Claire Bradley is a Dublin-based genetic genealogist specialising in ancestry from Ireland
School records are an under-used resource in genealogy, largely because they are so dispersed, with very few online. Some are in county archives, some are in the National Archives, some are still housed in the original school and I suspect a great many more are in random places like some old principal’s attic. I’ve begun…
It’s an occupational hazard for me that when a famous person has an Irish name but is not Irish, I wonder how far back their Irish ancestry is. You’d have to be under a rock to have missed the headline film of the summer: The Odyssey, directed by one Christopher Nolan. Let’s take a look…
Earlier this week, I posted on my socials about the older National Archives genealogy site being offline. Courtesty of the WayBack Machine, which has many captures, you can still navigate parts of that site. This was subsequently confirmed with the following notice on their main “search the collections” page. I’m pleased to hear they are…
It’s here 100 years to the day at 00:01 on 18th April 2026, the National Archives has gifted genealogists and historians with the long-awaited public release of the Irish Free State’s 1926 census. The link to search is here. It’s free to access and you don’t need to register an account. What’s on it? This…
In an effort to declutter, I’m tackling one area or job every week. This morning it was the turn of clearing out old magazines. I’m not much of a magazine buyer but do like a subscription here or there. Getting something in the post is always exciting. They generally fall into the categories of yoga,…
Clients frequently ask me to collaborate with them on their family history. People have usually done a little bit themselves and then get stuck. I come in to help untangle and correct their homework! The proliferation of hint systems in online commercial genealogy sites means that it’s very easy for an error to be replicated,…
I’ve blogged before about the importance of the Valuations Office for genealogical research in land records. Read my post last year on it here. Hot on the heels of the GRO move (mentioned in my last newsletter), Tailte Éireann has announced the Valuations Office is moving to the Registry of Deeds building on Henrietta St…
Last week I joined the crew & passengers of the MV Sylvia Earle aboard their Luck of the Irish cruise around Ireland, which is run by Aurora Expeditions. I felt like I was following in the footsteps of my seafaring Joyce ancestors! Although the voyage started in Dublin, I actually took the train across Ireland…
I specifically want to address three myths about genealogy: two are specific to Ireland and one is more general. The first is the very persistent myth is that “all the Irish records were destroyed in a fire”. Like many good myths, there’s an element of truth in it. There was a fire and records were…
Hot on the heels of the changes to the National Archives website, the other main state portal for genealogical research has had a refresh. ETA: 27/2 – several of the issues that I noted below are now fixed! Hence, I’ve removed or edited my comments. Last week, I was in touch with IrishGenealogy to ask…