Irish Catholic Parish Records To Go Online

John Grenham's Irish Roots column in the Irish Times is not-to-be-missed for avid Irish genealogists. In a recent column he wrote: 

The National Library has recently put out a request for tender for the digitisation of all of its Roman Catholic parish register microfilms. These microfilms cover 98% of the pre-1880 baptism, marriage and burial records kept by local parishes on the entire island, and are the single most important source of family history information for the vast majority of researchers. Indeed, in most cases they are the only source of family information before the start of state registration in 1864. 

 You can read the full story at http://www.irishtimes.com/ancestor/magazine/column/oct25_10.htm