Presented by Gillian Hunt and Fintan Mullan of the Ulster Historical Foundation

In partnership with TIARA

Today, more than 35 million Americans claim Irish ancestry—more than seven times the size of the population of Ireland itself! Some of the most important records for researching your Irish ancestors were generated by the church, be it Roman Catholic, Church of Ireland, Presbyterian, Methodist, or other. These records followed your ancestors from cradle to grave and can provide information on their origins, parentage, family members, and day-to-day life. Join the experts from the Ulster Historical Foundation (https://www.ancestryireland.com/) as they discuss church records for all of Ireland: what they are, what information they provide, strategies for leveraging them in your research, and where to find them.

Gillian Hunt, Research Officer with the Ulster Historical Foundation, is responsible for the management of the Foundation’s many genealogical activities. Gillian also carries out research for clients and regularly teaches courses in Northern Ireland. She has been with the Foundation since 2001, and received a degree in History (BA Hons, 1998) and a Masters in Historical Studies (MA, 2000) from the University of Wales, Aberystwyth.

Fintan Mullan, Executive Director of Ulster Historical Foundation, helped pioneer the online births, deaths, and marriages online record system for Antrim and Down, which led to www.rootsireland.ie, the IrishFamily History Foundation’s unique database with over 20 million Irish historical records. Since 2001 he has managed the production of over 100 individual publications including Researching Scots-Irish Ancestors. He was educated at Queen’s University Belfast. He has a bachelor’s degree in Irish Politics and Philosophy (1990), and a master’s degree in Organisation and Management (1999), both from Queen’s University Belfast.

Image credit: County Dublin, Whitechurch Church of Ireland Parish Church courtesy of Niall Murphy.