bdmonline - press release

New Public Death Register launch

Item 1 - General Information on the background to Irelands online Public Death Register

Item 2 - Press Release issued in October 2008


Item 1
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Welcome to the launch of our new link which is a Public Death Register (PDR) and provides a listing of people we are aware of who have died in Ireland or who were originally from Ireland. This link has just been launched on our Government sponsored website www.birthsdeathmarriages.ie.

This Free to view Link came about as a result of years of people telling us heart wrenching stories about receiving letters from Hospitals, TD’s, etc who did not know that a family member had passed away.

Like all new ventures, it will take time to obtain a comprehensive listing but with the help from the general public this can be easily achieved as more and more people submit information on their deceased family members for a mere administration fee of €7.50 from April 2009. In the meantime however, to help obtain as much information as possible on all death records up to present day, any individuals, organisations, Funeral Directors, Solicitors, Nursing Homes etc. who wish to provide us with any additions for the Public Death Register can do so FREE OF CHARGE up to the 30th July 2009 due to so many enquires from the public to extend the date from March 17th 2009. The information we require to validate and place an entry on the Public Death Register Listing can be seen by clicking on our PRESS RELEASE link towards the top of the www.birthsdeathsmarriages.ie website Homepage (as seen below this general information)

Please note that all persons who obtain Death Certificates through www.birthsdeathsmarriages.ie, the deceased’s information will be automatically added to the Public Death Register Free of Charge.

Remember, the purpose of this link is for the public to view FREE OF CHARGE, limited information on anyone who has died in Ireland and also for Irish immigrants whose families want to recognise their passing. Typically when a person dies it is a family member who has to obtain documentation from the family doctor or hospital and they must then must go to any Civil Registration Office to officially have the person registered as having passed away – it is only when this is done that a Death Certificate can be obtained. Those who can actually register a death other than family members include, Nursing Homes, Convents etc., as there may not be a living blood relative to carry out these residents registrations. Currently, aside from Notices in local and national newspapers, there is no other way for members of the public, to include companies / organisastions who wish carry out mail-shots to people in certain areas for marketing, medical, past pupils or electoral purposes, to check a reliable source of information to avoid causing stress to families who receive communications addressed to deceased members many years after a loved one has passed away.

Furthermore, for those wishing to research their family genealogy, accurate information is now been collated for generations to come and our growing database will assist families in probate and other legal matters that can arise. More details on each entry will be available under certain conditions for viewing in the near future.

It will ultimately be the responsibility of all companies and organisations to regularly check the PDR Listing before they undertake mailshots.


Item 2
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PRESS RELEASE

Friday 3rd October 2008

IRELANDS ONLY ONLINE CERTIFICATE SERVICE, www.birthsdeathsmarriages.ie, announce a NEW Online Public Death Register. The purpose of this new Register is to continue to compile a database of all notified deaths that have taken place in the Republic of Ireland since records first began. This new database will serve as a reputable and reliable source of information for institutions and individuals to ensure that there is now place where this information can be accessed to avoid nuisance communications to relatives of the deceased.

Public demand which was followed by extensive market research resulted in the compilation of this new Public Death Register. The research concluded that regularly, deceased relatives were being mailed from various sources, sometimes on a regular basis many years after a death, because their loved ones had not been removed from e.g. Electoral Registers or Direct Mailing Lists. Relatives of suicide and sudden death syndrome victims also played a huge part in the formation of this Register along with relatives of deceased persons who passed away while abroad who were similarly distressed. Having somebody you care about die while abroad for some families was traumatizing enough and although accepting that they could not obtain an Irish Death Certificate (it must be obtained from the country where the person actually died), they advised that they felt there was no means of people finding out into the future of their sad loss. Electoral Representatives as well as Members from An Garda Siochana have welcomed this information under the freedom of information act as it will allow easy accees to help prevent fraudulent use of deceased persons information.

The initial Register will be compiled from Death Certificates obtained through www.birthsdeathsmarriages.ie. All Certificates obtained through this website are automatically entered onto the Public Death Register. Families with an original Death Certificate in their possession, whether it is a death of an Irish Citizen that occurred at home or abroad, will now be able to send us in a copy of an original fully registered Death Certificate. All names added to the list will be FREE OF CHARGE until 17th March 2009.PLEASE NOTE This date has been extended till July 30th 2009 due to requests from the public to register. After this date, a small administration fee of €7.50 (postal order or cheque) will apply. Credit Card and Laser Card payments can be phoned through to our Administration Section.

To check and see if a particular person is on this list, within a few weeks you will be able to log on to our website www.birthsdeathsmarriages.ie, click onto "PUBLIC DEATH REGISTER" and search for names of the deceased, knowing that their name has been registered for Public viewing / information and not wishing to receive unwanted mail or solicitation of any kind.

Please note the information of a deceased person which is required to place information on the PDR is as follows :
* First Name
* Surname (and Maiden Name if Married Lady)
* Date of Death
* Place of Death - Full Address (e.g. Nursing Home / Hospital / Home Address etc..)
* Age
* Family / Home address at time of death
* Name & contact details of Person registering the information

Births Deaths Marriages is a Government sponsored initiative through the Department of Enterprise, Trade & Employment and the NDP (National Development Plan)

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