I had a lovely surprise this week when I appeared in The Irish Times with journalist Ella Sloane, who visited the Genealogy Advisory Service at the National Archives of Ireland to explore her family history ahead of the release of the 1926 Census. I happened to be the genealogist on duty that day, and it was a pleasure to help her uncover new details about her own ancestors. It turned into a fascinating search, and I’m delighted it has now been shared with a wider audience. H

Today, 14 April 2026, marks exactly 100 years since my paternal grandparents, Patrick McDonagh and Susan Fennell, were married in the University Church in Dublin. The wedding photo I’m sharing was taken in the Iveagh Gardens. Family lore says they headed off to Wales for a short honeymoon — nothing elaborate, just a quick trip across the water. It does leave me wondering, though: were they back in time to appear in the 1926 census? We’ll find out soon enough. This Saturday, 1

Middle names are often treated as key identifiers in genealogical research, but Irish records tell a different story. Understanding how and why middle names appear—or don’t—can prevent false leads and open up more accurate paths of enquiry. In this article, Jim Ryan unpacks the traditions, exceptions, and pitfalls behind this deceptively simple detail. Researchers will often differentiate their ancestor on the basis of a second name. He was ‘Michael Martin Murphy’ rather tha

This week, I had the chance to join Michele Soulli on BBC World Service's The Conversation  to talk about a particular challenge that every genealogist encounters: uncovering the lives of women in the past. BBC World Service - The Conversation, Researching the lives of women in the past It was one of those conversations that could have gone on for hours. Michelle, calling in from the US while I was here in Ireland, brought her own perspective and experiences to the table, and

Those of you searching for Irish marriage records may not welcome hearing another reason why they may never be found. This reason is that some Irish couples in the period 1760 to about 1840 were rather married by ‘private’ clergy who conducted marriages for money. These clergymen were willing, for a fee, to marry couples in secret or clandestine marriages. The reasons for such secret ceremonies ranged from the usual romantic urges to problems with religious affiliation, und

If you think Irish research is already too complicated, look away now! As you are aware, on-line access to the 1901 and 1911 census returns has been one of the great developments in Irish genealogy. However, perhaps you are one of those who have not been able to find your family on the census? One possible reason is that the family may have completed the census, particularly the 1911 census, in the Irish or Gaelic language. Gaelic was once the only language spoken in

James G Ryan This article was originally published in the Journal of the Genealogical Society of Ireland (2021) Vol. 22 pp 55-58 with a link to a website containing the detailed records. However, this website has now closed. This article provides all of the detailed records . The Catholic Church register of births and marriages of Rathangan, Co. Wexford starts in 1803, but there is a gap in the records from June 1806 to the end of 1813. These records are available on-lin

The skeleton of our family history is formed by the dates and names which we find in the major record sources. Birth, marriage and death dates are the basic details on which every personal database is founded. They are the important context from which we can derive other information, and also differentiate between the many Murphys or Ryans who are to be found in Irish records. However, they provide little information on the personalities of our ancestors. Such insights may

Thrilled to share my appearance on The Reluctant Traveller  with the brilliant Eugene Levy  and his daughter Sarah Levy , now streaming on Apple TV+ . 🎬 Watch : “ Partying on St. Paddy’s Day in Ireland ” — The Reluctant Traveller with Eugene Levy  (Series 3, Episode 6) In this episode, I had the privilege of tracing Sarah’s maternal lineage—her mother was a Devine —back to her 5x great-grandfather, who emigrated from County Tyrone  to North America. We explored the rich hist

This article (without the list of tenants) was published in The Kerry Magazine in 2025 James G Ryan   Rentals are the account books used...

The relative shortage of Irish sources makes every record linking a name to a place useful. One of the obscure sources which can be used are the Grand Jury Presentments. These documents were the reports of the Grand Juries, which were the forerunners of the modern County Councils. Each county had a Grand Jury empowered to make decisions on local administrative, legal and other matters. They were appointed by the County Sheriff, usually from the ranks of major land owners. Alt