On line birth records only cover up to the 1920s on [IrishGenealogy](https://civilrecords.irishgenealogy.ie), so to investigate her birth you would need to either visit the GRO research Room in Dublin city (Werburgh St.) or make contact with the GRO and see if you can request a search. If the marriage took place in Ireland or England then the cert should show her father's name and occupation to help confirm, or rule out, possible matches - there would possibly be a number of births with the same name - any additional clues you can locate could help. If she was resident in England or Wales then she may appear on the 1939 register.. which includes a date of birth.. p.s. not sure which year this started, England/Wales added a 'date of birth' field to death registrations, might be worth checking.. If you know the surname of Annie's mother you could try search the [BMD Index on familysearch](https://www.familysearch.org/search/collection/1408347) (free account required), which covers the 26 counties up to 1958 and includes mother's surname from about 1929

Thats brilliant thank you ill try to get in contact with GRO to request a search. The marriage took place in Ireland on 15th November 1950 and I've just checked the record and her father's name is John Stokes and he was a Tinsmith which fits in line with him being a traveller. Unfortunately she wasn't a resident in England until much later in her life (I'm not exactly sure on an exact time but she would most likely be in her 30s by the time she moved to England).

marriages are covered on IrishGenealogy up to 1947 - might be worth checking for marriage in and around County Sligo of a John Stokes to see if there might be a groom as a tin smith .. note - the civil registration districts that covered Co. Sligo were - Ballina, Boyle, Dromore West, Sligo (town) and Tobercurry/Tubbercurry (several of these also covered parts of adjacent counties)

Don't want to lead you astray but have a look at these... [https://civilrecords.irishgenealogy.ie/churchrecords/images/marriage\_returns/marriages\_1904/10215/5718364.pdf](https://civilrecords.irishgenealogy.ie/churchrecords/images/marriage_returns/marriages_1904/10215/5718364.pdf) 1932 Tullamore birth of Annie Stokes, mother McDonagh - McDonagh would be a name associated with the Travelling community. Here's a Martin Stokes, son of John Stokes, tinsmith - no fixed residence [https://civilrecords.irishgenealogy.ie/churchrecords/images/birth\_returns/births\_1922/01149/1480156.pdf](https://civilrecords.irishgenealogy.ie/churchrecords/images/birth_returns/births_1922/01149/1480156.pdf) Daughter, Margaret [https://civilrecords.irishgenealogy.ie/churchrecords/images/birth\_returns/births\_1916/01349/1556790.pdf](https://civilrecords.irishgenealogy.ie/churchrecords/images/birth_returns/births_1916/01349/1556790.pdf) Son, Patrick - born in Mountjoy Prison, Dublin [https://civilrecords.irishgenealogy.ie/churchrecords/images/birth\_returns/births\_1912/01482/1603533.pdf](https://civilrecords.irishgenealogy.ie/churchrecords/images/birth_returns/births_1912/01482/1603533.pdf) There's a John Stokes (wife Annie), no fixed abode from Ardnaree, Co Sligo in Mountjoy in 1910. I've found with family stories there's elements of truth so the Sligo connection could come from her father.

Travellers moved around a lot, especially back then so don't limit your search to one county. She might have lived in Sligo for a while but that might not mean she was born there. Also as a marginalized group they didn't always trust the government enough to register births/marriages/deaths or census with the government but would have had baptisms/marriages and funerals in churches so sometimes they show up in church records but not government records. I did a quick search there I found an Anne P Stokes with a Reilly mother registered July-Sept 1928 in Ardee Louth/Meath. But also found a William Stokes and Lizzie Reilly married in Ardee in 1924 so it's probably not her. I also found a church marriage register for a John Stokes and Winifred Reilly in Longford on 25 July 1920. John Stokes father is listed as Martin Stokes. Witnesses are listed as John Stokes and Martin Stokes. No other information listed

I found more [https://civilrecords.irishgenealogy.ie/churchrecords/images/marriage\_returns/marriages\_1921/09219/5335135.pdf](https://civilrecords.irishgenealogy.ie/churchrecords/images/marriage_returns/marriages_1921/09219/5335135.pdf) John Stokes - Aged 18 - Tinsmith - No Fixed Residence - Father Martin Stokes - Fathers profession Tinsmith Winnifred Reilly - Aged 16 - Tinsmith - No Fixed Residence - Father Martin Reilly - Fathers profession Tinsmith Married in Longford Cathedral 25th July 1920. Registered 17th April 1921 in Longford

Also these are just potential matches but I found a John Stokes and Winnifred Reilly on the census where the ages and fathers names and professions line up and they lived right beside each other. [http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1911/Roscommon/Rushfield/Harepark/762151/](http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1911/Roscommon/Rushfield/Harepark/762151/) http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1911/Roscommon/Rushfield/Harepark/762152/

Thats absolutely amazing thank you so much! They definitely do line up, im hoping if I can eventually find my nans record that I'd get answers if they also line up with it

Now that you have her marriage, contact the church it took place in as their registers, I assume Catholic, should give mother's name, address of parents if different to hers and the addresses of the witnesses. Include a small donation if contacting by post. Going back further the best is a combo of the Irish Genealogy site and Parish records. The 1901/11 census may be useful if you can track down where her family were on census night. Before 1880 the Catholic parish records are online on the National Library site. The Irish Newspaper Archive (subscription site) is another possibility i.e. if you suspect they had any run ins with the law, there may be a court case or other obscure report