Irish Emigration Database

The Irish Emigration Database (IED) is a virtual archive of original primary material which has been transcribed, digitised and is key-word searchable.  The documents within IED are related to historic Irish migration to North America from 1700-1950.  The collection policy has always been wide-ranging with 17 different categories of documents including emigrant letters, newspaper articles, shipping advertisements and passenger lists.  The project represents an important research resource for historians, teachers, students and genealogists with interests relating to historic Irish migration to both the United States and Canada.

The complete IED is available free of charge to visitors at the Centre, at all branch libraries of Libraries NI and at the Search Room of the Public Record Office of Northern Ireland (PRONI).

The IED is also accessible on-line at DIPPAM but does not include the Irish Ship Passenger Lists.

The Irish Ship Passenger Lists are available at the I.F.H.F (please note a small charge will be incurred).

During a visit by the Irish President in the summer of 2018, Mrs. Higgins explores the Irish Emigration Database

Our Mission:

The MCMS mission is ‘to serve the community as a leading international institution for the study of human migration, focusing on the peoples of Ireland world-wide’