Help finding ancestors

Hello,
I am trying to find exactly (more or less!) where my family came from. A visit to Ireland has been on my bucket list for a long time, and I'd like to discover where my family came from before we go.
I've been able to determine that my great grandfather was born in Ireland around 1846. I believe I found his family in England in 1851. So, they must have emigrated between those times. My grandfather was born in Yorkshire in 1874. 
Here's what I've found so far:
Great, great GF: Michael Griffin, born in Ireland around 1816
Great, great GM: Margaret Dugan Griffin, born in Ireland around 1827 (I suspect it was really earlier)
Great GF: John Joseph Griffin, born in Ireland around 1846
Great GM: Ann Connolly Griffin, born in Dewsbury, Yorkshire around 1853 (Her father, Luke, was born in Cork around 1811)
Grandfather: John Thomas Griffin, born in Dewsbury, Yorkshire in 1874
Grandmother: Elizabeth Newman Griffin, born in Chester, Pennsylvania in 1884
If you want to look on ancestry.com, my family tree is the Johnson/Griffin family tree.
Any help or hints will be greatly appreciated!
James (Jim) Johnson

Hello James,

It certainly looks like you have made a wonderful start looking for your Irish family members!

Before 1864 records were kept in the form of church and parish records, and while some of these have regrettably been lost over the years, all the surviving records have been sorted into county-based genealogical centres.

Have you managed to locate where your Great Great Grandfather and Mother were born? This is important to trace back due to the records locations.

We have some previous community posts regarding Helpful Research Tips and A three-step guide by Brian Mitchell one of our industry members that you may also find useful. There are lots of super ideas on places to look for more information.

I hope this information helps with your research, and if you have any questions, just give me a shout! 

We have removed your email address from your post due to privacy.

Hi James

As you hold no clues as to where in Ireland your Griffin ancestors originated I took a quick look at RootsIreland database, http://www.rootsireland.ie , as it is the largest source of Irish church register transcripts, to see if holds baptismal record c. 1846 of John Joseph Griffin. It doesn’t appear that it does.

It must be emphasised that a failure to find relevant birth/marriage entries in this database or indeed any other database doesn't mean that the events you are looking for didn't happen in Ireland. It simply means that they are not recorded in the database; for example, they may be recorded in a record source which doesn't survive for the time period of interest or in a source that has not been computerised.

The ‘closest’ match to your details in RootsIreland is a baptismal entry, dated 1833, in County Tipperary of a Mary Griffen to parents Michael Griffen and Mary Dugan.