Irish by Ancestry classes bring generations together
By SHELAGH BRALEY STARR
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Digging into family records—especially Irish family records—is not for the faint of heart. But professional genealogist Karlee Twiner does not shrink from the special challenges of Irish genealogy.
Irish genealogy is difficult for more than a few reasons: record loss, lack of record creation, and naming patterns, just as a start.
“Even when records are available, it can be difficult to untangle people with the same name from each other. Unfortunately, not every Patrick Kelly will be your Patrick Kelly,” Twiner said.
And there will be many, many Patrick Kellys.
Twiner helps her students learn to sort one from another in monthly classes for Irish by Ancestry members. Roots & Branches gives attendees the fundamentals of genealogy research specific to Ireland, with Twiner’s special focus on the alternative source materials necessary due to so much record loss.
“With classes, or even hiring a professional genealogist, you will get tools and tips on how to detangle people and make sure you’re not following the wrong trail. You’ll learn about what records are available and what records to utilize as substitutes,” she said.
Researching family lines of other cultures, family historians can often get back centuries, into the 1600s and earlier, but with late and unstandardized record-keeping in Ireland, the loss of records due to war and destruction, and mass emigration before and after the Famine, it can be an expert-level challenge to stay on track.
“Irish research is not impossible, but it is necessary to go into your research with the proper tools so that you can connect with your real family and not get lost or overwhelmed by the number of results,” Twiner said.
After our first Roots & Branches, we launched Ask the Heritage Help Desk and opened up questions from the class, for those who wanted to get a bit of one-on-one help.
Barbara A. asked:
I’ve been searching everywhere for the death record of my great grandmother’s father, James Horan, who died in Crancreagh, Offaly, 1882. The family birth and marriage records have all been recorded in Parsontown (Birr). I’ve found her mother’s death record, but his is still eluding me. Can I have any other suggestions of places to look?
Karlee answered:
It can be frustrating to try to find records. They are sometimes very elusive. If you haven’t tried irishgenealogy.ie, start there. I found three possibilities using the info submitted. The surnames have one letter off, but that shouldn’t keep you from looking at it. Compare the information to what you know already.
If you can’t find him on irishgenealogy.ie, it very well could mean that their index system is hiding him. If this is the case, it might be beneficial to pay for rootsireland.ie. Their index and search system is better as it is a paid service. You might find him on there. They don’t have the images, but you can use the information from what you find on there to then cross reference on irishgenealogy.ie. I have used this method several times, and it’s amazing what can be hidden due to bad search engines.
Just remember, civil registration was NOT affected by the Four Courts fire in 1922. They were held separately (and still are), which is great news for anyone with ancestors with life events after 1864. The General Register Office is one of the stops on our 2026 Dublin Research Tour, so check it out for yourself!
Karlee discovered her passion for genealogy as a teenager, inspired by family stories her mother found online. That spark led her to pursue a degree in family history with a focus on Irish research. She worked at the Irish Family History Centre in Dublin, deepening her expertise and connection to Irish heritage. Karlee currently works at FamilySearch, improving the research experience for patrons worldwide. She also leads research trips to Ireland, guiding others through archives to uncover their ancestral roots.
Classes available to join: Contact info@byancestry.com to inquire about the current schedule.
More information on genealogy tours with Twiner is available at www.returntoeire.com.
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