Celtic Life International, Jan/Feb 2023

The PDF below is the latest issue of Celtic Life International, which features Old Friends Genealogy in more than one place. Please download it, and enjoy!
• Page 6 - Editorial entitled On Genealogy by Siobhan Covington, Publisher
“I recently had the wonderful experience of working with Kate and Mike Lancor of Old Friends Genealogy to begin the process of delving a bit deeper into my family roots in Ireland.”
• Page 26 - Full page ad for Old Friends Genealogy
• Pages 27 to 29 - Article entitled The Celtic Family Tree by Managing Editor Chris Muise features Old Friends Genealogy.
“We want more people to get in touch with their ancestors,” says Kate. “That’s the most important thing for us. We’re not in it for the job, really. It’s trying to connect people living today with their past. It’s important to see what they came from.”

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Our Articles on Irish Central

We have written many articles for the online magazine IrishCentral. From their website: "IrishCentral’s mission is to be the trusted source for information related to Ireland and the Irish - be it news, history, travel, opinion, or cultural information. IrishCentral’s focus is on connecting the Irish and friends of the Irish across the globe and working to keep them informed and inspired."

Below is a sampling of our articles. Click on the titles to get to the whole article. Click here if you would like to read even more of them.

U.S. genealogists return to Ireland for a magic trip and brought their family along for the ride.

Kate and Mike Lancor, Contributor, July 14, 2022

After too long away, Irish American genealogists Mike and Kate Lancor, are back chasing their ancestors in Ireland and they brought their son, daughter-in-law and grandson along for the ride.

On Sunday, June 19, 2022, we landed at the Dublin Airport with our son Brian, daughter-in-law Rachael and grandson Ben after losing two years of time in Ireland due to the Covid pandemic.  For the three of them, it was the first time they had visited the Emerald Isle.  As for us, stepping off the plane and feeling the Irish breeze was our “welcome home again” to the homeland of so many of our Irish immigrant ancestors.

It was a whirlwind trip for the five of us.  So many places to go, sites to see, friends to visit, and long-lost cousins to meet.  As we traveled from one beautiful part of Ireland to the next, we were all mesmerized and enchanted by the fields of grain, rolling hills and stunning mountains. 

How to pinpoint where your ancestors lived in Ireland.

Kate and Mike Lancor, Contributor, Sep 27, 2022

The extensive research and rewarding nuggets of history we discovered in the hunt to find our ancestral home in Ireland.
We have had the fantastic experience of visiting the home townlands of many of our Irish American immigrants. We have “chased” Kate’s ancestors back to Enniskerry in Co. Wicklow, Ballydurn Townland in Co. Waterford, and Templemore in Co. Tipperary.

As for Mike, we have “chased” his ancestors back to Ballyheigue in Co. Kerry, Litter More Townland in Co. Wexford, and Dunganstown in Co. Wexford.
Finding where our ancestors lived in Ireland was the endpoint, following extensive research.

This historic map of Litter Beg and Litter More Townlands was taken from Griffith's Valuation records dating back to 1853.

Combining DNA matches with tried and true searches.

William Kennedy (back row), his wife Susan and four of their children in a late 1800s photo taken in Lewis County, New York.

Have you used tried and true research techniques and hit a “brick wall” for one or more of your ancestors?  Have you built a family tree and submitted a DNA sample to Ancestry.com, 23 and Me, and/or My Heritage?  If you can answer yes to both questions, then DNA matches may help you bust through your “brick walls”!

Genealogists have long had to master the ability to carry out searches by following clues and using traditional techniques to “chase” ancestors. In 2007, 23 and Me introduced genetic testing for ancestral purposes to be followed in 2012 by Ancestry.com.  Over 28 million DNA samples have been submitted to genealogy search companies. These samples have created an amazing search opportunity for both professional and amateur genealogists. One can now combine searching one’s DNA matches with the tried and true methods of genealogy research to break through “brick walls”.  

Kate and Mike Lancor, Contributor, Oct 31, 2022

Our surprising adventures chasing ancestors in Ireland.

Kate and Mike Lancor, Contributor, Oct 10, 2018

Genealogy can be simply defined “as the study of tracing lines of descent for one’s ancestors,” but we hope to convince you that “chasing” your ancestors in Ireland is about much more than the dates and records you will find.

Yes, you will be searching for baptism, marriage, death, census, and land valuation records. However, the “chase” should really be about finding out how your ancestors lived, why they left the beautiful Emerald Isle, who was left behind, how they traveled to their new homelands, and the discrimination and challenges they faced when they arrived in the U.S.

The old Catholic cemetery in Kilmuckridge, Co. Wexford where Mike's Whelan ancestors lived is now located in a pasture. Indeed a beautiful resting spot for those souls buried within the cemetery's stone walls.

National Family History Month: Our surprising adventures chasing ancestors in Ireland

Kate and Mike Lancor, Contributor, Oct 10, 2018

Rainbow that miraculously appeared over the land where Kate's great great grandparents James Regan and Catherine Walsh lived in 1850 when Griffith's Valuation was taken. The "pot of gold at the end of the rainbow" was 165 years of family history for Kate.

Genealogy can be simply defined “as the study of tracing lines of descent for one’s ancestors,” but we hope to convince you that “chasing” your ancestors in Ireland is about much more than the dates and records you will find.

Yes, you will be searching for baptism, marriage, death, census, and land valuation records.
However, the “chase” should really be about finding out how your ancestors lived, why they left the beautiful Emerald Isle, who was left behind, how they traveled to their new homelands, and the discrimination and challenges they faced when they arrived in the U.S.

Love Letters to Ireland: I heard you calling
every St. Patrick's Day.

Kate Lancor, Contributor, Mar 16, 2021

I was born and lived in the Irish bastion of Albany, New York. That part of town, “The North End”, was so Irish, the city actually installed a sign reading: “Entering Limerick.”

I grew up listening to a wide variety of Irish and Scottish brogues. We were descendants of the great Regan, Harney, Waters, Fitzpatrick, McDermott, and McGuirk clans. I wasn’t sure if they immigrated to the United States during or right after the famine years in the 1800s, but their Irish traditions were passed down through the generations in our family. Perhaps it was the Irish Ancestors calling to me?

The great-grandparents, grandparents, great aunts, and uncles who came from Ireland, in our neighborhood, spoke little of the land they left. My mother would say, “Well, many people were poor and life was very hard back then.” But still Ireland, you called to me.

Kate (second from left) and her four siblings celebrating their Irish Ancestry on a St. Patrick’s Day long ago.

A legacy for my children and grandchildren…

Kate and Mike Lancor recently worked with me on my family tree. They were able to find records back to the early 1800s including maps and information on the townland where my ancestors were Irish tenants. If I am ever lucky enough to visit Ireland, I will truly be able to walk the land of my ancestors. This is a fascinating record to leave for my children and grandchildren.
Diane S., Kingston, NH