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

Old portrait of an Irish soldier, part of the 99th Regiment of Foot sitting in an armchair

An Irishman and the 99th Regiment of Foot.

It can be quite difficult to track down the origins of an ancestor who left Ireland in the early 1800s. Useful records may be non-existent in parts of the country – and this can lead to a lot of guesswork on your part. Do you know what I mean? This was the problem facing one of our…

County Donegal Ancestry

Looking for County Donegal Ancestry

Today we feature a letter from one of our Green Room members, Marie Irwin, as she chats about the life and times of her family and their origin in the very north part of County Donegal. Marie: Hello Mike, a very warm welcome from sunny North Queensland to you. Mike: Nice to meet you too, Marie. A little…

Emigration from Ireland

Start Your Irish Ancestry Search in the right place.

Allow me to start this letter with a question – on your Irish ancestry search, have you discovered the place of origin for your ancestors in Ireland? Maybe you have even walked the same farm or village as they once did. If so, you are one of the lucky ones! Unfortunately, many people have ancestral records that…

blogtipp12 - The Streets of a Small Town in County Tipperary.

The Streets of a Small Town in County Tipperary.

Have you ever tried to track down the “life and times” of one of your Irish ancestors? I can be a fascinating (and sometimes frustrating) process as you put the pieces together and gradually gain a glimpse of what life was like at the time for those ancestors. I notice that many of us stick…

County Tyrone - Where to Start Searching for Your Irish Ancestor.

Where to Start Searching for Your Irish Ancestor.

In today’s letter we have the story of one of our Green Room members – Catherine Clifford. We were provided with lots of information about the origin of their Irish ancestors in County Kerry in the early 1800s. However, I want to use this letter to point out how important it is to fully examine the records at…

Irish Genealogy & Family History Podcasts

Irish Ancestral Homeland

Finding Your Irish Ancestral Homeland in Ireland (#838)

In this special Irish family history episode we take two letters from our Green Room members. We chat about the approach they should take to uncover more about their respective Irish ancestral homelands.

Irish genealogy trip- Cathy and Mike in County Cork

An Irish Genealogy Trip Back to County Cork (#837)

On our latest episode, join us on an Irish genealogy trip as we embark with Boston-native Cathy Abraham back to County Cork. Unraveling the romantic tale of her great-grandparents’ elopement to America, we uncover hidden truths and visit ancestral lands connected to the O’Callaghan and Richardson families. Prepare for some fascinating discoveries!

The Great Hunger - An old Irish ruin.

Living Conditions at the time of The Great Hunger (#836)

In this episode, we look at a very difficult time in Ireland – one that triggered a time of death across the population of the island as well as emigration for many generations afterwards.

Cup of tea stories - What Happens when an Irish Bard Reads Your Family History (#821)

What Happens when an Irish Bard Reads Your Family History (#821)

In this episode we look at two different styles of story-telling. First, Carina reads out “Which County did your Irish Ancestor Come from?”. In the second feature we ask an Irish Poet/Bard to look at the family history of one of our Green Room members and then to put the entire saga into verse.

blogcobh2 - 7 Irish Characters - 7 Tales of Emigration (#812)

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…