TV show ‘Who do you think you are?’ prompts spike in genealogy research in Ireland

Ireland’s new obsession with family history

Ms. O’Donnell is not the only high-profile individual to explore her Irish roots. Earlier this year, President Barack Obama was famously informed of his own tenuous links with the Tipperary town of Moneygall.

Genealogist Megan Smolenyak discovered a connection between Mr. Obama and an Irish family in 2007, the Dublin-based genealogy company Eneclann traced the various branches of his Irish roots back as far as 1698.

Cliona Weldon believes that the massive publicity surrounding President Obama’s Irish roots and his visit to Ireland in May helped bolster the popularity of genealogical research in Ireland.

For those looking to explore their own connection with Ireland, there is a range of resources to help people trace family history available on sites such as findmypast.ie, rootsireland.ie and familysearch.org.
 

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Nster.com