A LUXURY GENEALOGY VACATION TO IRELAND–A LIFETIME OF MEMORIES

Are you one of the seventy million people worldwide who can claim Irish descent? 

Why not organise the holiday/vacation of a lifetime by combining a stay in some of Ireland’s finest hotels with visits to places that are significant to your Irish heritage.  A little advance planning is all that is required.

PLANNING A GENEALOGY VACATION

There are three key steps to planning a genealogy vacation. If you have already researched your Irish family history, go to step 3. 

If you know you are of Irish descent but know nothing, or very little, about your Irish ancestors then work through the steps below.

 

1. Locate your most recent Irish ancestor

It is essential to know where in Ireland your ancestors came from.  If you live outside Ireland you should either review the records in your country to establish this information, or employ a genealogist in your country to do this for you. 

Eneclann’s Getting Started guides below provide you with some useful tips on where to find information about your Irish ancestors if you are living outside of Ireland.

• Getting Started - Tracing Your Irish Ancestors (US guide)
• Getting Started – Tracing Your Irish Ancestors (UK guide)

If your family never left Ireland then you simply need to identify your last known ancestor – their date of birth, marriage, death and where they lived.

 

2.  Organise the research

Once you have found out where in Ireland your ancestors came from, you have a number of choices:

(i) Conduct your own research

You can conduct the research yourself prior to and during your visit to Ireland.  Some Irish records are available online, but you will probably also need to order other information such as birth, marriage and death records from Ireland or arrange to view microfilms of Irish records via your library or family history centre.  Some information will only be available once you get to Ireland. 

Put together a research plan in advance of your visit to Ireland.  We recommend you read John Grenham’s book, Tracing Your Irish Ancestors, for advice on which records to consult.  Allow plenty of time to visit the repositories and search for the records you need – and don’t forget to check the opening hours.

Conducting your own research in Ireland can be great fun but it may be difficult to predict where you need to be, when and for how much time – so you need to plan carefully to avoid disappointment.  If you have a reasonable amount of time in Ireland, it can be very rewarding however. 

 

(ii) Commission a professional to do the research

If the thought of spending your vacation in libraries and archives does not appeal, you can employ a professional genealogist to trace your Irish family history for you prior to your visit.  Eneclann, one of Ireland’s leading research companies can complete a family history within 6-8 weeks of submitting an assessment form. 

Ireland’s heritage centres, run by the Irish Family History Foundation, also undertake research for clients.  The Mayo North Family Heritage Centre is situated on the Enniscoe estate, so if you have north Mayo roots then Enniscoe House would be a great place to stay.

The advantage of employing a qualified genealogist means that you will receive a professionally researched family history prior to your trip, enabling you to plan your holiday in Ireland around the places that are historically significant to your family. 

                                                                                                                                           

3. Plan your hotel stay

Once you know where your ancestors came from in Ireland, you can arrange to stay somewhere nearby and take in the atmosphere.  You can either do this yourself or through a specialist agent. There are 38 Blue Book Country Houses, historic hotels and castles located throughout Ireland.

 

4. HAve a Professional Plan YOur TRIP

TIME TRAVEL is a full-service travel agency and tour operator that can assist you with all your travel needs. Time Travel specialise in genealogy tours of Ireland.

 

The advantage of employing a qualified genealogist means that you will receive a professionally

USEFUL WEBSITES

 

Online Records

• 1901 and 1911 census of Ireland (free via National Archives website)
• Civil registration indexes of Ireland (free via FamilySearch website)
• Griffith’s Valuation (free on Ask About Ireland. Note the only definitive version with maps is on Irish Origins)
• Irish Family History Foundation (paid church records, census returns and gravestone inscriptions)
• Irish Origins ( This is a subscription site, but it contains records not found elsewhere, for example the only definitive version of Griffith’s Valuation, wills, passenger lists, censuses, burial records etc.)
• Irish Genealogy (Church of Ireland records for Carlow, Dublin and Kerry online)

Archives and Repositories

• General Register Office, Dublin
• Certificates.ie (for ordering birth, marriage and death certificates from Ireland)
• GRONI (General Register Office for Northern Ireland)
• National Archives of Ireland
• PRONI (Public Record Office of Northern Ireland)
• National Library of Ireland (includes Roman Catholic records)
• Representative Church Body Library (Church of Ireland records)
• Registry of Deeds
• Valuation Office

 

Professional Genealogists

• Ireland - Association of Professional Genealogists in Ireland
• USA – Association of Professional Genealogists
• UK – Association of Genealogists and Researchers in Archives

 

WHAT TO BRING ON YOUR TRIP TO IRELAND

Research plan: either your own, or one created by a researcher

• Research notes: to refer to when conducting new research
• Notebook & pencil: to write down all information
• Passport photos: for library cards etc.
• Personal identification: for library cards etc.
• Research guide: we like John Grenham’s Tracing Your Irish Ancestors
• Ordnance survey maps: to help you find your way around
• Digital camera: for holiday snaps & to record information e.g. on gravestones
• Digital voice recorder: in case you meet anyone who remembers your family