Are you interested in your Irish roots?
Irish Records
Online Irish Resources
English Records
Do you know of an ancestor who came from Ireland but don't know how to go further with your research? Are you unable to visit the archives available in Ireland? Are you planning a trip and want to know where to start looking?
Could you use a woman on the ground in Ireland. That's me!
How I Started
I started researching the Irish part of my family history after spending a long time on the English side of my family tree. Being familiar with the large amount of records for English counties available on the internet, mostly for free, it was a surprise to find how little was available online for Ireland, free or otherwise.
I have webpages describing the resources I have found useful researching my various family branches in England and another for resources in Ireland with lots of useful links. These describe what is available in the National Library, the National Archives and the General Registery Office amongst others and useful online links.
Irish Sources
I found the best way to research my Irish ancestors was to go to the various records offices on the ground here in Ireland. There is no single source and much to-ing and fro-ing is needed what with indexes and registers,parish records, wills and deeds, directories, newspapers and the Griffiths Valuation. These different pieces of information are used to build up a picture of an Irish family history. The different archives and records offices and the resources they have is described on my Ireland webpage. There is data available online for free but finding relevant and reliable sources is frustrating and time consuming.
There are genealogical services offered by other organisations but I consider most to be impersonal and uninvolved with the person and their families. I know how intense an experience it can be to trace that lost ancestor or even a living relative. I have found three third cousins and a second cousin once removed in my family tree but I am still missing an aunt.
What I Offer
What I offer is a personal approach to your family research. I offer my services as a genealogical researcher on the ground who is interested in your family and its roots. I have managed to track down pretty vague Irish roots using my years of technical experience, local knowledge and proven research techniques. If your information is too limited to take an further, I will tell you that too.
I live in Kildare, close to Dublin so these areas are slightly easier to research. I also have particular links to and knowledge of West Cork but I have researched now in most of the 32 counties at one time or another in various national collections in Dublin. These collections are described on my Ireland webpage in case you are planning a visit yourself.
Free Assessment
Send me the information you have and I will send you free, my assessment and suggested plan of action, where to look and what may be found for the dates and places you have. There is no obligation.
If you decide to use my services, I charge 50 Euro an hour plus any copying or certificate expenses. I will provide you with a detailed report and copies of any entries, records, maps, certificates that you require. You have nothing to lose in asking for a proposed plan. If I think there is not enough information to initiate a search, I will tell you that too with suggestions where you may be able to find more.
If you would like to make a donation, however large or small, to pay for the costs in keeping this website up to date with the most recent information and tips, please click here. You can choose the amount. Credit cards can be accepted using Paypal.
Contact Details
Please send me an email initially. I will ask you for as much information as you can provide in order to complete your free plan of action.
Information can include some of the following but if you know any family legends, however reliable the source, please let me know as that may provide additional clues.
Let me know which data is proven certain and which conjecture or family legend.
- Full name
- Date and place of birth (Townland, parish, village, civil district, county)
- Father's name
- Mother's name and maiden name
- Date and place of baptism
- Names and dates of any brothers and sisters
- Date and place of marriage
- Spouse's details
- Occupation
- Religion
- Addresses during lifetime
- Emigration details
- Date and place of death
Guidebooks
The best guidebook is Tracing your Irish Ancestory by John Grenham. I have met him and he's a down to earth Roscommon man full of common sense. See the Amazon link at the side.
Did you know?
Almost a quarter, 23% of people in Massachusetts have Irish roots, a fifth 20% in New Hampshire and 18% in Rhode Island. 156,000 people in the USA were born in Ireland. Source: The Irish American.
Between 33% and 40% of Australians claim Irish roots. A quarter of the 160,000 convicts transported to New South Wales between 1787 and 1868 were Irish. Source: The Wild Geese Today.
The Census taken in the USA in 2000 reports more than 30 million people claiming Irish ancestry. That's more than 10% of the total population. Source: Euroamericans
The 1991 census in London reported more than 12% claiming Irish roots. Source: BBC Irish London
If you would like to make a donation, however large or small, to pay for the costs in keeping this website up to date with the most recent information and tips, please click here. You can choose the amount. Credit cards can be accepted using Paypal.
K Dempsey
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