Welcome to the 20th edition of the Carnival of Irish Heritage & Culture: "I Speak from Experience!"
We are all at different stages of our Irish genealogical research. Some just starting out, others well-seasoned in the search. This short and sweet edition of our carnival focuses on tips and suggestions from submitters who have generously taken the time to write down what they have learned along the journey. I hope you'll find some new information here that you can apply to your own search. If you do, please take the time to comment and let us know. We'll be happy to celebrate your successes with you!
Here are the suggestions from this edition's kind contributors (who hope to save you their mistakes and/or get you further down the road to Irish research):
Jennifer Geraghty-Gorman of 'On a flesh and bone foundation': An Irish History offers Irish researchers 13 Tips + 1 for conducting research in Ireland. She wraps up her suggestions with one simple phrase: "Be well prepared"." Personally, I appreciated her last suggestion (which you won't read in too many Irish genealogy how-to books): what type of pants not to wear if you're a non-resident researcher trying to avoid the tourist look.
Over at the Irish Family History blog, Rachel Murphy (a native of Ireland) shares her Top 10 Tips for Irish genealogical research, many of which can be applied to research into non-Irish branches of the family. Rachel's suggestions include ideas such as how to get your research organized properly, how to use your creativity to find success in genealogy, and more.
Donna Moughty's first "research" trip to Ireland from the United States found her at a loss for what information to search for at the National Library of Ireland - after spending two hours applying for a reader's card. Visit Donna's Genealogy Blog for her suggestions on what to do Before You Go to Ireland, including her best tip: the most important piece of information to learn before you plan your trip. Donna offers many other practical suggestions, including how to correspond with a Catholic church so that you receive all of the information within the records and not just what fits onto their standard response form.
Visit Cindy Bergeron Scherwinski's blog In My Life for a few tips on Irish research, including traditional Irish naming patterns and the surprising place to look for a child's birth record. Cindy writes so poetically about her "favorite brick wall" that you might just find yourself inspired to do a little Irish research!
Frances Ellsworth (aka Hummer) also mentions traditional Irish naming patterns on her blog article posted at Branching Out Through The Years. Although she knows that her "quest is just beginning", she has a few suggestions, including the free online course on Irish research at Family Search. A great resource, Frances. Thanks for suggesting it!
The ongoing search for his McFarland ancestors has kept Bill West busy for a long time. In Searching for McFarlands on Record Search posted at his blog West in New England, Bill shares his latest update. Reading about his steps to success may aid your own personal Irish family research.
Every Irish genealogist hopes to eventually be able to visit Ireland and "trudge through muddy cemeteries in search of ancestors". Geniaus has done just that, but without success. On her blog, Geniaus, she tells briefly about her experience and gives perhaps the best advice we can take to heart while researching our Irish family history: be persistent!
Hopefully you will find some of the tips from this edition's contributors to be of use to you in your own Irish research, and that you can share your own wealth of experience with us for a future edition of the carnival. Want to delve a little deeper? Visit the Irish genealogy how-to page here at Small-leaved Shamrock for more ideas.
