I'm pleased to announce the 2023 Ireland Research Trips will take place in October.  The Dublin trip will run from Saturday, October 7 to Saturday, October 14, 2023 and will include The National Library, The National Archives, The Valuation Office, The Registry of Deeds and the General Register Office.  Additional repositories such as the Representative Church Body Library can be scheduled on an as needed basis.  In addition, each of the Dublin researchers will have the opportunity to meet with a consultant from the Irish Family History Centre for a half hour consultation and enjoy a tour of the EPIC Emigration Museum.  We will be staying at Buswells, just across the street from the National Library.

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   The October Belfast trip is scheduled from Saturday, October 14 to Saturday, October 21, 2023 staying at The Belfast Hilton.  The Hilton is about a 15 minute walk from PRONI and close to the downtown area.  The week’s research includes the Public Record Office of Northern Ireland (PRONI), the Ulster Historical Foundation, The Linen Hall Library, and the North of Ireland Family History Society.  Additional repositories such as the Presbyterian Historical Society can be scheduled if needed.

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   If you would like to know more about the Research Trip, you can follow the activities of the 2022 October trip on my blog page.  This is a Research Trip and not a tour.  You will need to know where in Ireland your ancestor lived in order to register.  Here's a link to a blog written by Ann Raymont who attended the 2019 Dublin Research Trip and there are links to some of the earlier guest blogs, comments and photos below. 

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   To register for the trip, download the Registration Form (it's a PDF so print it and complete it by hand) and mail it to the address shown, along with your deposit.  

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Both trips are currently sold out.

If you would like to be put on a wait list, email me.

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Questions?

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Guest Blogs

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Ann Raymont, CG

Polly Fitzgerald Kimmitt, CG

Mirta Ramer

Jean Humeniuk

Lorraine Walsh

John Seymour

 

 

Comments from previous trips…

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"The things that made the trip work were the ZOOM CONFERENCE CALLS, the BLOGS, and the introductions made at the Valuation Office, The National Library of Ireland, and the National Archives of Ireland. All the employees at all three locations went out of their way to be helpful. The consultation at the Irish Family History Centre was the most valuable part of the trip."

 

"It's a great idea - have an expert guide your navigation for the first time visit. It really saved me a lot of time, and helped me maximize the research. I came home with about 100 records I hadn't seen before. It was quite a revelation to me that there were actually that many items to collect out there. I really can't wait to come back and get supplements, now that I know the terrain well. Thanks Donna!"

 

"Well planned and executed, with lots of options, not requirements."

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"You accommodated my need for RCBL and GRO perfectly. Like the Registry of Deeds, they aren't applicable for everyone, but you facilitated everyone's priorities very well."

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"While I was nervous that I didn't 'know enough,' I found I was well prepared--I knew my own material well, and I had some good ideas of avenues to research. My big takeaway is how to pursue the land records--I have much more confidence in my ability to review and interpret the materials."

 

"This is such a beautifully organized trip, and I really appreciate all the guidance. I think it's extra good that we had some open days to go back to other repositories. I think it would have been unfortunate if I were forced to go to places that didn't apply to me, and sacrifice more time at other places, for instance. Those last couple days were great for me - I went back to the Archives and the Valuation office, and saw other fellow researchers there too!"

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"The longer that I am home the more I feel that it was an awesome adventure, quite enjoyed Belfast and could have spent more time there, learned a lot about my relatives and Ireland, and continue to work on the DNA one of Martin's friends is on my DNA, getting DNA from a cousin, just not enough hours in the day 

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“The trip was great from beginning to end and the attention that you gave to everyone’s individual research throughout the week was beyond my expectations."

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"I felt I was well prepared but in retrospect, I should have done more work building out the families of the siblings of my ancestors and those families with the same name prior who stayed in Ireland I could have done more with shared DNA matches. But I did find anecdotal information to confirm one part of my question which then led to even more questions! Overall I was pleased with my first research visit to Proni."

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"I could never have navigated all these repositories in a week without the orientation and support you provided. It would have taken me several trips and far greater expense to find the documents and information I found in one week with you. This was a fabulous opportunity. Thank you for making it available to us.”

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“Donna was very knowledgeable and I learned so much about what and where I should be researching.”

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"The orientation at the NLI was good and help me to find and use the resources I wanted to look at. At the National Archives, I did not know what to look at. It was helpful when we were showed the different indexes and resources and where they were located. The trip was a great experience, thank you.”

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“All the help that was given, (esp. by Donna), and the various staff people, defiantly made our trip to both Belfast, and Dublin a howling success. !!!”

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"Fantastic trip, loved every minute of it, your knowledge , help and company was very much appreciated and I thank you very much."

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