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County Clare dates back to pre-history with the ancient stones and tombs that remain today a sign of the people that once lived there. It was once known as County Thomond. Here’s some things you may not have known about your Banner County ancestors.

1. Some of the surnames most commonly associated with County Clare include McMahon, O’Connor, Keane, Burke and Lynch.

2. Your Clare ancestors most likely worked in the county’s woolen mills, quarries, mines or power stations that were developed due to the extensive waterways there.

3. If you’re looking for Clare birth, marriage and death records, it useful to know the civil registration districts that lie within the county boundaries. There are 10 - Ballyvaughan, Corofin, Ennis, Ennistmon, Gort, Kiladysert, Kilrush, Limerick, Scarriff and Tulla.

4. The county’s population shrank dramatically during The Irish Famine as shown by Irish census records. In 1841 there were over 280,000 people living there. This dropped by over 70,000 just 10 years later.

5. There are so many sources available online to trace your County Clare ancestors including the exclusive Electoral Registers, 1860-1910 on Findmypast.

With over 5.9 million records on Findmypast related to County Clare, there’s never been a better time to start discovering your Banner County roots.

For more stories on tracing your Irish heritage from Findmypast click here.

*Originally published January 2015. 

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