Celebrate Your Irish Heritage

Hi, we're Mike and Carina. We travel Ireland and the Irish ancestral trails of the world, connect with people of Irish descent and share the resulting stories, photos, videos and podcasts with you.

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Recent Articles

16376883 s - County Fermanagh Surnames and Families

County Fermanagh Surnames and Families

Last March, we headed up to the beautiful county of Fermanagh for a trip – it’s a wonderful county full of rolling hillsides, lakes, small villages and ancient structures. Have you ever been to Fermanagh? Perhaps your Irish ancestry came from those parts? Do leave your comments below and let me know. Now although your…

Animals - My Irish Surnames and Other Animals

My Irish Surnames and Other Animals

Do you have an Irish Animal Surname in your family tree? The people of Ireland have long had a strong connection with the animals they share their island with. Part of being an agricultural community is living in harmony with the creatures you raise, and depend on for survival. This important relationship has seeped into the surnames of Ireland.

facebook8 - What's Your Name in Irish?

What’s Your Name in Irish?

Do you know your given name in Irish? Many popular names have an Irish equivalent – names like Seán for John, Máire for Mary and so on. And then there are some slightly more challenging ones. Let’s have a look at some of these names today. Before we start, if you don’t see your name…

34153516 m - Irish Surname Evolution.

Irish Surname Evolution.

We had a very interesting reaction to last week’s letter where I went through just some of the old Gaelic family names and their links to certain professions such as Medic, Judge, Poet and so on. I asked you to let me know if you had any of these names in your family – and…

facebook42 - One Last Trip Back to Ireland

One Last Trip Back to Ireland

Some of the most popular letters we send out each Sunday are those of our own readers. In today’s letter, I would to share a wonderful story that Leslie Baldwin shared a few weeks back. Over to Leslie: “Good morning Mike! Thank you for all the lovely letters you send. I have learned so much…