County Limerick

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The Lovely Irish Smile.

As I sit here in my hotel room in Limerick waiting for my ride to get to the Shannon airport, I can’t help thinking about the ten days I’ve been here.  I saw so much of this beautiful island that my ancestors called home. I think I went through at least half of the counties…

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Irish castle

Castles in Ireland – Our Top 22

Tower castle building was introduced to Ireland by the Normans on their arrival in the late 1100s. This type of castle is quite rare in England and Wales – but you will find them in the more “dangerous” parts of the world – Ireland and Scotland! The Gaelic Chieftains got in on the castle-building act…

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Which Irish County Holds Your Irish Roots?

Which County in Ireland holds your Irish Roots? Everytime someone joins our “Letter from Ireland”, we ask the question: “Which County in Ireland did your Ancestors come from?” So far, we have had thousands of replies – and have built a list of 6470 entries. In the map above I have shown the distribution of…

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The Tribes of Ireland – Ireland at the Birth of Your Irish Surname.

Do you have an Irish surname in your family tree? In this Letter from Ireland we look at the Tribes of Ireland in 1150. Join us as we take a tour off the kingdoms at this time and the surnames associated with them.

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Irish roadtrip

A Roadtrip Through 17 Counties of Ireland: Part 1

As I sit here in my hotel room in Limerick waiting for my ride to get to the Shannon airport, I can’t help thinking about the ten days I’ve been here.  I saw so much of this beautiful island that my ancestors called home. I think I went through at least half of the counties…

Read More