The National Archives of Ireland has made available a new, searchable database for the Calendars of Wills and Administrations, 1858-1922:

“Before a will can take effect, a grant of probate must be made by a court. If someone dies without having made a will, the court can grant letters of administration for the disposal of the estate. Since 1858, grants of probate and administration have been made in the Principal and District Registries of the Probate Court (before 1877) or the High Court (after 1877). They are indexed in the Calendars of Wills and Administrations, which up to now, have only been available in our Reading Room.”

Having taken the database for a test drive, it can safely be declared as pretty amazing.  Digitized images of the original Calendars can also be viewed.  Make sure you view these as they contain more information than is included on the search results page.

Here is a direct link to the Calendars of Wills and Administrations search page: http://www.willcalendars.nationalarchives.ie/search/cwa/home.jsp

If you searching for a Will and/or Administration prior to 1917, then the Calendar will cover the whole of Ireland.  However, from 1918 and beyond, Calendars for the six Counties of Northern Ireland are held by the Public Records Office of Northern Ireland, aka, PRONI. Here is a link for the searchable Wills Calendar for Armagh, Belfast and Londonderry: http://www.proni.gov.uk/index/search_the_archives/will_calendars.htm.

Happy Hunting!