Claire Bradley is a Dublin-based genealogist specialising in Irish ancestry
Heritage Week runs across the country from 12 – 20 August. Yes, I know that’s more than a week: I didn’t pick the name! I will be doing a DNA talk in Fingal Archives in Swords, Co. Dublin on Thursday 17 August. Space is limited at the venue so booking is essential.
One of the great things about genetic genealogy is how fast the field is growing. It’s changing and improving all the time. We can do all kinds of things now that 5 years ago were impossible. There’s so much to learn. I’ve written previously about clusters on my blog and I’m still periodically reviewing my…
Following their recent announcement that they were now accepting people who have achieved or are for studying for a Masters in History of the Family from the University of Limerick, I’m pleased to announce that I’ve joined the Register of Qualified Genealogists. I’d been aware of the RQG for a while and wrote to them…
I am very excited to share the news that my first article in Family Tree Magazine is published in the current edition (May 2023). The article concerns my great-grandfather’s first cousin, Richard Kent. In attempting to trace his family, he disappeared from the records, and then I found multiple candidates for him in different record sets. Were…
The New Pocket Guide to Irish Genealogy by Brian Mitchell is neither that new nor does it fit in your pocket, but that doesn’t mean it’s not worth your time. This is the 4th edition (2020) of a guide first produced 30 years ago by the renowned Derry-based Irish genealogist, Brian Mitchell. I already have…
I’m delighted to announce 2 genealogy workshops during March in conjunction with Fingal Libraries. Many people don’t know where to start with researching their family history. Fingal Libraries has an array of available subscription sites that you can use in all their branches and the local archives. This series of workshops (the same in each…
I’ve been using newspapers a lot recently to look for death notices and obituaries. There are two main types of notice to look for: This is an example of the former. It’s my 3x great-grandmother, Mary Lawless, née Swan, who died on the leap day in 1936. I wrote about her previously here. This is typical…
This year for Valentine’s Day, I thought I’d take a look at how often Irish people were called Valentine in February. St Valentine was a 3rd century CE Roman martyred clergyman who is also the patron saint of beekeepers and asthma. I didn’t know illnesses could have saints, but there you go! He has an…
It seems here to stay on this side of the Atlantic, so why not avail? 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…