May the Luck of the Irish Be With You
- The DNA Sleuth Sisters
- Mar 19, 2019
- 3 min read
Do you throw on your finest green garments each year on Saint Patty’s Day? Maybe you attend a parade or enjoy some green beer? If you have Irish ancestors, have you pondered when and why they left Ireland?
Tracing your Irish ancestors can be a challenge…….
In the middle ages - Henry VIII dissolved Monasteries in Ireland (England and Wales, too). During this time, a group of monks known as the Four Masters traveled around Ireland trying to save the written heritage in annals known as the Annals of the Four Masters {said in my deep voice with many echoes}. The monks might mention genealogical lines in their wrtings which were kept by the Bards. The Bards passed the genealogies down through nine year apprenticeships by word of mouth. I like to think of my sister and I as modern day Bards, but maybe with a better name. Anyway, during the Plantations, it was difficult to keep the oral traditions going.
1845-1855 (Potato Famine years) - more than 1.5 million emigrated out of Ireland and another million died from starvation or other diseases. People were literally dying in the streets (uhem, roads) and buried where they fell with no marker. Of those who emigrated, some died on the journey and very little information would be written concerning the deceased.
1922 Civil War in Ireland - Mines exploded at the Four Courts in the basement of the Public Record Office in Dublin. Irish administration from the 13th to the 19th century were ALMOST totally destroyed.
On the bright side (it’s not all gloom, doom and destruction)! There were many records which were not destroyed and many which have been restored. Once Catholicism was back in Ireland, the church kept very detailed records.
Locating passenger records can be vey helpful, though not always containing accurate information. Don’t get too fixated on one spelling of a surname. Record keepers often spelled last names phonetically. It can make your head spin!
Here are some helpful tips and links if you’re considering a little research:
First, study census records, local histories and the obits of your ancestors here in the U.S.. These will usually give you some clues as to the county, village or parish in Ireland your ancestors came from. Look at the naming patterns in your family and interview other family members who may have heard stories from previous generations.
Then you can start checking passenger records. After you gather as much information as you can from your ancestors in the U.S., THEN start looking in Ireland. Trust me…….don’t get excited and jump to Ireland. You’ll just get frustrated and confused, or maybe that’s just me. :) Finally, get your DNA tested. Join a surname project! DNA doesn’t solve all the mysteries (sometimes it creates new ones), but it can confirm you are on the right track if you have supporting documents.
www.Ancestry.com - a wealth of records including some passenger records can be found here with a paid subscription. Ancestry DNA runs sales on their test kits all the time. They just ended a $59 sale.
www.familysearch.com - this is a free site with access to many U.S. and Irish records.
www.findmypast.com - is great source to access Irish and U.K. records. You can access Griffith’s Valuation (1848-1864). This is with a paid subscription, but many times they offer free weekend searches!
www.nationalarchives.ie - free access and many searchable archives. Census records for some 19th and early 20th century available. Tithe and Applotment Books, Soldiers’ Wills.
www.youririshheritage.com - this is like a chatroom of sorts where you can share what information you do have and other members can share resources with you or may have a missing piece of your puzzle in their family research. The moderators are very helpful and most members are too.
“The Famine Emmigrants: List of Irish Immigrants Arriving at the Port of New York, 1846-51”, by Ira A. Glazier
Enjoy the process and may the luck of the Irish be with you!
Comments