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

The Great Hunger Memorial Statues with flowers

Did your Irish Ancestor Live Through this terrible time?

Ever wondered about the stories and trials your Irish ancestor might have faced during the great famine? As I delved into the resilience and hardships of my own O’Regan lineage, it made me reflect on the untold tales each of our ancestors might hold.

The Irish Famine - Cottier Class

How the Irish Famine Wiped out a Whole Group of People

The Irish famine had a profound effect on a large group of people in Ireland who often went unrecorded. While some records of Irish ancestors are lost due to incidents like fires, many times no records were made in the first place.

Letter From ireland

10th Anniversary of the Letter from Ireland

We’re having a birthday celebration here in Cork, and not just any birthday – it’s the 10th anniversary of this Letter from Ireland!

I’m sipping on my regular cup of Barry’s Tea, do join me with a cup of whatever you fancy yourself, as I share the story of how this little Letter from Ireland came to be.

The City of Belfast

explore the city of Belfast’s unique history and its divergence from other Irish cities. Through a conversation between Colleen and our Belfast-born genealogist, Jayne McGarvey, we’ll delve into the lives of ancestors, the events that moulded them, and the reasons behind their migrations.

Do You See Yourself As Irish?

When I am travelling in Ireland and someone asks me – “Where are you from?” – the answer is usually expected to be the county where you live. It’s only when I travel abroad that I start to think of myself as an “Irish man” as opposed to a “Cork man”. Do you have a similar experience?

Irish Genealogy & Family History Podcasts

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…

saint brigid cross

The Irish Goddess and the Irish Saint (#805)

We look at the connections between the Irish name “Brigid/Bridget”, Saint Bridget of Kildare and the Irish Celtic Goddess Brigid. This is all very appropriate as we come up to the celtic festival of “Imbolc” – celebrating the start of a celtic spring as well as Saint Brigid’s day. We hope you enjoy! You can…