Richard Gilpin

Statutory birth registration only started in Ireland in 1864, so you won’t find a birth certificate. Prior to that you need to rely on church baptism records, where they exist.

You don’t say what denomination James was. I looked at the 1901 census for Armagh and there were 154 people named Gilpin. 9 were Presbyterian but the remainder were Church of Ireland (or Methodist which is an off-shoot of the Church of Ireland and which in 1827 had barely started as a separate denomination). I don’t know if you know what Richard’s denomination was but if you don’t I’d be inclined to focus on Church of Ireland (Episcopalian) before trying other denominations.

If Richard Gilpin was a farmer, I’d guess his father John may also have been one. In which case he may be listed in the tithe applotment records (c 1830) and Griffiths Valuation (c 1864). There were only about 5 or 6 John Gilpins in Armagh in Griffiths. There were about 3 in Seagoe parish with 1 each in Armagh, Loughgall and Clonfeacle. Those might be the parishes to focus on, if you have no other clues on where to search.

Not all church records have survived (many Church of Ireland records were destroyed in 1921, when the IRA burned the Public Record Office in Dublin). However copies of those that have survived are in PRONI (the public record office) in Belfast. There are records for all 4 of the parishes I have mentioned though there are gaps around 1827 in Seagoe & Loughgall.

I notice that Clonfeacle has both a John & Richard Gilpin farming in Copney townland in 1833. Obviously the Richard can’t be your Richard who was a 5 year old child but families tended to live next each other and use the same names again, and so it might be the place to start.

http://www.irishgenealogyhub.com/armagh/tithe-applotments/clonfeacle-parish.php#.Wq13IRR2ug0

If you can’t get to PRONI you may need to employ a researcher to go through the records for you.

Possibly DNA testing may be a way of matching with others who have additional information about where the family originate. Family Tree DNA reportedly has more people with Ulster roots than any other company. That obviously increases the chances of finding a match. You might want to try them or, if you have already tested, you can transfer your results to them for no fee.

The North of Ireland Family History Society are running an Ulster DNA project and can offer FTDNA testing kits at a reduced price.  http://www.nifhs.org (Go to DNA project on the website).