Hi Sid,
Thank you for your message.
Unfortunately, it may be difficult to find information without a more specific place of origin. Most Irish record sources- church records, land records, census records- are based on specific locations. Until you know a specific location within Ireland, preferably a parish or placename, it may be difficult to do anything more with these records.
Do you have any documentation pertaining to the family that mentions any place names in Limerick at all? This can include wills, marriage/death records,census records, letters, diary entries etc.
There are some places where you can search online, however these are not complete collections:
www.familysearch.org has a huge database of genealogical records including some church records for Ireland.
www.rootsireland.ie have a large collection of Irish Church records, however you have to pay to use this site.
You could try searching for Bartholomew in Griffith?s Valuation. This is a property valuation survey that was carried out in Ireland 1848-64. It doesn?t give any genealogical information however it can sometimes tie a person to a specific place. However, Burke is a very popular name in Ireland so it may be difficult.
http://www.askaboutireland.ie/griffith-valuation/index.xml?action=nameSearch
Some other websites that may be helpful are:
The National Archives of Ireland http://www.nationalarchives.ie/genealogy1/genealogy-records/introduction/
The National Library of Ireland http://www.nli.ie/en/family-history-introduction.aspx
Irish Times: http://www.irishtimes.com/ancestor/browse/#Limerick
Genealogy links: http://www.genealogylinks.net/uk/ireland/limerick/index.html
Limerick Library: http://www.limerickcity.ie/Library/LocalStudies/
Alternatively, you could contact Limerick Genealogy for assistance, however a fee may apply. Here is their email: research@limerickgenealogy.com
Remember to post any new information that you find here. The more information you post, the more likely it is that one of our volunteers will be able to advise or assist you. Also include information concerning which sources you may have already used so others may further your search.
Kind regards,
Genealogy Support
