The DNA Academy; Genetic Genealogy for Beginners & Intermediate

We have some good news for you. The moment you have been waiting for has finally arrived! The DNA Academy managed by our partners at Trace.com is now open for registration. Registration will be open for the Winter 2022 cohort for two weeks or until seats are full, so make sure to head over and […]
New e-Book: ‘Sources for Irish Family History – 2021’

A huge resource of family history information is available in the journal articles, books and manuscripts that have been written by genealogy enthusiasts and scholars over centuries. Flyleaf Press has just published a second edition of our listing of these family histories. It is called ‘Sources for Irish Family History – 2021’ and is available […]
Using Sports Archives as a Record Source

This piece of work was researched and written by expert Genealogist, Hilary McDonagh When most people think of sports it is about playing, organising or supporting. But sports also generate records which can embellish the bare facts about our ancestors’ births and marriages. Are these records in archives? Sports Archives provide a unique source for […]
Video Workshops on Irish Genealogy Training Sessions – Now Available

From March through May 2021, Ancestor Network, Ireland’s preeminent and most trusted Irish genealogy research, advisory and publishing business, ran a series of workshops on topics that you have told us you would like to know more about. In the five sessions we covered, an Introduction to Irish Genealogy Research, How to Search the Land […]
Notes for ‘Irish Church Records’ talk

This blog contains information to support a talk by Dr Jim Ryan on ‘Irish Church Records’. The talk outlined the record-keeping practices, and current availability of records, for the major Irish churches, i.e. Roman Catholic, Church of Ireland (Episcopalian or Anglican), Presbyterian, Methodist and Quaker. Over 98% of the population were members of one or […]
Some Queen’s County farmers in 1821 and a tale of a hound

Small Sources 69: Estate papers are an intriguing mix of the myriad documents generated by a family and their staff in the management of their estate and its tenants, and in their own daily lives, often over several generations. The contents typically comprise rentals, deeds, personal and business correspondence, staff records, maps and wills. While […]
Tenants on the DeVesci Estate, Queen’s County 1786-1800

Small Sources 68: This is a list of 102 tenants and tradesmen employed by the DeVesci Estate in the Civil Parish of Abbeyleix, Queen’s County (Co. Laois) between 1786 and 1800. The names listed are all from the index to an account book which is among the DeVesci Papers in the National Library of Ireland […]
Workshop: Tracing your Ulster Ancestors

If you would like to find out how you can trace your Ulster Ancestors, why not join us for a live Zoom Workshop with renown Ulster genealogist Michael Rooney on March 12th for a presentation and a Q&A. Michael will take you on a journey through Ulster records and how you can access them, from […]
How early loss shaped the remarkable life of Philomena Lee.

The recently published report of the Commission of Investigation into Mother and Baby Homes has shocked Ireland with the testimonies of hundreds of women who were victims of an unspeakably callous and judgmental society. Yet, it is not really surprising; the story of Ireland’s mother and baby homes has been told by several brave individuals […]
Know your Place – Irish places and their names

1. Introduction Finding the home place of your ancestor is central to finding the records they left behind. However, those new to Irish family research often find the nature of the land-divisions used, and their names, very confusing. Even those who are experienced in Irish research often find difficulty in locating places identified in old […]