Content The earliest newspapers in Ireland date from the seventeenth century but these, and those of the succeeding century, contain little material of genealogical interest. In the context of a country whose population was largely illiterate, the proliferation of newspapers throughout Ireland in the nineteenth century is particularly surprising. Such early newspapers however differ greatly in content from the present day. Little local reporting was undertaken with the notable exceptions of the criminal trials at the Assizes and verbatim reports of meetings such as the Poor Law Guardians or political gatherings.
Advertisements also feature and record the presence of local businesses, merchants, tradesmen, etc.
While Newspapers can be a valuable source of genealogical information, it must be remembered that they relate to a relatively small proportion of the population, primarily the middle and upper classes. In addition their usefulness is restricted by a general absence of indexing which results in an excessive amount of time being required to find a relevant report. The content of a newspaper report varies from a simple listing of name of accused and sentence to a comprehensive account of the trial. The information contained therein may provide vital clues regarding family, place of origin, etc which will direct further research. Official convict and transportation records normally indicate place and date of trial, and hence facilitate a search of newspapers.