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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. |
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. |
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”. |
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. |
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. |
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. |
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Getting Started With Us
If you would like us to conduct a search or have other questions, please use this contact form or call/email
Kate and Mike at 603-204-8409 or [email protected]. |