| Schedule | Special Offers & Door prizes | Recorded Presentations & Videos | Instructor Bios |
Welcome!
Thank you for registering for the online conference, Finding Irish Origins: A County is Not Enough!
When it comes to Irish research, knowing the county your ancestor came from is not enough! To succeed in Irish research and work in Irish records, you need to know the townland and parish. Discovering that information, however, is at times the biggest challenge in Irish family history research. Join Irish experts at American Ancestors for a full-day, online seminar that will help you navigate the basics of Irish land divisions, lead you to key records, provide strategies for finding origins when records fall short, and demonstrate how DNA can help. Finally, we’ll talk about next steps in making the leap across the pond.
Through your participation in this online conference, you will be able to:
- Participate in multiple sessions throughout the day
- Hear from renowned speakers and professional genealogists
- Interact with instructors and fellow attendees
- Take advantage of special offers and virtual “door prizes”
- Download and/or print handouts, worksheets, and other resources
- Access recordings of each presentation until June 30, 2020
Instructors include: Sheilagh Doerfler, Pam Holland, Judy Lucey, Melanie McComb, and Eileen Pironti
CONFERENCE SCHEDULE
You will have access to all the material on this page from the time you register until June 30, 2020.
During the breaks you will have the opportunity to explore our website, answer survey questions, take advantage of special offers on books, or simply, take a break! REMEMBER: If you miss any of the presentations, you will be able to view a recording of each session on this webpage.
| Live broadcast | Description |
|---|---|
| 12:00 - 1:00 PM EDT | Session #1: Understanding Irish Land Divisions, presented by Sheilagh Doerfler, Senior Researcher |
| 1:15 - 2:15 PM EDT | Session #2: Before You Leap: Searching American Records for Irish Origins, presented by Eileen Pironti, Genealogist of the Newbury Street Press |
| 2:30 - 3:30 PM EDT | Session #3: Strategies for Determining Origins, presented by Melanie McComb, Genealogist |
| 3:45 - 4:45 PM EDT | Session #4: Using DNA to Determine Irish Origins, presented by Pam Holland, Researcher |
| 5:00 - 6:00 PM EDT |
Session #5: Making the Leap: Organizing Your Irish Record Research, presented by Judy Lucey, Archivist |
SPECIAL OFFERS & DOOR PRIZES
SPECIALS: For conference attendees only! — Save $10 on an order of $30 or more at our online bookstore. Just enter IrishAncestors32120 as your promo code at the time of online checkout. Offer valid until March 28, 2020. Start browsing today!
DOOR PRIZES: Everyone was entered to win a 30-minute consultation with a genealogist (two chances to win). Congratulations to Jan Cannon and Virginia Scammell-Tinling!
RECORDED PRESENTATIONS
Online Conference: Finding Irish Origins, A County is Not Enough!
Presented by: Sheilagh Doerfler, Pam Holland, Judy Lucey, Melanie McComb, and Eileen Pironti
Running Time: 6:13:56
Session 1 (4:56)
Session 2 (1:15:37)
Session 3 (2:34:50)
Session 4 (3:44:45)
Session 5 (4:59:42)
INSTRUCTOR BIO
Sheilagh Doerfler, Senior Researcher received her B.A. in History and Communication from the University of Massachusetts-Amherst. Her research interests include New England, Ireland, Atlantic Canada, Quebec, Ontario, Norway, and Sweden.
Pam Guye Holland, Researcher, has researched family history for over 15 years and is a certificate holder from the Boston University Genealogical Research program. She serves on the board of the New England chapter of the Association of Professional Genealogists (NEAPG) and The Irish Ancestral Research Association (TIARA). She lectures nationally and regularly attends the Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy (SLIG). Her specialties are Irish and Genetic Genealogy, as well as research in New England, New York (both city and state), Germany, and Social History.
Judy Lucey, Archivist joined the staff in 2003. She received a B.S. in Education from Northeastern University and an M.S. in Library and Information Science from Simmons College. Her genealogical interests include Irish genealogy, Newfoundland, 19th and 20th century genealogy, Beginning genealogy, Italian genealogy, and the history of Cambridge and Somerville, Mass. A native of the Boston area, she currently resides in Somerville, Mass.
Melanie McComb, Genealogist assists library visitors, both on-site and online, with their family history research. She also provides lectures on a variety of genealogical topics. Melanie holds a bachelor of science degree from the State University of New York at Oswego. Her areas of research interest include Connecticut, Massachusetts, New York, New Jersey, Kansas, Prince Edward Island, Québec, and Ireland, and she is experienced in DNA, genealogical technology and social media, Jewish genealogy, and military records.
Eileen Pironti, Genealogist of the Newbury Street Press, graduated with a B.A. from Saint Anselm College and received an M.S. from American University. Eileen's areas of expertise include Irish, Scottish, and 19th century New England research.
COURSE HANDOUTS
Session 1 Handout
Session 1 Slides Worksheet
Session 1 Slides (large)
Session 2 Handout
Session 2 Slides Worksheet
Session 2 Slides (large)
Session 3 Handout
Session 3 Slides Worksheet
Session 3 Slides (large)
Session 4 Handout
Session 4 Slides Worksheet
Session 4 Slides (large)
Session 5 Handout
Session 5 Slides Worksheet
Session 5 Slides (large)
RESOURCES
Five-Generation Chart
Family Group Sheet
Annotated Research Log
Given Name Alternatives (Irish)