I am searching for the birth of John Mooney, possibly in 1924. At his marriage in England in 1949 he gave his age as 25 and his father's name Gerald Mooney, hairdresser, and on his death certificate it gives his date of birth 24th September 1924 in Irish Republic.

The index of births gives only one John Mooney birth in quarter Jul-Sept 1924, plus two more with middle names. I have obtained the birth certificate for the John Mooney in Castlecomer but father's name is Patrick. I haven't yet checked the other two yet as I am not aware he ever used a middle name.

Of course, it is possible that the informant at death got the year wrong - given his stated age at marriage it could be 1923. Also, with day of birth being 24th September, it could have been registered in October 1924, but there is only one birth in this quarter and he died the following year.

How reliable is the births index for Ireland? I read somewhere that birth registers were only available after 100 years. I would be grateful for any suggestions or any other places to look.