These records were kept in registers, commonly called Parish Registers. Each Parish kept it's own records. Catholic Parish Registers mainly contain christening and marriage records. Before you can search the Parish Registers you need to know which Parish your ancestors lived in and what was their religious affiliation. Most Parishes were villages with a church and a priest.
Larger towns have more than one Parish.
Skibberreen St. Finbarr St. Mary's Cath.