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Blog Entries: 1 to 25 of 2163
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Irish genealogy news round-up
Are you looking for a regularly issued summary about the latest developments and discoveries in Irish family history research?
Check out the June 2025 genealogy news round-up (and more), courtesy of Irish Heritage News, by clicking here.
At Irish Heritage News, we’re passionate about creating an online platform
for all those around the world interested in
Ireland’s history, archaeology, genealogy and folklore. |
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"New Tools & Tricks with Maps"
Webinar via Zoom -- Saturday, July 19, 2025
10:30 AM - Noon CDT (UTC-5)
New Tools & Tricks with Maps for Genealogy Research
Presented by Joe Hunter
Maps (old and new) are a key resource for genealogists. New tools and approaches with maps can add context, substance, and endless creative ways to enhance your family history. Our access to historic maps mimics the story of genealogy itself: from dusty worn treasures in repositories to now-digitized versions that offer access and customization IF ONLY you know how! Joe will demonstrate several ways to incorporate new tools for your maps.
$15 for IGSI members (with Discount Code*); $20 for non-members
*Discount Code is emailed to members and also posted on IGSI’s member-only webpage (link)
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Summer 2025 Irish Lives Remembered
The latest issue of Irish Lives Remembered is now available!
As always, it contains a wealth of articles on Irish lives—recent and distant—and a trove of genealogy tips to help you with your research.
Articles:
- Eamonn P. Kelly – St Brendan: The Seafaring Saint Who Found Paradise
- Brigit McCone – Irish on Ice: Arctic Explorers of Erin
- Fiona Fitzsimons – Shania Twain: the Celtic Pedigree of Canada's Queen of Pop
- Brian Mitchell – Alexander Ector Orr: “Father of the New York Subway”
- Fiona Fitzsimons – ILR Interview: Sandra Delamere and Maeve Foreman on Dublin's AIDS Crisis
- Helen Moss – The Diceman Cometh Home: Tracing Thom McGinty's Wicklow Ancestry
- Katharine Simms – Saints and Scholars: the O'Hickeys and Other Hereditary Medical Clans
- Deirdre Powell – Kathleen Mary O'Rourke – Health and Fitness Pioneer
- Donna Rutherford – Cousins bythe Dozens: Managing DNA Matches Without Losing Your Mind!
- Rob Flanagan Stieglitz – Chronology of a Chromosome 2: My Matrilineal Journey from Africa to Ireland!
Regular columns:
- Heritage Highlight – Craggaunowen Castle & Crannóg
- Dear Genie – Can Grandfather Brownless' Birth Family Be Found? [Fiona Fitzsimons answers a reader’s genealogy query]
- Dear Genie – Finding a Family Member's Final Resting Place [Fiona Fitzsimons answers a reader’s genealogy query]
- Emerald Roots Interview – Helen Moss, Senior Researcher, Irish Family History Centre
Books and Films:
- Brigit McCone reviews Frontier (created by Rob and Peter Blackie, 2016-18)
- Four Courts Press Book Excerpt – Irish Nurses in the NHS: An oral history, by Louise Ryan, Grainne McPolin and Neha Doshi (2025)
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'New lease of life' from VRTI
This past week—103 years after the Public Record Office blaze on June 30, 1922—the Virtual Record Treasury of Ireland (VRTI) dropped a huge update: 175,000 newly recovered records, bringing the total to 350,000 documents now fully searchable online.
This treasure trove for family history fans includes about 60,000 names from pre- and post-Famine censuses, picked from transcripts and microfilm stored in the National Archives and Public Record Office.
And more!
Read here about the fascinating records now available.
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FamilySearch enhances full-text searches
For over a year, regular users at FamilySearch.org have been participating in a grand experiment. A powerful new full-text search experience has already helped testers make genealogy discoveries and breakthroughs in their family history research.
While it is still undergoing further improvements in FamilySearch  Labs, full-text search is now also available in the all-collections search on the signed-in FamilySearch home page and in the FamilySearch Catalog.
Watch for the new icon at right. The new document icon is a link to the FamilySearch.org/labs full-text search for that particular collection.
Have you tried full-text search and found something valuable? Please share details by emailing us at blog@irishgenealogical.org.
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Townland Atlas of Ulster back in print
The Townland Atlas of Ulster is again available to purchase from the UHF's online store.
This landmark publication has been in high demand, and the Ulster Historical Foundation is thrilled to make it accessible once more to researchers, genealogists, and local history enthusiasts.
Click here for more information
Watch for a review of this essential reference guide in the July issue of The Septs. |
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Open House on Sunday, June 29
All are welcome at the Open House on Sunday, June 29,10:30am to 4pm, at the MGC in Mendota Heights!
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Unlocking Irish property history
Several months ago FamilySearch launched their powerful full-text search capability for the Ireland, Properties, 1298–1975 collection. One can now search these records—including those held by the Registry of Deeds in Dublin—by name, location, occupation, and more.
While the Registry of Deeds mainly documented property transactions of Protestant landowners and leaseholders in the 18th and early 19th centuries, the deeds often name tenants, witnesses, family members, and neighbors.
You can enter a townland, parish, or surname of interest and retrieve results that mention the term in any part of the document. This is especially helpful for tracing:
- Long-term family landholdings
- Intergenerational leases and trusts
- Connections between families through marriage or inheritance
- Occupations and residences of ancestors over time
If you haven’t used the full-text feature before, start at the FamilySearch Help Center. Remember you must sign into your FamilySearch account to view images. Spend some time looking at all the filters available! More are added regularly.
Tips for Success
- Try variant spellings: Names and places may have changed or been spelled inconsistently.
- Use broad terms: Searching by parish or county can reveal unexpected connections.
- Combine search terms: Entering a surname and a townland narrows results.
- Browse images: When in doubt, viewing the original document often reveals more context.
As an example, in the Ireland, Properties, 1298–1975 collection, you might find an entry for your ancestor, Patrick Kavanagh of County Monaghan. Here's a (made-up) transcribed snippet:
“A memorial of an indenture bearing date the 14th day of March 1829 between John McKenna of Monaghan, Esq., and Patrick Kavanagh of Drumhillagh, farmer, whereby the said McKenna leases lands at Drumhillagh to said Kavanagh for the term of 31 years at the yearly rent of…”
From this record, you could learn:
- Patrick Kavanagh's residence (Drumhillagh)
- His occupation (farmer)
- His landlord (John McKenna)
- The date and length of the lease
- Possibly names of witnesses or family members, which can lead to further clues
This lease example shows that Patrick held land—a key fact that can help trace him in Griffith’s Valuation or tithe applotment books. If you're super-lucky, it might even lead to earlier generations, e.g., if the lease refers to “Patrick Kavanagh, son of…” |
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"The Same Name -- Everywhere in Ireland"
Saturday, June 28, 10:30 AM - Noon CST
The Same Name – Everywhere in Ireland
Presented by Chelley Brekke McClear
A hybrid webinar with an “attend the live program” option
$15 for members (with Discount Code); $20 for non-members
Ever found a source record that appeared to be your ancestor… only to discover four other men with the same name in the same place at the same time? Chelley will take you through a process she devised using spreadsheets to untangle a Northern Irish case using 19th century records... and how this helped to advance her 'What are the Odds?' (WATO) hypothesis.
You have the option to order a box lunch in advance or bring your own lunch. Brief tours of the Hoffman Research Library will be offered following the program for those interested.
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July 2025 Podcast
In the July episode of the “This month at the IGSI” podcast  (episode 1 of season 4), genealogist Dave Miller talks about the July webinar featuring Joe Hunter. Joe's topic is “New Tools & Tricks with Maps for Genealogy Research.” This presentation will be held on July 19 as an online presentation only. The webinar will begin at 10:30 am and last until noon Central Time.
Maps have long been used by genealogists to assist in their research. Using different tools and approaches with these same maps can add context, substance, and an endless supply of exciting ways to enhance your family history. The saga of our access to historic maps spans “space & time” in a way that profiles the field of genealogy itself: from dusty worn treasures in repositories to now-digitized versions that offer access and customization IF ONLY you know how! Joe will demonstrate several ways to incorporate these tools when using maps to detail and explain your research in a creative form.
The cost of the webinar is $15 for members with a discount code and $20 for non-members.
The Minnesota Vikings will be playing the Pittsburgh Steelers on September 28 at Croke Park in Dublin. This will be the very first regular season NFL game held in Ireland. So, do you know any Gaeilge terms regarding American football? Dave spoke to Mollie Guidera, who teaches a course in Gaeilge on her website Irishwithmollie.com. She provided some English to Gaeilge words that will help those who are planning the trip to Croke Park in September or just want to impress friends and family while watching the game on television. These include words like touchdown, field goal and what to say to the person behind the counter at halftime when you want to order your pint!
 These stories along with the entire episode and previous podcast episodes
are available on the IGSI YouTube channel and on our Podcast page:
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Symposium on Aging & Family History
The National Genealogical Society (NGS) and FamilySearch .png) were among the co-sponsors of a Symposium on Healthy Aging and the Role of the Family History Community during the recent NGS conference.
During the panel discussions (recorded by Vivid-Pix), symposium experts -- including many names you’ll recognize -- address healthy aging, AgeTech, and family history.
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Write your family history story
Do you have a family history story to tell? Have you found a solution to a family mystery?
Ensure your story is passed down instead of lost to time. Enter it in the Minnesota Genealogical Society (MGS) Family History Writing Competition!
The deadline to email your submission is 15 July 2025.
GENERAL REQUIREMENTS
- Topics must pertain to individuals or families who settled in or passed through the American Midwest, including Minnesota and surrounding states and provinces.
- Authors need not be members of the Minnesota Genealogical Society.
- Judges and judges’ immediate family members may not participate.
- Fiction will not be accepted. If the entry is based on family lore, describe the source of the story and how it was passed forward, and indicate efforts made to authenticate the story.
- An entry must not have been previously published.
- An author may submit only one entry.
- Winner will be expected to grant permission for publication in the MGS journal, Generations.
- Winning articles are subject to editing; the edited version is published only after review by the author.
Read more about contest rules and see FAQs here.
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New Tipperary records at RootsIreland.ie
Brought to you by the Irish Family History Foundation:
New Tipperary Records added!
We are delighted to announce the addition of almost 9000 new Roman Catholic baptismal and marriage records from South Tipperary to the Roots Ireland database! They are as follows:
- 6,393 baptisms, 1834-1905 (Knockavilla RC parish);
- 2,404 marriages, 1834-1905 (Knockavilla RC parish).
For an up to date list of sources for South Tipperary and to search these records, go to rootsireland.ie/tipperarysouth and login or subscribe as required.
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Genealogical myths
IGSI blog postings are generally facts related to genealogy, e.g., research tips, announcements about new record sets or upcoming events, etc.
Instead, today we're sharing some myths.
First a long list of genealogical myths compiled by FamilyTree Magazine (and more fully described here):
Myth 1: Surnames were changed at Ellis Island.
Myth 2: It's in print. It must be true!
Myth 3: All the records you need about your family history are online.
Myth 4: This is my ancestor, according to these 423 online trees.
Myth 5: We descent from a Cherokee princess.
Myth 6: The courthouse burned and the records are gone.
Myth 7: Same surname--must be a relative.
Myth 8: Hey look, it's our family crest!
Myth 9: Three brothers came to America...
Myth 10: Source citations are just for professionals.
Myth 11: Our ancestors were much shorter than we are.
Myth 12: Our ancestors died young.
Myth 13: Our ancestors were mostly illiterate.
But wait, there's more! Claire Bradley, genetic genealogist and blogger in Ireland, recently wrote about three of her favorites (the first a general myth and two specifically Irish):
- In twelve generations, you’d have over 4000 ancestors.
- All Irish records were destroyed in a fire. (You likely know about this one!)
- Everyone in Ireland who is a bit sallow or olive-skinned must descend from someone in the Spanish Armada.
Read Claire's explanations about these myths here.
Thanks to FlippedIt for the image of Sergeant Joe Friday.
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Untangling same names
The same name--everywhere in Ireland: sifting and separating family groups
Saturday, June 28, 10:30 AM - Noon CDT (UTC-5)
MN Genealogy Center, 1385 Mendota Hts Rd, Mendota Heights
Presented by Chelley Brekke McClear
$15 for IGSI members (with Discount Code); $20 for non-members
Ever found a source record that appeared to be your ancestor… only to discover four other men with the same name in the same place at the same time? Chelley will take you through a process she devised using spreadsheets to untangle a Northern Irish case using 19th century records... and how this helped to advance her 'What are the Odds?' (WATO) hypothesis.
Chelley grew up in England & lived In N. Ireland for 25 years and is a research specialist for these areas. She regularly presents at the MGS DNA Interest Group and coordinates the MGS Writing Interest Group. The North Star Award winner for 2024, Chelley can be found at FamilyTreeTrails.com
You can enjoy this presentation at the live event in Minnesota or as part of our virtual audience. The presentation will be followed by a Q&A and discussion until the scheduled broadcast end time. Those at the live event can linger for social time following the broadcast, with the option of ordering a box lunch in advance.
The live event is limited to 40 people. Tours of the Research Library and Irish Collection will be offered following the program, and the Library is open for research until 4pm. The hybrid program will allow virtual attendees to unmute their microphone and camera for questions or discussion with the speaker following their presentation.
The Discount Code will be sent to members via email and is posted on IGSI’s member-only webpage ( link). You can reach the IGSI Education team at Education@IrishGenealogical.org
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John Grenham's IrishAncestors
Another gem for Irish research: John Grenham’s IrishAncestors website.
John regularly adds new information—or slices and dices the data to create more productive searches. Be sure to read his blog postings, which are both insightful and good craic.
Much of the IrishAncestors content can be accessed without subscription, and even the pages behind the paywall can be viewed (on a limited basis) without charge, i.e., five free queries within a 24-hour period.
If you’d like to review how best to use the IrishAncestors website, including what information you can find and search, check out these helpful links:
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New Antrim/Down records at RootsIreland
Brought to you by the Irish Family History Foundation:
Roots Ireland are delighted to announce the addition of over 69,000 new census substitutes for Antrim and Down from the seventeenth century up to the early nineteenth century.
- Hertford Estate Rent Roll, 1728 (1,329 records)
- Electors of the Borough of Belfast, 1832 (1,685 records)Electors of the Borough of Belfast, 1865 (3,508 records)
- Anti-Repeal Declaration, 1848 (2,895 records)
- Index to 1796 Flaxgrowers Bounty List for Counties Antrim and Down (4,187 records)
- Royal Irish Constabulary Registry of Households in Sub-District of Knocknacarry, County Antrim, 1881-1901 (4,522 records)
- Census Of Protestant Householders, 1740 (5,888 records)
- The Ulster Muster Roll, c.1630, Counties Antrim & Down (5,678 records)
- Old Age Pension Proof of Age Extraction Claim Forms 1841, 1851 (4,312 records)
- Census of Bangor parish, 1861 (7,026 records)
- Ulster Directory 1900 (11,716 records)
- 1803 Agricultural Census of Parishes in Co. Antrim and Co. Down (16,525 records)
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Ginealas (June-July, 2025)
The June-July issue of IGSI's bi-monthly eNewsletter, Ginealas, was emailed to members yesterday.
Wow! Twenty-four pages of timely tips and engaging articles--genealogy updates, news about Irish culture and travel, upcoming events, society announcements, and more.
When reading Internet Notes, found on pages 3 and 4, it was tempting to divert immediately to research. Contributing writer Kathy Kelley reported on a passel of recent Irish additions to Ancestry, FamilySearch, Newspapers.com, Findmypast, and RootsIreland.ie. And twenty more pages of valuable information followed!
Receiving this publication six times a year makes IGSI membership a bargain. As a member, you not only receive the new Ginealas when it's hot off the digital press, you'll have immediate access to PDF downloads of all prior issues (back to December 2008).
Catch up on all the news you've missed by clicking on Join at left. |
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Websites for Irish research
While this may be old news for experienced researchers of Irish family history, the topic bears review.
Most genealogists are likely to agree about the “big three” free websites for Irish research and the resources most frequently searched:
1) Irish Genealogy (Irishgenealogy.ie) – Civil birth/marriage/death records and some pre-20th century church records, now searchable with a single query
2) National Archives of Ireland (nationalarchives.ie) – Irish Censuses for 1901 and 1911, plus fragments and substitutes for 1821-1851
3) National Library of Ireland (nli.ie) – Microfilmed images of Roman Catholic Parish records. Indexes can be found at Findmypast (free) and Ancestry.
John Grenham's website, one of my personal favorites, will be described later in a separate posting.
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Alien Passenger Lists
There's still time to register for this virtual-only webinar on Zoom! 
Saturday, May 31, 10:30 am Central
Unlocking Notation Codes on Alien Passenger Lists
Presented by Elizabeth Williams Gomoll, CG
$15 for IGSI members (with discount code); $20 for non-members
Finding your immigrant's name on a passenger list is exciting, but don’t stop your analysis at the name!
In many U.S. customs manifests, cryptic abbreviations and number codes jotted on the form reveal important details about an immigrant's experience upon arrival in "Amerika."
Liz is a gifted and very popular presenter for Legacy Family Tree Webinars and well-known to our local audiences.
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June 2025 podcast
In the June episode of the “This month at the IGSI” podcast (episode 12 of season 3), genealogist Dave Miller talks about the June webinar featuring, Chelley Brekke McClear. Her topic: “The same name – everywhere in Ireland. Sifting and separating family groups.” This presentation, to be held on June 28, is both a live and webinar event. Have you ever found a source record that seemed to be your ancestor, only to discover four other men with the same name in the same place at the same time? Chelley will take you through a process she devised using spreadsheets to untangle a Northern Irish case using 19th century records... and how this helped to advance her research.
In this presentation, we want to ascertain which James Taylor was our James Taylor for each branch of a tree created to solve a non-parental event (NPE) case for a living person. We compile BMD records to identify different branches of the Taylor families in County Antrim in mid to late 1800s. Chelley explains locating the source records, compiling and analyzing them to group these families and tease out the branches – without tripping over mistakes posted in the trees of other matches.
The webinar will begin at 10:30 am and will last until noon Central Daylight Time. The cost of the webinar is $15 for members with a coupon and $20 for non-members. The live event is limited to 40 attendees. You can register for the webinar on our activities page.
Dave also talks about the art and skill of sheep shearing--a huge industry in Ireland but also in Australia, New Zealand and the U.S. In fact, it is still in practice today in the United States. Dave interviews both the sheep shearer and the sheep owner and the products she makes from the sheep’s wool.
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DNA Test Results: Good, Bad or Ugly?
This week IrelandXO shared an article written by volunteer Seamus Crow  in which he "explores all things DNA and genealogy. He covers everything from doing the test, waiting for the results, and what to do when you get them."
Read the full article here. |
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Sideways Strategy
Following is an excerpt from Marc McDermott's recent posting at the GenealogyExplained blog. His great advice is titled "The Sideways Strategies Most Family Historians Miss":
“…Once you identify your great-grandparents, stop going backward.
Instead, work sideways.
Track down the descendants of their siblings—your grand aunts and uncles and their children.
Map out the cousin lines.
Why?
Because living relatives possess what dead ancestors cannot give you: context, stories, photos, and artifacts that bring your family history to life.
This is how you transform genealogy from a sterile collection of facts into a vibrant family narrative.
This strategy comes with urgency built in.
Your dead ancestors will always be there. The records aren’t going anywhere.
But your cousins? They’re getting older every day..."
Read the entire article here.
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An obituary to make you smile
Obituaries published in the The Minnesota Star Tribune on Tuesday, May 13, 2025 included:
Burton "Burt" Cohen
died on May 10, 2025. He was 94 1/2 and overweight. He was given plenty of advance notice of his imminent death, but his lifelong habit of procrastination meant he didn't write this obituary until pretty much the last minute, thereby sacrificing fact checking, proofreading and style. Readers please note.
He died not of flabbiness, as had been widely predicted, but of advanced aortic stenosis, after choosing to reject the surgical procedures that would have corrected the problem. "It would have been like putting a new set of tires on an old jalopy," he said, "Almost every other body part or function was deteriorating at an accelerating rate and wouldn't have supported new tires for very long. The two exceptions were my appendix and my hair follicles, which were still performing well, and I feel bad they had to go with the rest."
Burt was born in and spent most of his life in Minneapolis, with two gaps: two years in humid, roach-infested Augusta, Georgia, where he was stationed with the U.S. Army; and five years in wonderful, wonderful New York, where he worked at something.
The obit goes on, with humor to the end, and can be read in its entirety here. Cohen was founding publisher of Mpls.St.Paul Magazine. |
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Most common surnames in Europe
Have you seen Terrible Maps?
Perhaps on Facebook or Instagram?
Or maybe you have the book, Terrible Maps: Hilarious Maps for a Ridiculous World? It's referred to as the "ultimate gift book for the budding geographer or anyone who wants to have a laugh."
We need a laugh these days.
While I can't vouch for the credibility of this map's data concerning common European surnames, I found it particularly entertaining on Mother's Day. My mom was proud of her Dutch/Friesian heritage. Her maiden name was DeJong, supposedly the most common surname in the Netherlands.
Murphy is certainly believable in Ireland; I was surprised about Smith and Jones in the U.K. |
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