden name; and (6) registration district. If you are searching for non-marital births, the entries which are of interest to you are those where the child’s surname and the mother’s maiden name are the same. See the Adoption Rights Alliance Information Guide for further information on how to research further. Please note, the ARA guide is currently out of date and the GRO email service can be availed of in lieu of a visit to the Research Room.
When you have identified entries which are of interest to you, you can request photocopies (of the entry in the register) for each of these. These cost €5 each, and to make the request email the GRO again (at GROResearchRoom@welfare.ie) and ask for photocopies of the relevant entries, providing the necessary information (which will be available on the list of entries from your first request). For example, if you are requesting photocopies of entries from the Register of Births, your request might be worded along the following lines:
To whom it concerns:
I wish to request photocopies of the following entries in the Register of Births:
[Name] [Date of Birth] [Mother’s Maiden Name] [Registration District]
[Name] [Date of Birth] [Mother’s Maiden Name] [Registration District]
Yours sincerely,
See the Adoption Rights Alliance Information Guide for further information on how to narrow down the records which you have obtained.
baptismal/church records
If you wish, you can send a subject access request to the church in which you were baptised for a copy of all records relating to you/your baptism (usually an entry in the baptismal register). In most cases, the baptismal register will record the name of your mother, your sponsor and your adoptive parents. Please note you are entitled to a scan of all original documentation relating to you/your baptism. If the church gives you information from the Register of Baptisms in lieu of a scan, we recommend that you respond as follows:
Dear [NAME]
Thank you for your response to my subject access request of [DATE] I am contacting you now as there is an issue with that response.
Please note that Article 15 (3) of the General Data Protection Regulation states:
The controller shall provide a copy of the personal data undergoing processing.
In your response you provided the information contained in the Register of Baptisms, which is a description of the data and not a full and complete copy of the data itself, i.e., a scan of the original document(s).
I would be obliged if you could provide me with scans of all original documentation relating to me.
Yours sincerely,
[YOUR NAME]
illegal adoptions/illegal birth registrations
People who were illegally adopted/whose births were illegally registered can apply for information and records under the BirthInfo system. Section 2.6 of the Adoption Rights Alliance Information Guide provides further information and guidance on how to locate records.
people who were sent to the united states for adoption
Most people who were sent to the US for adoption can apply for information and records under the BirthInfo system. Section 2.4 of the Adoption Rights Alliance Information Guide provides further information and guidance on how to obtain records.
2. mothers
birth information and tracing act
If your child died in an institution listed in the Birth (Information and Tracing) Act 2022, you can apply for information and records under the BirthInfo system. As stated above, we strongly recommend that you apply to both Tusla and the Adoption Authority of Ireland for your records.
For detailed guidance on how to apply, please see the Clann Project and Article Eight Advocacy Interim Guide. Please note that parts of the guide may be out of date as there have been minor changes to the operation of the system. Our FAQ page contains updates and other relevant information that has come to light since the legislation was enacted.
Unfortunately, only mothers and relatives of children who died in certain institutions can apply for information and records under the BirthInfo system. However, there are still a number of options open to you, and each of these is set out below.
adoption authority of ireland (mothers)
If your son or daughter was legally adopted, the first step is to contact the Adoption Authority at records@aai.gov.ie and request the name of the agency that dealt with your daughter/son’s adoption (if you don’t already know it), and the date of your daughter/son’s adoption order. Below we have provided a sample letter which you may find helpful:
To whom it concerns:
I would like to request the name of the adoption agency that arranged my daughter/son’s adoption. The details are as follows:
Name of child at birth:
Child’s Date of Birth:
My address at time of birth:
I would also like to request the date of the Adoption Order for my daughter/son’s adoption.
Yours sincerely,
[YOUR NAME]
If you do not know or are unsure of your daughter/son’s date of birth, don’t worry, this is not uncommon. Please see the next section for information on how to find your daughter/son’s birth certificate at the General Register Office.
civil registration records (mothers)
If you don’t already have your son/daughter’s birth certificate, you should order a copy to make sure you have all the correct information. Certificates can be ordered at the following link: https://www2.hse.ie/services/births-deaths-and-marriages/order/
If you are unsure of your son/daughter’s date of birth, you can email the GRO at GROResearchRoom@welfare.ie and ask for the following:
To whom it concerns:
I would like to request a search for all births with the surname [YOUR MAIDEN NAME] in [YOUR CHILD’S YEAR OF BIRTH]. My daughter/son was born in [INSERT TOWN/COUNTY].
Yours sincerely,
[YOUR NAME]
As indicated above, once you have sent your email you will receive a response with a payment link. When your payment is processed, you should receive an email with the details.
When you have your daughter/son’s birth certificate, you should email the GRO again at GROResearchRoom@welfare.ie and ask for a general search of all entries in the Index to the Adopted Children’s Register for your daughter/son’s date of birth. When you get the the list of entries, email the GRO again (GROResearchRoom@welfare.ie) and ask for photocopies of each of those entries. When you receive the photocopies, you should check which one matches the date of your daughter/son’s adoption order, which was provided to you by the Adoption Authority. The matching entry should be your daughter or son. The photocopy will contain your daughter/son’s adoptive name, their adoptive parents’ names and the address at the time of the adoption.
GENERAL DATA PROTECTION REGULATION (MOTHERS)
Like adopted/boarded out people, mothers are entitled under EU law to apply for information and records under the GDPR. Article Eight Advocacy has provided guidance on how to do so on this page.
We recommend that you send subject access requests to the following categories of data controller:
- Tusla (datacontroller@tusla.ie)
- The Adoption Authority (DataProtection@aai.gov.ie)
- Any hospital(s), nursing homes or other institutions where you/your child spent time
- Any other institutions, individuals or agencies that were involved in your daughter/son’s adoption
3. relatives of mothers or adopted people
birth information and tracing act
If you are a relative of a child who died in an institution listed in the Birth (Information and Tracing) Act 2022 , or a relative of an adopted or boarded out person who is deceased, you can apply for information and records under the BirthInfo system. As stated above, we strongly recommend that you apply to both Tusla and the Adoption Authority of Ireland for records.
For detailed guidance on how to apply, please see the Clann Project and Article Eight Advocacy Interim Guide. Please note that parts of the guide may be out of date as there have been minor changes to the operation of the system. Our FAQ page contains updates and other relevant information that has come to light since the legislation was enacted.
Unfortunately, most relatives of mothers or adopted people who are deceased are excluded from the BirthInfo system. We hope that the guidelines for mothers in the previous section will be of assistance. Additionally, while Tusla and the Adoption Authority now hold most adoption agency records, depending on your circumstances, you may need to contact one or more religious orders in the course of your research. You can find guidance on how to approach these communications in the Justice for Magdalenes Research Guide for Relatives.
4. magdalene survivors and relatives
If you are a Magdalene survivor or a relative of a former Magdalene woman, you can find information on accessing records at the following links:
5. industrial and reformatory school survivors
The My Data Rights website aims to assist survivors of Irish Industrial and Reformatory Schools to use the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) to access their personal information, including records of the testimony that they gave to a previous inquiry or redress process.
Click here to read the My Data Rights Information Guides on:
- Making a Data Subject Access Request, and
- Making a Complaint to the Data Protection Commission.
6. commission of investigation records
If you gave evidence to the Mother and Baby Homes Commission of Investigation, you can send a subject access request to the Department of Children, Disability and Equality. For guidance on how to do so, please see the relevant Article Eight Advocacy guide on this page.