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Andy McMenemy

I thought I'd provide a few background comments that may help:

1. When checking the spelling of your name when doing family history research do remember the other likely variants. It could be that after leaving home the spelling changed dramatically. Same goes for christian name, Bridget can be spelled Brigid and Hugh Heugh. If you only search for the one spelling you may miss the vital record you seek. Older dates of birth can also be difficult as many of the ages were written down as a result of guesswork by the person giving the information particularly where the family was illiterate.
2. Roman Catholic records are difficult to research because between 1600s and 1864 it was against the law in Ireland for Roman Catholic Births, Deaths, and Marriages to be officially recorded. They would only exist in parish registers if the priest took the trouble to enter them. Many BDMs were not recorded until months after the event if ever, because priests may have had to journey long distances to perform the ceremonies.
3. A large proportion of the official records stored in Dublin were destroyed by fire in 1922 during the "Irish Rebellion". Two of the best records for Irish families are "The Tithes Applotment Registers 1823-1837, which recorded the head the household for all Ireland so that a tax could be collected for the "Official" church which was the Church of Ireland. Everybody regardless of religion had to pay it.  The other is "Griffiths Property Valuations" which showed the names of all property owners and their tenants in the 1850s.