MY BLOG

Welcome to my genealogy journey

I will be sharing when and why I started tracing my own family tree. 

The brick walls I broke down and the many living relatives and friends I found along the way. 

I will be posting when I can and giving some tips and ideas along the way…….

Catherine

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❤️ Remembering my aunt, Esther Kelleher

While researching our Kelleher family history, I’ve been fortunate to uncover some more information about our little aunt Esther, who sadly died in 1937 at just 5 or 6 years of age.

With the help of the Royal College of Physicians of Ireland, I was able to locate her entry in the patient register of Cork Street Fever Hospital, Dublin.

Esther was admitted on 12 February 1937 and, sadly, passed away in the hospital on 16 June 1937. The register records that she suffered from scarlet fever, diphtheria, chickenpox and whooping cough.

It is heartbreaking to think of such a young child enduring so much, especially in a time when medical treatments were very limited compared with today.

The record also gives her address as 36 Fitzwilliam Place, Dublin, another little detail to add to our family history.

Although Esther’s life was far too short, she was part of our family and deserves to be remembered. I’m grateful to the archivist who took the time to find her record and help us learn a little more about her life.

Sometimes family history is about more than names and dates. It’s about remembering the people behind them and making sure their stories are not forgotten. ❤️

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19th October

Beyond the Birth Certificate: 5 Irish Records That Can Reveal Your Ancestors’ Stories

Have you ever found a birth certificate for an ancestor and wondered what happened to them afterwards?

A birth record is often the starting point of a family history journey, but it rarely tells the whole story. To discover more about our Irish ancestors, we need to look beyond the basic details and explore the records that help bring their lives into focus.

Here are five types of records that can help you uncover more about your family’s past.

1. Census Returns: Discovering Your Ancestors at Home

Census records can provide a wonderful snapshot of family life. Ireland’s surviving 1901 and 1911 census returns are particularly valuable, recording household members, ages, occupations, relationships and places of birth.

They can help you identify other relatives living in the same household and sometimes reveal unexpected family connections.

The 1911 census also asked married women how many years they had been married, how many children had been born alive and how many were still living.

Where to search: The National Archives of Ireland provides free access to the surviving 1901 and 1911 census returns.

2. Church Registers: Baptisms, Marriages and Burials

Before civil registration became widespread, church registers were often the most important source for tracing Irish families.

Roman Catholic and Church of Ireland registers may contain baptismal, marriage and burial entries. Depending on the parish and period, you may discover parents’ names, sponsors or witnesses, townlands and other clues.

Sponsors at a baptism, for example, may have been relatives or close family friends. Investigating their names can sometimes lead you to another branch of your family tree.

Where to search: The National Library of Ireland provides digitised images of many historic Roman Catholic parish registers. Other collections are available through Irish genealogy websites and church archives.

3. Griffith’s Valuation: Finding Where Your Ancestors Lived

If your ancestor lived in Ireland during the nineteenth century, Griffith’s Valuation can be an invaluable resource.

Compiled during the mid-nineteenth century, it lists occupiers and lessors of property and identifies townlands and other geographical details.

Although it is not a census and does not list every member of a household, it can help you establish where an ancestor lived and identify property associated with a family name.

Where to search: The Ask About Ireland website provides free access to Griffith’s Valuation.

4. Land and Property Records: Following a Family Through Time

Land records can help you investigate what happened to a family after an earlier record was created.

The Tithe Applotment Books, compiled mainly between the 1820s and 1830s, can identify people liable for tithes in many rural areas. Later valuation records can help researchers follow changes in the occupation of property.

Comparing records from different dates may reveal when a family appeared in a particular townland or when another occupier took over a holding.

Where to search: Explore the Tithe Applotment Books through the National Archives of Ireland and valuation records through the Valuation Office’s historical collections.

5. Newspapers and Memorial Inscriptions: Adding the Human Story

Official records provide names, dates and places, but newspapers and memorial inscriptions can sometimes offer a more personal glimpse into an ancestor’s life.

Newspaper death notices, wedding announcements, obituaries and local reports may mention relatives, occupations, addresses or community involvement.

Gravestones can provide birth and death dates, family relationships and clues about relatives buried nearby. However, inscriptions can contain errors, so it is always worth comparing the information with other sources.

Where to search: Try the Irish Newspaper Archives, local newspaper collections, cemetery records and online memorial databases.

Putting the Pieces Together

The real value of genealogy research comes from combining evidence rather than relying on a single record.

A baptism entry might establish a parent’s name. A census return could reveal the wider household. Griffith’s Valuation might help locate the family in a particular townland, while a newspaper notice could provide further details about their lives.

Each record adds another piece to the puzzle.

When researching your Irish ancestors, record the source of every discovery and compare information carefully, particularly when dates, spellings or ages differ.

You may be surprised by how much you can discover when you look beyond the birth certificate.

Which Irish record has helped you make your most exciting family history discovery? Share your experience in the comments.

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5th October

Genealogy Tip of the Day: Don’t Give Up When the Name Doesn’t Match

One of the biggest challenges in family history research is finding an ancestor when the name you are looking for doesn’t quite match the record.

It is very easy to assume that you have found the wrong person — but name variations were extremely common, particularly in older records.

A person might appear as:

• Catherine, Kate or Kitty
• Margaret, Maggie or Peggy
• Elizabeth, Eliza or Betty
• Patrick, Paddy or Padraig
• Timothy or Thaddeus
• John, Jack or even Sean

Surnames can also vary in spelling. Before standardised spelling became common, names were often written down as they sounded, and the spelling could depend entirely on the person creating the record.

This is particularly important when researching Irish families.

Look at the whole record

If the name isn’t an exact match, don’t immediately dismiss the record.

Look at the other information:

Where did they live?
Who were their parents?
Who did they marry?
What were the names of their children?
What was their occupation?
Do the witnesses or sponsors have family connections?

These details can be much more valuable than the spelling of the name itself.

For example, if you are looking for a Catherine Brown and find a Kate Brown living at the correct address, with the expected parents and family connections, you may well have found the right person.

My genealogy tip

Don’t search for a name — search for a person.

A spelling difference doesn’t necessarily mean you have the wrong ancestor. Sometimes the clues surrounding the name are what prove that you have found the correct family.

And remember: always record the name exactly as it appears on the original document, even if it is spelled differently from the version you normally use.

Those little variations can sometimes lead to the next important record in your family history.

Happy researching!

CK Genealogy Research & Design
Dublin, Ireland
Genealogy & Family History Research

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29th September

Who Were the Witnesses on Your Irish Ancestor’s Marriage Record?

When you find an Irish ancestor’s marriage record, it is easy to concentrate on the bride and groom and overlook the other names on the page.

But the witnesses can sometimes provide an important clue to your family history.

Why were witnesses recorded?

Marriage ceremonies required witnesses, and their names were recorded in the marriage register or certificate.

The witnesses were not necessarily relatives. They could be friends, neighbours, members of the same church or other people known to the couple.

However, it is always worth investigating them.

Could a witness be a relative?

Absolutely.

A witness might be a brother, sister, cousin or another member of the extended family.

For example, if John Murphy married Mary Byrne and the witnesses were Patrick Murphy and Catherine Byrne, it would be worth investigating whether Patrick was John’s brother and Catherine was Mary’s sister.

You should not assume that they were related simply because they shared a surname—but the possibility is worth testing.

Follow the witness

If a witness has an unusual name, search for them in other records.

You might find them:

• Living close to the couple
• Appearing in the same census household
• In another marriage record
• As a witness to another family marriage
• In church baptism records
• In valuation records
• Mentioned in a newspaper
• Buried in the same cemetery

Following a witness can sometimes reveal a family connection that wasn’t immediately obvious.

Look at the addresses

Addresses can provide another useful clue.

If the marriage record gives an address for the bride and groom, compare those locations with the addresses of the witnesses where available.

If a witness lived nearby, that may simply reflect a friendship or neighbourhood connection.

But if the witness appears repeatedly alongside the family in other records, you may have uncovered something more significant.

Witnesses can help with common surnames

This can be especially useful when researching common Irish surnames.

Finding a John Kelly or Patrick Murphy in isolation can be difficult.

But if you have:

John Kelly + Mary Byrne + Dublin address + witnesses

you have a much stronger set of clues to work with.

The witnesses can become additional search terms that help distinguish your family from others with similar names.

Don’t assume every witness was family

This is important.

Genealogy involves building evidence, not making assumptions.

A witness with the same surname may be a relative—or simply someone from the local community.

Look for supporting evidence in other records before adding a relationship to your family tree.

Follow the names around the family

One of the most interesting things you can do is look at the witnesses on other family marriages.

If the same names keep appearing, you may be looking at a network of relatives and friends.

A sister might witness her brother’s marriage.

A brother might witness his sister’s marriage.

A cousin might appear at several family events.

Over time, these connections can help reconstruct a family network that isn’t immediately visible from individual records.

Every name can be a clue

When researching your Irish ancestors, don’t just look for the person you already know.

Look at the other names on the record.

The witnesses, sponsors, informants, neighbours and godparents may all provide clues that lead you towards another generation.

Sometimes the person you weren’t looking for turns out to be the person who helps you find the ancestor you were looking for.

Need help with your Irish family research?

At CK Genealogy Research & Design, I research Irish and international family histories using civil records, church registers, census records, newspapers, valuation records, cemetery records and other historical sources.

I don’t simply look for names. I compare information across different records to build evidence and establish family connections where the records support them.

Every research project is different, and no guarantee can be given that a particular ancestor or record will be found.

But when researching family history, never overlook the other names on the page.

They might just lead you to your next discovery.

CK Genealogy Research & Design
Dublin, Ireland

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28th September

Can’t Find Your Irish Ancestor’s Birth Record? Don’t Give Up

One of the most frustrating moments in family history research is finding your ancestor mentioned in later records, but being unable to locate their birth or baptism record.

You may know their approximate year of birth, their parents’ names and even where they lived—but the record you are looking for simply doesn’t appear.

Before deciding that the record doesn’t exist, there are several things worth checking.

Start with the date

The birth year you have may not be completely accurate.

An ancestor’s age could vary between a census, marriage record and death certificate. Information on a death record, in particular, may have been provided by someone who did not know the exact date of birth.

Try searching a range of years rather than relying on one specific date.

For example, if a record suggests that someone was born in 1895, don’t limit your search to 1895. Look several years either side.

Check different spellings

Names were not always recorded consistently.

A surname may have several different spellings, particularly when dealing with older records. First names can also vary.

Someone recorded as Margaret in one record might appear as Maggie or another variation elsewhere.

When searching online databases, try different combinations and consider using less restrictive searches.

Look at the parents

Sometimes searching directly for the child doesn’t produce the answer.

If you know the names of the parents, try looking for other children in the family.

You may discover several siblings whose birth or baptism records are easier to locate.

These records can help establish:

• The family’s parish
• Their address or townland
• The father’s occupation
• The mother’s maiden name
• The approximate period when the family lived there

That information can then help you return to the missing birth.

Civil registration and church records are not the same thing

This is an important distinction when researching Irish ancestors.

A baptismal record is not the same thing as a civil birth certificate.

Depending on the period, denomination and location, one may survive when the other does not.

You may therefore need to search both civil registration records and church registers rather than assuming that finding one means the other must also exist.

Check the location carefully

An ancestor may have been born in one parish but baptised somewhere else.

Families moved. Parishes changed. Addresses can also be recorded differently in different sources.

If you cannot find the record in the parish you expected, consider nearby parishes and surrounding townlands.

This is where understanding the geography of an area can make a significant difference.

Don’t assume the record has survived

Unfortunately, not every historical Irish record has survived.

Some records have gaps, some registers begin later than others, and some records may be difficult to read or access.

There are also situations where an event may simply not have been recorded.

Not finding a record does not automatically mean that the event did not happen.

Look at the records created later in their life

One of the best ways to investigate a missing birth record is to work backwards from records you already have.

Look at the ancestor’s:

Marriage → Census → Death → Children’s records → Newspaper notices → Cemetery or burial records

These may provide clues about their age, birthplace, parents, relatives or place of residence.

Sometimes the answer is hidden in a record that was created decades after the birth.

Genealogy is about building evidence

Finding an ancestor isn’t always about locating one perfect document.

Sometimes you have to build the identification from several pieces of evidence.

A marriage record might provide the father’s name.

A census might provide the age and address.

A sibling’s baptism might identify the parish.

A death record might provide another address.

Together, these records can create a much stronger picture of the family.

Have you reached a dead end?

If you’ve searched for an Irish ancestor’s birth record and can’t find it, don’t assume you’ve reached the end of the road.

There may be other records or research strategies worth exploring.

At CK Genealogy Research & Design, I carry out Irish family history research using civil records, church registers, census records, newspapers, valuation records, cemetery records and other historical sources.

Every research project is different, and no guarantee can be given that a particular record will be found. But a missing record doesn’t necessarily mean a missing ancestor.

Sometimes, the clue you need is sitting in a completely different record.

CK Genealogy Research & Design
Dublin, Ireland

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23rd September

What Is an Irish Townland and Why Does It Matter in Genealogy?

If you are researching an Irish ancestor, you may come across a place name that you have never heard of before.

It might not be a village or a town. It could be a townland.

Townlands are one of the most important building blocks of Irish genealogy, and discovering the townland where your ancestor lived can make a huge difference to your research.

What is a townland?

A townland is a traditional Irish geographical division.

Ireland has thousands of townlands, ranging from very small areas to much larger ones. A townland might contain only a handful of houses or farms, while others cover a much larger area.

Importantly, a townland is not necessarily a town.

You may therefore find an ancestor recorded as living in a particular townland even though the nearest village or town is more familiar to you.

Why are townlands so useful for family history?

A surname on its own may not be enough to identify the correct family.

For example, there could have been several families with the same surname living in the same county.

But if you discover that your ancestor lived in a particular townland, you have a much more precise starting point.

You can then begin looking for that family in other records connected with the same locality.

Townlands appear in many different records

You may find a townland recorded in:

• Census returns
• Civil birth, marriage and death records
• Church registers
• Griffith’s Valuation
• Tithe Applotment Books
• Land and property records
• Newspapers
• Cemetery records
• Estate records

Comparing these sources can help establish whether different records relate to the same family.

Griffith’s Valuation can be particularly useful

Griffith’s Valuation is an important source for researching nineteenth-century Ireland.

It can help identify where people lived and the property they occupied or held.

If you know your ancestor’s townland, you can investigate whether the family surname appears there and look at the surrounding properties.

This can sometimes reveal other families living nearby who may turn out to be relatives or connected families.

Don’t assume the place name stayed the same

Historical place names can be confusing.

The spelling of a townland may vary between records, and an address may be written differently depending on who recorded it.

Older records may also use Irish versions of place names or spellings that are no longer commonly used.

This is why it is important to consider variations rather than searching for only one exact spelling.

A townland can help you follow a family

One of the most useful things about identifying a townland is that it can allow you to follow a family through different periods.

You might find a family in a nineteenth-century valuation record, then locate them in a census, followed by a church record or civil registration.

The names and ages may change over time, but the location can provide an important connecting clue.

You may even discover that the same family remained in the area for several generations.

What if you don’t know your ancestor’s townland?

Don’t worry if you only know a county, parish or town.

There are many records that can help narrow the location.

A census return may provide an address. A marriage record may give a residence. A baptism may identify a townland. A newspaper notice or headstone may provide another clue.

Genealogy is often a process of gradually moving from a broad location to a more precise one.

Ireland → County → Parish → Townland → House or property

The further you can narrow the location, the easier it can become to distinguish your ancestor from other people with the same name.

The importance of location in Irish genealogy

A name tells you who you are looking for.

A date can tell you when they lived.

But a townland can help tell you where their family belonged.

For Irish family history research, that can be an incredibly important piece of the puzzle.

Are you trying to find where your Irish ancestors lived?

At CK Genealogy Research & Design, I research Irish family histories using a range of historical sources, including census records, civil registration, church records, valuation records, newspapers and cemetery records.

If you have a family name and a county but cannot work out exactly where your ancestors lived, there may be further records worth investigating.

Every family history is different, and records are not always complete, but finding that one important townland can sometimes open up an entirely new avenue of research.

CK Genealogy Research & Design
Dublin, Ireland

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21st September

Irish Parish Registers: What Can They Tell You About Your Ancestors?

If you are researching an Irish ancestor who lived before civil registration, parish registers can be one of the most important sources available.

Depending on the parish and denomination, these historic records can provide information about baptisms, marriages and burials, helping to piece together families that lived in Ireland many generations ago.

What are parish registers?

Parish registers are records kept by churches and religious institutions.

Ireland has a long history of different religious denominations, including Roman Catholic, Church of Ireland, Presbyterian and Methodist communities. The records available—and the dates they cover—vary considerably from one parish to another.

This means that knowing your ancestor’s religion and location can be extremely important when beginning your research.

Baptism records can reveal family connections

A baptism record may provide the child’s name, date of baptism, parents’ names and sometimes the family’s address or townland.

Some registers also include the names of sponsors or godparents.

These additional names can be useful clues when trying to identify other members of the family.

For example, if several children in the same family appear in a parish register, it may be possible to establish a pattern of names, addresses and relationships that helps confirm the family group.

Marriage records can provide valuable clues

Marriage records can be particularly useful because they may provide information about both the bride and groom.

Depending on the period and denomination, you may find:

• Names of the bride and groom
• Date of marriage
• Parish
• Addresses or townlands
• Names of witnesses
• Father’s name or other family information in some records

Witnesses should not automatically be assumed to be relatives, but they are worth investigating. A witness may turn out to be a sibling, parent, friend or another person connected to the family.

What about burials?

Burial records can help establish when and where an ancestor died and may provide information about their residence or family connections.

They can also point you towards a cemetery or grave that may still exist today.

A cemetery search can sometimes provide additional information through a headstone, including the names of other family members buried in the same grave.

Records may not be complete

One of the most important things to remember when using parish registers is that not every record has survived.

Some registers begin much later than others, while some have gaps or may be difficult to read.

There can also be differences in the way names and places were recorded.

An ancestor may appear with a slightly different spelling from the one used in later records.

This is why searching for an exact spelling alone can sometimes cause you to miss an important record.

Start with a place

When researching an Irish ancestor, one of the most useful pieces of information you can establish is where they lived.

A townland, parish or town can help narrow the search considerably.

Once you have identified a likely location, you can investigate which church or parish served the area and determine whether relevant registers survive for the period you are researching.

Other records, such as census returns, civil registration, valuation records and newspapers, can then be used alongside the parish registers to build a more complete picture.

Don’t treat one record as the final answer

A parish baptism record may suggest that you have found your ancestor—but it is still important to compare it with other evidence.

Does the father’s occupation match?

Does the address fit?

Do the names of siblings correspond with later records?

Does the age make sense?

Does the family appear in the same area in census or other records?

Genealogy is about building evidence rather than simply finding a name.

Need help researching your Irish family history?

If you have reached a point where you cannot find the parish, record or ancestor you are looking for, professional research can help identify other sources and avenues to investigate.

At CK Genealogy Research & Design, I carry out Irish family history research using civil records, church registers, census records, newspapers, valuation records, cemetery records and other historical sources.

Research can uncover fascinating details about the lives of our ancestors, but records are not always complete and no guarantee can be given that a particular ancestor or record will be found.

Sometimes, however, one parish record is all it takes to open up an entirely new branch of the family tree.

CK Genealogy Research & Design
Dublin, Ireland

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18th September

Your Irish Ancestor Left Ireland – Where Do You Start?

One of the most common questions I come across in genealogy is:

“My ancestor came from Ireland, but I don’t know exactly where. How can I find them?”

It can seem like an impossible task, particularly when you only have a name and an approximate year of birth.

But there are several places you can start looking.

Start with the records they left behind

If your Irish ancestor emigrated to the USA, Canada, Australia, England or another country, don’t immediately concentrate only on Irish records.

The records created after they left Ireland can contain valuable clues about their origins.

Depending on the country and period, these might include:

• Census records
• Marriage records
• Death certificates
• Obituaries
• Naturalisation records
• Passenger and immigration records
• Military records
• Cemetery records
• Church records
• Newspaper articles
• Probate records

A death certificate might give an Irish birthplace. A naturalisation record could provide a town or county. An obituary might name parents or siblings.

One clue can lead to another.

Don’t overlook census records

Census records can be particularly useful because they may record an immigrant’s birthplace.

For example, an American census might simply say Ireland, while a later census could provide more detail—or even contain an incorrect location.

This is why it is important to compare records rather than relying on one source.

Look for siblings

Finding an ancestor’s brothers and sisters can sometimes be the key to discovering their Irish origins.

Perhaps your ancestor’s own records only say “Ireland”, but a sibling’s obituary states that the family came from a particular county.

Or perhaps another family member applied for naturalisation and provided information that your ancestor never recorded.

Genealogy is often about putting these separate pieces of information together.

Be careful with family stories

Family stories can be incredibly valuable.

You may have been told that your ancestor came from Cork, Galway, Dublin or Donegal.

Don’t dismiss the story—but don’t automatically treat it as proven either.

Use it as a clue to investigate.

The same applies to stories about a particular village, occupation, religion or reason for emigrating.

The records may confirm the story, change it slightly, or reveal something completely different.

What if all you know is a name?

This is where Irish genealogy can become particularly challenging.

Names such as John Murphy, Patrick Kelly, Mary Byrne or Michael Ryan appear in huge numbers of records.

A name alone is rarely enough to identify the correct person with confidence.

You need to build a profile using as many clues as possible:

Name + approximate age + relatives + occupation + residence + religion + immigration information

The more pieces that fit together, the stronger your identification becomes.

Finding the Irish birthplace is often the breakthrough

Once you can establish an Irish county—or ideally a parish, townland or town—the research can become much more focused.

You can then begin looking at the Irish records that may relate to that particular family.

And sometimes the breakthrough comes from a record created thousands of miles away from Ireland.

Are you searching for an Irish emigrant ancestor?

If your ancestor left Ireland and you’ve reached a dead end, there may still be records worth investigating.

At CK Genealogy Research & Design, I carry out Irish and international family history research, including research into emigrant ancestors and their Irish origins.

I can investigate records, follow documentary clues and provide a sourced report of the research undertaken.

Every genealogy project is different, and research cannot guarantee that a particular record or ancestor will be found. But sometimes the smallest clue can lead you back to the place your family left behind.

CK Genealogy Research & Design
Dublin, Ireland

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17th September

What Can an Irish Death Certificate Tell You About Your Ancestor?

When researching an Irish ancestor, a death certificate can provide much more than simply the date and place of death.

It can sometimes give you valuable clues that help connect one generation to the next.

What information can you find?

An Irish civil death record can include details such as:

• The name of the deceased
• Date and place of death
• Age
• Occupation
• Cause of death
• Marital status in some circumstances
• The name and address of the informant
• The relationship of the informant to the deceased

The informant can be particularly interesting.

A death registered by a son, daughter, spouse or other relative can provide an additional family connection that may help confirm that you have identified the correct person.

Don’t rely on the age alone

One of the most common problems in family history research is that an ancestor’s age can vary from one record to another.

Someone might be described as 60 on a death record but appear as 56 or 58 in an earlier census.

This doesn’t necessarily mean you’ve found the wrong person.

Ages were often supplied by other people, and the information on a death certificate may not have come directly from the deceased.

Instead, look at the whole collection of evidence.

Does the address match?

Does the occupation make sense?

Is the informant a relative?

Do the names of the spouse or children fit with other records?

These details can be much more useful than relying on one age.

The address can be an important clue

Addresses are particularly valuable when researching Irish families.

If an ancestor died at an address that also appears in a census, valuation record, electoral register or another family document, you may be able to establish a much stronger connection between the records.

Even when the surname is common, an unusual address can help distinguish one family from another.

Cause of death can also provide context

The cause of death can sometimes give you an insight into the circumstances surrounding an ancestor’s final years.

However, historical medical terminology can be very different from modern terminology, so it is important not to interpret an old cause of death without understanding the terminology used at the time.

One certificate rarely proves the whole story

A death certificate is a useful piece of evidence, but it should normally be considered alongside other records.

For example, you might combine information from:

Death certificate → Census → Marriage record → Birth or baptism record → Other family records

Each record can either strengthen the identification or raise a new question.

And sometimes it is the apparent contradiction between two records that provides the clue you need to investigate further.

Researching an Irish ancestor?

If you have an Irish ancestor whose life story you are trying to uncover, professional genealogy research can help bring together the available records and build a documented family history.

At CK Genealogy Research & Design, I research Irish and international family histories using civil records, church records, census returns, archives, newspapers, property records, cemetery records and other historical sources.

I can also provide research reports and copies of relevant records where available.

Every family history is different, and research cannot guarantee that a particular record or ancestor will be found. But sometimes one small detail is enough to open up an entirely new branch of your family tree.

CK Genealogy Research & Design
Dublin, Ireland

______________________________________________________

16th Sep

Why One Irish Genealogy Record Is Rarely Enough

When researching your Irish family history, it can be tempting to find one record that appears to confirm an ancestor’s identity and move on to the next generation.

But genealogy rarely works that simply.

A single record can contain an error, a different spelling of a name, an incorrect age, or information supplied by someone who did not know all the details. This is why comparing different records is such an important part of Irish family history research.

Look for the same person in different records

For example, a marriage certificate might give you:

• The couple’s names
• Their occupations
• Their fathers’ names
• Addresses
• Witnesses

Those details can then be compared with census records, church registers, civil death records, newspaper reports, valuation records and other sources.

The 1901 and 1911 Irish censuses are particularly useful because they can provide information about household members, ages, occupations, relationships, religion and addresses. The National Archives of Ireland provides access to these census records online.

Names can change

Irish ancestors did not always appear under exactly the same name throughout their lives.

A person recorded as Bridget in one document might appear as Bessie, Bess or another variation elsewhere. Spelling could also vary considerably, particularly when names were written down by different record keepers.

This is one reason I always recommend looking beyond an exact-name search when researching an Irish ancestor.

Check the address

An address can sometimes be just as important as a name.

If you find the same family surname appearing at the same address in several records, this can provide an important clue that you have found the correct family.

Property and valuation records can also help establish where a family lived. Griffith’s Valuation, for example, is an important source for Irish family and local history research.

Don’t forget church records

Civil registration in Ireland began in 1864 for births, marriages and deaths, although non-Catholic marriages were registered from 1845.

For earlier generations, parish registers can be essential. Depending on the parish and denomination, baptism, marriage and burial records may provide information that isn’t available elsewhere.

Build the evidence

Good genealogy isn’t simply about finding a name that looks right.

It’s about building a body of evidence.

I like to look at several records together and ask:

Does the age make sense?
Does the address fit?
Do the family relationships match?
Does the occupation fit?
Are the witnesses or neighbours connected?
Does the information remain consistent across different records?

Sometimes the answer is straightforward. Other times, the discrepancies are what lead to the breakthrough.

If you’re researching an Irish ancestor and have reached a point where the records don’t seem to agree, don’t assume you’ve reached a dead end. Sometimes the smallest clue can lead to the next generation.

Need help with your Irish family history?

I provide professional genealogy research through CK Genealogy Research & Design, including Irish family tree research, civil and church records, census research, cemetery searches, family history reports and more.

Every research project is different, and while research can uncover fascinating information, no guarantee can be given that a particular ancestor or record will be found.

If you’ve reached a brick wall in your Irish family tree, I’d be happy to discuss your research and see what avenues may be available.

CK Genealogy Research & Design
Dublin, Ireland
https://ckresearchanddesign.com

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15th Sept 2026

Why Can’t I Find My Irish Ancestor?

One of the most frustrating parts of Irish genealogy is knowing that your ancestor was born, married or lived in Ireland – but being unable to find the record you are looking for.

Don’t give up too quickly!

Irish records can be difficult to trace because names were often spelled differently, ages may be incorrect, and records can be missing or incomplete. Your ancestor may also have been recorded under a townland, parish or town that is different from the place name you know today.

Sometimes a simple variation in a surname or first name can make all the difference.

When researching an Irish ancestor, it is worth checking:

• Different spellings of the surname
• Variations in first names
• Nearby parishes and townlands
• Civil and church records
• Census records
• Griffith’s Valuation and other land records
• Newspaper and archive records
• Cemetery and burial records

Most importantly, don’t assume that a record doesn’t exist simply because you haven’t found it yet.

Irish genealogy often requires several different records to be brought together before you can be confident that you have identified the correct person.

If you have an Irish ancestor you are struggling to find, I can help you investigate the available records and piece together the evidence.

CK Genealogy Research and Design
Family history research | Irish genealogy | Family trees | Genealogy reports

Please note: genealogy research cannot guarantee that a particular record or ancestor will be found.

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17th August 2026

So it has been a busy summer for me, lots of clients, some looking for Irish citizenship,

some looking for missing relatives. Family history books produced, family trees printed

and some interviews with Hotels. All good and looking forward to helping more clients.

I am starting a diploma course in Family History in September. Holidays first though!

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6th June

I have been very busy work and personal time. I have had many clients looking for my services

to help them apply for Irish citizenship. This week I am trying to solve a mystery of a missing relative…..

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18th April 2026

The 1926 Census is finally available! I have been happily looking up information about my grandparents and great-grandparents. I have not slept in a few days! Much more to find……

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13th March 2026

I attended an Irish Family History meeting last Wednesday night. It was a very interesting evening with many laugh-out-loud moments that, unfortunately, I cannot share!

One member spoke about having photographs of Nelson’s Column after it was blown up—and he himself appeared in the pictures. He explained that he had been given a camera as a gift and carried it with him at all times. Looking back, he said he is very glad that he did.

He also shared the challenges he faced while trying to locate his father’s baptismal certificate. When he finally found a copy, the date recorded on it did not match the date his family had always believed to be correct.

I also spoke about my experience using AI to help locate a burial place for a client. I discussed both the advantages and the limitations of using it. AI can be very useful for tasks such as transcription, cleaning up text, summarising information, and organising research. However, it cannot replace proper evidence, historical context, or human judgement.

The group members regularly support one another and share their knowledge and expertise. It is a very worthwhile group to join.

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23rd Feb 2026

Researching an Ancestor Who Did Not Want to Be Found

What happens when the trail suddenly goes cold — not because records are missing, but because someone deliberately disappeared?

It took me many years to uncover any real information about my great-grandfather Daniel Flynn’s brother, Michael Flynn.

I first found him on the 1901 census (from the National Archives website), aged 13, living in Dublin with his mother and siblings. His brother Daniel was listed as a Private in the British Army.

But by 1911, Michael had vanished. He did not appear on the census (from the National Archives website).

I later located his army record on Ancestry. Michael had become a Sergeant Major in the Royal Dublin Fusiliers. I even found a photograph in the family archive of him in uniform alongside his brother Daniel. After that, however, the trail went cold.

Eventually, I discovered a World War I record that appeared to match him. It mentioned a wife and two children — Michael and Anne Marguerite, the latter born in India. Encouraged, I searched for a marriage certificate, checking carefully that the father’s name aligned. It seemed I was on the right path.

But then doubt crept in.

Should everything be uncovered? How do we handle discoveries that may unsettle living relatives?

While searching further, I found a Michael Flynn listed on the 1939 Register in England on the Ancestry website. He was living with his wife Mary Ellen and three children. Something caught my attention: his birth date was recorded as 6th September 1889.

My Michael Flynn’s birth record showed 13th November 1888.

Close — but not the same.

Curious, I researched Michael Flynn, born in September 1889. I soon discovered that this man had died in 1911. I found his death record from the Irish Genealogy website (irishgenealogy.ie) and burial details from the Dublin Cemeteries Trust (dctrust.ie). That should have ruled him out entirely.

Yet DNA results told a different story.

A DNA match connected directly to the family listed in the 1939 Register. The children matched. The family matched. Everything pointed back to them.

So why would Michael adopt the birth date of another man — one who had died?

Then I uncovered the answer.

Through newspaper archives, I found records of a Michael Flynn working at the Post Office in London. He had been stealing postal items containing money. Eventually, he was caught and prosecuted. The newspaper listed his address: Ferndale Road, Lambeth — the same address connected to the family I had traced.

That confirmed it.

“Our” Michael Flynn had reinvented himself.

Even his wife Mary’s birth details were incorrectly recorded, which explains why I struggled to find her earlier records. It seemed reinvention ran deep.

This was no accident or coincidence. It was deliberate.

Researching family history often feels like assembling a puzzle. But sometimes, the missing pieces aren’t lost — they’re hidden.

And sometimes the most difficult ancestors to trace are the ones who teach us the most: about resilience, reinvention, shame, survival, and the complicated nature of family.

Author: Catherine Kelleher, Genealogist / AGI Affiliate

Mobile: +353 087 928 5663

Website: CK Research and Design

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17th Feb 2026

Well, I have just finished a report for one of my clients regarding Michael Collins.

Just started another report for a new client, and I am working on a booklet for another client.

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26th Jan 2026

I have been very busy working on my two businesses in the last few months.

I am now an Affiliate  with Accredited Genealogists Ireland, I look forward to 

learning from other genealogists and increasing my skills in researching. 

More on that in the next few weeks after I meet my mentor. 

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Sohana a student from the learning heaven came across an article on Ancestry to Archives: Libraries Are Revolutionizing Family Tree Research.

www.librarysciencedegreesonline.org/libraries-revolutionizing-family-tree-research

I thought it might be helpful to share. #genealogy

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New Free Historical Records from 10 Countries

FamilySearch expanded its free online archives with over 18 million new records from 10 countries. Exciting additions include 12 million civil (birth, marriage, death) and church records from Italy, 8 million civil and immigration records from the Dominican Republic, and 2 million records from the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Other countries with significant record additions include the following:

• Belgium
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4th December

I have been busy putting the finishing touches (lol) to two family trees for clients,

Get in touch for last minute family tree gifts today #genealogy

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20th November

I have had a busy few weeks, two clients I have been building their trees, nearly up to 500 on one and 400 on the other. I had a previous client’s friend come back to me, attacking me and threatening to bring me to court without explanation. I am not going into it further. Life is too short and most of my clients understand the work and effort that goes into my research. Onwards.

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11th Nov

It has been a busy few weeks for lots of reasons…..

I am working on three client family trees and have a few brick walls, some I have broken down,

others I know I will break threw….Need help with a brick wall or want to find where a loved one is buried?

Get in touch for a quote.

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22nd October

I have been busy in my different businesses the last few weeks!

I have been trying to prove a line of a family is connected to one of my clients

family tree, feel like I am close and won’t give up. Burial records helped me

confirm some information but not there yet. A new client is providing me with

some starting information next week and I can’t wait to get started on their tree.

I find starting a day with a walk clears the head and makes you see things alot

clearer! Reviewing another client tree this evening.

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14th October

This week I have been researching my maternal line. I found a connection to Theodore Roosevelt, he was a good friend of a very distant relative.

Did you know the story of ‘The Teddy Bear’…….

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6th October

So all I had to go on was grandfather’s birth record, saying his father was called Michael Joseph Kelleher. I found one Michael Kelleher, a draper, living in Glasnevin, Botanic road in 1911. I followed his life and found he worked in Clery’s on O’Connell Street and married Bridget Clune in Berkley Road church the following year 1912. I went to the church presbytery and a gentleman let me come in and take photographs of the marriage register which showed parents names, witnesses names and mother’s maiden names. I continued to follow Michael’s life and found he had 5 children, John (Jack), Desmond, Eine Maureen, Marie Teresa and Nora Euphoria. I spent too many hours to mention trying to find what happened to each of them, never knowing for sure if we were all related.

Then I ordered a DNA test and my results were uploaded showing matches and ethnicity. One day I found a match to a William Kelleher in America – his grand uncle was Michael Joseph Kelleher, the same man I had researched.

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30th September 2025

Tips & Advice

Ask questions……… talk to your parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles. Take notes…. but remember people can be economical with the truth. Chinese whispers can cause issues. Remeber if you are given dates of events search a couple of years before and after that year.

The 1901 and 1911 census is a great place to start your search. I am counting the hours until the 1926 census is available…. I have so much to look up and clarify.

I am starting a tree for a new client in a few weeks just waiting for the starting information. Get in touch for a quote and why my services are way above the rest.

Catherine

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25th September 2025

I started to have an interest in our family history after my dad passed away in 2007. I wish I had asked questions years before, but we can’t change the past. Little did I know that not only would I find family we didn’t know we had, but also living family we didn’t know we had. Family living in Dublin, Co. Wexford, Cork, Australia and United States.

I have to say I have enjoyed every minute of this search and it is still going on. I have not met anyone who is finished with their family tree.

More to come

#genealogy