By SHELAGH BRALEY STARR
RELATED☘️ Staff
Claire Bradley brings family stories to life with warmth, academic expertise, and a deep respect for Irish history. In this interview, the acclaimed Dublin-based genetic genealogist discusses the challenges and rewards of tracing ancestral lines across counties, oceans, and generations.
Patient research and historic context can reconnect families long thought lost, Bradley said. She also offered her thoughts on why ancestral discovery remains such a meaningful journey for communities seeking connection and understanding of our past. Here is an excerpt from our chat.
BIG NEWS: Bradley will present special guest lectures for Irish by Ancestry members, starting virtually this February. Sign up to be notified as soon as they become available at https://relatedmag.com/subscribe/
SHELAGH BRALEY STARR: You started your own family tree as a youngster, interviewing your three living grandparents. What do you remember about those conversations that stuck with you?
CLAIRE BRADLEY: That women knew more than men! I was impressed that my paternal Granny knew her husband’s grandfather’s name. My Grandad was dead by then and he had never known that grandfather himself, and his own Dad had died when he was just a teenager. With all those early deaths, I would have expected a knowledge gap. Similarly, my maternal grandmother knew so much about her in-laws: as a young bride, Nana lived with them so presumably spent a lot of time with her mother-in-law. My grandfather, by contrast, didn’t seem that interested in family history.
SBS: You specialize in Irish genetic genealogy. How has DNA evidence changed the way researchers like yourself break through brick walls in Irish family history?
CB: It has revolutionised the process. Before discoveries often had to be couched in terms like “most likely” or “very probably,” but DNA gives us the possibility of validating research. If I am researching with just paper records for someone, and I make a discovery, I can suggest DNA as a way to potentially shore up that hypothesis. For the Irish diaspora, it can mean that we can trace a location in Ireland that ancestors came from. Of course, for adoptees and foundlings, it’s like a magic wand.
SBS: With your background in both traditional records and DNA studies, what skills do you think today’s family historians most need to develop?
CB: Critical analysis is more important than ever. We are presented with a bewildering array of records, sources and names online. Learning how to interpret those records, understand what is and isn’t in a source and the context in which it was created is essential.
SBS: You help others but also teach people how to research their own family histories, in person and online. What are the most common mistakes you see made, and how can we avoid them?
CB: I think it boils down two things: “How do we know this?” I often review other people’s research and find they have added an ancestor in without any sources or the source is someone else’s tree. I will ask them what’s the evidence – I’m not saying the other person’s tree is wrong, but we can’t just presume. We see all these hints on commercial genealogy sites and it’s very easy for someone new to the hobby to think “oh this must be right, lots of people have it in their tree” and copy it into their own. Mistakes get compounded.
The second thing is an over-reliance on one subscription site, usually Ancestry. I get it: These sites cost a lot of money. But you need to look at all the websites and also look at repositories in person! The horror! You may well have to go to a library or an archive or get someone to go for you.
Claire Bradley is a professional Irish genealogist working with both traditional paper records and genetic genealogy. She holds a certificate in genealogy from University College Dublin and a master’s in history of the family from the University of Limerick. Claire is passionate about teaching people how to research their own ancestry. She has taught an in-person beginners’ adult education course in Dublin for the last 15 years, and is the former director of Irish Studies with the International Institute of Genealogical Studies. She is also a co-founder of the Pro-Am Genies network for professional and aspiring genealogists. She regularly lectures both in person and online to a wide range of family history and historical societies in Ireland, the UK, and countries with large Irish diasporas. Her website is www.cbgenealogy.ie
