A genealogy consultation at the Irish Family History Centre is a personalised, one-to-one session designed to help you explore your Irish family history with expert guidance.
Whether you’re starting out, building on existing research, or trying to break through a particular problem, a consultation can help you move forward with your Irish family history research.
Available online or in-person.
Consultation Length and Focus
50-minute consultation
Ideal for:
- researching one family line
- researching a specific ancestor or location
- discussing a particular research question
- available online or in-person
1 hour 45 minute consultation
Ideal for:
- exploring two family lines
- reviewing more complex family histories
- looking at a broad range of records or locations
- available online or in-person
Before Your Consultation
To get the most from your session, it’s helpful to prepare some information or questions in advance.
Having any names, dates or places linked to the person or people you would like to research is particularly useful. Alternatively, a specific question like “I can’t trace this family member before 1850” gives a focus to the session.
Of course, if you’re not exactly sure what to share in advance, don’t worry. Your genealogist will help guide you through the session.
What Your Genealogist Will Do
1. Review what you already have
- Check names, dates, locations, occupations, religions, and family relationships
- Look for inconsistencies or assumptions that may be holding the research back
2. Guide you through Irish records
They’ll explain and search records with you that are most relevant, such as:
- Civil registration (births, marriages, deaths)
- Parish registers (Catholic and Church of Ireland)
- Census returns (1901, 1911 & 1926)
- Griffith’s Valuation and valuation revision books
- Estate papers, land records, or trade directories
- Emigration records and overseas sources (UK, US, Canada, Australia)
They’ll also help you navigate common issues that come with searching Irish genealogy. Spelling can often throw up complications, for both people and townlands. Their expertise is also invaluable searching Irish records which notoriously have gaps in the records.
What You’ll Leave Your Consultation With
By the end of the consultation, you’ll have:
- A clear summary of where your research currently stands
- A step-by-step plan for what to do next – which records to check, in what order, and where to find them
- Practical tips on how to avoid dead ends and make the most of your time and budget
If you’d like our team to continue the work for you, we can also discuss research packages or in-depth projects as a possible next step.
There are two lengths of consultations available to you depending on your research goals.
“It can inform your travels across Ireland.”
John O’ Sullivan, One Minute Tours
While visiting Dublin from Minnesota, John came to EPIC The Irish Family History Centre to explore a family connection to Athlone and Limerick.
Working with an expert genealogist, they uncovered historical records that brought long‑held family stories to life, including documentation of a great‑grandfather’s early life and military service.
What had once been passed down through generations as oral history became something tangible, grounded in real records.
Whether you’re starting from scratch or building on what you already know, the Irish Family History Centre can help you uncover your own family story.
Available online or on-site at the centre.
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