All about Genealogy

All about Genealogy

Genealogy has gotten itself a bad press in Ireland. We all know why. It is almost a cliché at this stage but Americans looking for lost ancestors have wearied the normally resilient Irish people. "NO, I have absolutely no idea who your great-grandfather was…I agree, it is an extraordinary coincidence that we both bear the same name…O'Connor, yes…From Cork, you say…" However, once you get past the stigma of looking of your roots, genealogy can be addictive.

Before you start a genealogy course, you should prepare yourself for what you might uncover. For example, if you come from a seemingly unblemished blue-blooded family, you might be surprised to discover that your great-great uncle was a sheep thief and your great-great grandmother was interred for manslaughter. Not quite the thing to bring up at a family luncheon. You should also be ready to face the false leads and long waits that may materialise before any information comes your way. If you are prepared for this, then you will find your new pastime to be endlessly fascinating. After all, it's the only hobby in the world that's all about you...

A course will teach you how to approach your research systematically and give you the necessary bravado to face down an eighty-year-old priest in Connemara and ask him to get out his records. (Records are key to finding your past. If Americans had been clued in to this, a lot of bloodshed could have been averted. Word of mouth is not, in fact, the best way to find out about events that happened 200+ years ago...)

The best place to start is to write down all the information you know about the oldest ancestor that you have any facts on. You could then try to search the civil records of birth, marriage and death and the church records of baptisms, marriages and burials. For example, if you find your great-grandfather's birth record, then you will find out not only his exact birthplace and date but also details about his parents, who will become the starting point for further searches.

Census records are invaluable when it comes to tracing your past; the 1901 census is now available for viewing and it can provide a store of information. Everyone from newborn babies to ancient grandparents were included and recorded by name, age, birthplace, where they lived, marital status, occupation and more.

The National Archives - www.nationalarchives.ie - is another great source for would-be genealogists. As well as the records mentioned above, they also have older information, such as the Tithe Applotment books and the Primary Valuations - property records listing the owners and occupiers of land from 1823 to 1864.

(If you want a bit of extra help, then you can always turn to one of the many genealogy websites that can give you access to long-forgotten archives. These can be daunting to search at first but site organisers are notoriously helpful and will be only too happy to point you in the right direction.)

Of course, it is possible to conduct your research alone, but taking a genealogy class can give you the inside track on the whole process. As well as learning useful search techniques, you should also learn about local history, heraldry and emigration and how to pull all your research together to produce a comprehensive guide to your family's history. This book can be pulled out at fraught family occasions, whenever the cousins on your mother's side are getting a bit uppity. A quick reminder that their people were proud members of the Thieves Guild will bring any argument to a swift conclusion.

So if you weren't satisfied with your parents' birds and bees lecture and want to find out where you really came from, check out a Genealogy course...

Search for genealogy courses.