Ireland Travel Resources
Have you ever travelled to Ireland? Perhaps you plan to visit in the next year or two? Here I share articles that will help with planning - or reliving - your trip to Ireland. We bring to life the unique characteristics of the Irish people and countryside - often leaving the main tourist attractions to visit some interesting diversions that I think you will enjoy!
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.
Ireland Travel Letters
For many people, the desire to trace Irish ancestors begins with something small. A family name.A photograph.A story about “coming from Cork” or “somewhere in Mayo.”Perhaps a census record abroad that lists a birthplace simply as Ireland. From that point onward the same question usually appears: Where do I begin? Irish genealogy becomes far easier…
Short answer: Irish genealogy has some real challenges, mainly because certain early records were lost. But for many families — particularly those who emigrated after the mid-nineteenth century — enough records survive to make real progress possible. Many people arrive at Irish genealogy already feeling discouraged. Someone at a family gathering may have said the…
Many people begin Irish genealogy research the wrong way around. They open a database, type in a surname, and start scrolling. Within twenty minutes they have collected a dozen possible matches, none of them confirmed, and a growing sense that Irish research might be even harder than they were warned. The instinct to search immediately…
One of the first questions people ask when they begin researching Irish ancestors is how far back they might reasonably expect their family history to go. The honest answer is that it varies. The period you can reach depends on where in Ireland your family lived, which church they belonged to, and how well records…
Many people beginning Irish genealogy research face the same uncertainty. They know records exist. They have found several websites offering access to them. But nobody has explained which records to search first, in what order, or why the order matters. Starting with the wrong records is not a disaster. But it often wastes time and…
Ireland Travel Podcasts
For many people, the desire to trace Irish ancestors begins with something small. A family name.A photograph.A story about “coming from Cork” or “somewhere in Mayo.”Perhaps a census record abroad that lists a birthplace simply as Ireland. From that point onward the same question usually appears: Where do I begin? Irish genealogy becomes far easier…
Short answer: Irish genealogy has some real challenges, mainly because certain early records were lost. But for many families — particularly those who emigrated after the mid-nineteenth century — enough records survive to make real progress possible. Many people arrive at Irish genealogy already feeling discouraged. Someone at a family gathering may have said the…
Many people begin Irish genealogy research the wrong way around. They open a database, type in a surname, and start scrolling. Within twenty minutes they have collected a dozen possible matches, none of them confirmed, and a growing sense that Irish research might be even harder than they were warned. The instinct to search immediately…
One of the first questions people ask when they begin researching Irish ancestors is how far back they might reasonably expect their family history to go. The honest answer is that it varies. The period you can reach depends on where in Ireland your family lived, which church they belonged to, and how well records…
Many people beginning Irish genealogy research face the same uncertainty. They know records exist. They have found several websites offering access to them. But nobody has explained which records to search first, in what order, or why the order matters. Starting with the wrong records is not a disaster. But it often wastes time and…