Claire Bradley is a Dublin-based genealogist specialising in Irish ancestry
It is the time of year when you can get some great genealogy deals. I’ve collected a few of the best offers going. They range from DNA tests to newspaper archives & general subscriptions to commercial sites. Some of these offers run out soon so don’t wait if you’re interested. Ancestry DNA tests are on…
Following two separate conversations this week, I present a bit of fun.
Despite climate change’s best efforts, the evenings are beginning to draw in.Many people will not be aware that Hallowe’en has its origins in Ireland. It’s changed quite a bit since I was a child in the 1980s but some facets still remain the same. Back then, we dressed up and went to our neighbours’ doors…
UNESCO designates 8th September every year as International Literacy Day. It promotes the importance of literacy as a human right. Who among us doesn’t love getting caught up in a great novel? In this modern world, very few activities still require your full attention, we’re always on our phones or something, but reading is still…
This week I’m discussing how to break down a DNA match who has not responded to your messages. I had great success with this technique on a DNA match on My Heritage recently. If you haven’t already taken a test with them or uploaded your results from another database to My Heritage, then it is worth your…
As we approach a second St Patrick’s day still beset by a terrible pandemic, albeit with light on the horizon, I wanted to focus on a collection of records that are relevant for our large diaspora. 80 million people around the world claim Irish heritage and half of that number are in the USA. I’ve…
This year, to mark International Women’s Day, I’ve created this graphic celebrating my four great-grandmothers.
As part of work for my MA in the History of the Family, I had to contribute a piece of original research to a collaborative public history project called Ports: Past & Present. I wrote about the effect of the sinking of the RMS Leinster on the community of Kingstown (now Dun Laoghaire). My ancestor…
The Irish Genealogist for 2020 has been published this week. It goes out to all members of the Irish Genealogical Research Society. I’m delighted to see my own article in it. My One-Name Study of the Ure families of Ireland represents more than a decade of research into this surname, which is more commonly found…
This week’s topic is inspired by a recent blog post by my friend & fellow genealogist, Sophie Kay.Do have a read of her post, but I’ll summarise here. We never really have a full picture of someone’s life through official records. In most countries, there are 10 years between censuses and anything happening in between could be…