Tracing Your Irish Ancestors Essential for American Genealogists of Irish Origins–

The 5th Edition (2019) of John Grenham’s Tracing Your IRISH Ancestors is awesome! It is my kind of reference guide. Remember, first I read the footnotes. Then I examine the source lists and bibliographies. When an author supplies call numbers for archives and libraries, tells me which agencies have  websites and online collections, and then includes item by item details that enable me to access the specific genealogy records I need–I say Bravo!

That means Bravo! to the publisher who allows this kind of precision. In this case, Genealogical Publishing Company, Inc. in cooperation with Gill Books of Dublin Ireland. Precise details require more pages and this book has 650 pages. The county-by county source materials and the parish-by-parish chart for Roman Catholic church records cover 428 pages of the total. This is 428 pages of essential reading for American Genealogists who have or suspect they have Irish origins.

The general sections of the book include Census records and Census substitutes, Online databases and resources, Printed publications including directories, Estate records, and Local journals. With instructions and research tips based on Grenham’s years of experience as a  researcher/teacher for Irish genealogy. And, in my opinion, there is no  substitute for research experience.

Finally, the technology has caught up with the records available. For many years, genealogists apologized for the record loss  in Ireland rather than acknowledging the amazing body of source material available for tracing ancestors. This 5th edition does  not, Instead, this is what Grenham says:

A revolution in access to Irish genealogical records has taken place in the past decade…Ireland has become one of the world leaders. Some of the credit must go to competition in the marketplace to meet researchers demands…Increased awareness of the huge numbers outside the island who descend from emigrants and who cherish their historic connection has had a dramatic effect. Politicians and public servants now accept that it should be as easy as possible for members of the Irish diaspora to unearth the historical detail of that connection, their family history.

So, this 5th edition of Tracing your Irish Ancestors has been rewritten and the reference section has been expanded to include works of Irish genealogy not usually included in such guides. And we are the benefactors.

I recommend that you purchase this new edition ($38.50) and keep it close to your computer–you will find it friendly, comprehensive, and time-saving. Available from GPC, 3600 Clipper Mill Rd., Baltimore MD 21211 http://www.genealogical.com and Family Roots Publishing Co., PO Box 1682, 220 Bridge St. SW, Suite 2, Orting, WA 98360 http://www.familyrootspublishing.com.

Your  favorite Scots-Irish genealogist, Arlene Eakle http://arleneeakle.com

PS  I own the first four editions of Grenhams’ guide; I was asked to review the 5th edition of the guide for my readers. And I am happy to add a copy this new edition to my library.

PPS Keep in mind that your study and research on the Scots-Irish use the same records in Ireland that other Irish researchers do. And more than one lifetime may be required to find out all you want to know!

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