Fiona Fitzsimons’ 2015 Course
Tracing Your Irish Ancestors
A Guide to Successful Research
Level: Intermediate to Advanced
Time Period: 1600s to 1990s
Prerequisites: Must have a basic grounding in archival research methods, and an open mind to dispel some of the established myths of Irish history
Course Outline:
This course aims to assist students of Irish Family History to develop their knowledge, skills and confidence in research. Each course module promotes a thorough knowledge of the sources, and emphasizes the importance of a good research methodology. The course covers all major sources online, as well as the most significant collections that are only currently available in hardcopy in the archives. Irish genealogical records will be explored from the 1600’s through 1990.
Records groups to be explored:
- Church records for all denominations
- Land and estate records
- Civil registration records (births/marriages/deaths)
- Extant census and census substitutes
- Legal records, courts and jail records
- Occupational records
- Newspapers and directories
- The Registry of Deeds,
- Testamentary records
- The records of the Genealogical Office