Irish Genealogy & Family History Resources

Are you interested in discovering more on your Irish family history? In this section, I have included letters (and podcasts) that include stories, explanations and approaches to help you investigate your own Irish family history. You may even receive a little inspiration to break down one or two family history brick walls!

 

Browse the features listed on this page and jump to one that interests you, or enter a placename, surname or other item in the search box below to see related letters and podcasts.

Irish Genealogy & Family History Letters

An example of old Irish names

6 Favourite Irish First Names

Do you have a favourite Irish name? Supposing you were looking for an Irish-related first name for your new baby (or wanted to gently hint about one for your grandchild)? What would it be? Seán? Kelly? Colleen? Conor? Patrick? Well, in Ireland we have experienced the highest birth rate of all the European countries over…

6 Favourite Online Irish Heritage Resources.

Today we’re going to do some “heavy lifting” – but in a nice and useful way. One of the things we wanted when we started Your Irish Heritage was to go “beyond Genealogy”. Let me explain. Sheila Cotter is one of our readers and I noticed from one of her questions. She is finding it…

Clonony Castle, County Offaly, Ireland

Did your Family Live in an Irish Castle?

I often get asked – “did my family own Irish Castles?” It’s the ultimate fairy tale – Kings, Queens, Princes and Princesses all living in beautiful old castles.

Irish Genealogy & Family History Podcasts

7 Irish Characters – 7 Tales of Emigration (#812)

In a follow-up to our recent episode about traveling from Cobh to Ellis Island – we head back to the Cobh Heritage Centre in County Cork and hear 7 stories of emigration from this very spot to many places around the world. Many thanks to Jack Walsh and all the team at the Cobh Heritage…

Join Us on a St. Patrick’s Day Parade of Story and Song (#811)

Join us on a Saint Patrick’s Day Parade of Story and Song. In this episode we share two stories – one all about the places in Ireland where Saint Patrick is said to have walked and the next looks at the Shamrock and the gorse, two plants associated with this time of year in Ireland.…

Join Us on This Trip from Cobh to Ellis Island (#810)

In this special episode of the Letter from Ireland show we start our journey in Cobh (Queenstown) in County Cork. We chat with the manager of the Cobh Heritage Centre who has his own immigration stories to tell. We then take the route across the Atlantic that our ancestors would have followed (just slightly upgraded!)…

Irish celtic knot

Look Through This Window into a Celtic World (#809)

In this week’s episode we go back in time. First we go back to a time when the first Celtic peoples arrived in Ireland – we then go back even further to look at the period when the Celts appeared on the continent of Europe for the first time. Much of this “history” is relayed…

View of Little Skellig from Skellig Michael across the water.

Do You Have These Saintly Names in Your Irish Family Tree? (#806)

In this week’s episode we look at the life times and legacy of three ancient Celtic saints – with lots of fine music in between. We start with a letter all about the Irish Saint Gobnait – but you may be surprised at how her name was anglicised into different versions that you may have…