If you´re coming to Ireland to research family history your first stop should be Dublin (unless your ancestors were from Ulster - and even then it would be no harm to start in Dublin). The records you are likely to need from any part of the country will be available in one of the national repositories in Dublin, while they won´t (by and large) be available for research purposes in the county your ancestor was from. The National Library and the National Archives both have the GAS (Genealogy Advisory Service), run by members of APGI (the Association of Professional Genealogists in Ireland). It´s entirely free to members of the public. That´s the logical place to start any research on Irish ancestors. Allow yourself a few days in Dublin for research purposes and they you can go and see the place your ancestor was from, hopefully armed with more information on your ancestor than you had when you arrived in Dublin. ´ There really isn´t any point in coming to Ireland to research your ancestry unless you´ve done basic research through the records of your home country and established basic facts about your emigrant ancestor. The following are the important points in preparing for a visit to Ireland as far as I´m concerned: 1) Exhaust the relevant sources in your own country to determine as much as possible about the emigrant ancestor. 2) Bring photocopies of any documents you have about the emigrant ancestor (and the earliest generations of the family in your country) with you on your trip. You don´t have to bring every piece of paper you have, but do bring the relevant ones (so many people turn up at the GAS with huge folders but having left the relevant material at home because they couldn´t carry any more stuff!) 3) Go to the GAS at the National Library in Kildare Street or the National Archives in Bishop Street and BRING YOUR DOCUMENTATION with you. The National Library GAS opens Mon-Fri 10am to 4.45pm (even though the Library itself opens till 8.45pm on Mon-Wed) and on Sat 10am-12.45pm. As it´s very often extremely busy the first thing you should do is sign the visitors book so that you´re in queue for being called for your consultation. You´ll be given a brief consultation and then be advised to go and do some research (not necessarily in the Library but maybe elsewhere within walking distance). As you do each step of your research you can return for more guidance on what to do next. You can visit the service as often as you wish. By the way, the National Library´s GAS is likely to be operating soon out of the Genealogical Office/Heraldic Museum just down the street from the Library´s main building. That´s just a temporary measure than may have ended before October or may continue into next year. The National Archives GAS opens Mon-Fri 10am-4.45pm. It´s in a smaller room than the Library´s GAS. At the Archives you´ll be given a reader´s ticket before going into the GAS room. Again, sign the visitors´ book and take a seat. By the way at the National Library you won´t need to get a reader´s ticket to look at microfilm, newspapers or anything on the open shelves of the Reading Room. Just in case you need to get a reader´s ticket for anything else, bring 2 passport photographs with you. This requirement doesn´t apply to the National Archives. 4) Leave your visit to Wicklow or wherever till you´ve done your research in Dublin. Paul Gorry (ps Cara, I´ve finished my book!) Original Message: ----------------- From: Teralcock@aol.com Date: Mon, 3 Apr 2006 23:24:38 EDT To: IRL-WICKLOW-L@rootsweb.com Subject: Re: [Wicklow] Ireland in October I am also making my first trip to Ireland in October, researching Alcock/Hawkins/Moody/Driver in Co. Wicklow and Wexford as well as Burgess and Irvine in Fermanagh Terri ==== IRL-WICKLOW Mailing List ==== Undocumented genealogy is mythology. My family tree must have been used for firewood! Whoever said "Seek and ye shall find" was not a genealogist ============================== Search Family and Local Histories for stories about your family and the areas they lived. Over 85 million names added in the last 12 months. Learn more: http://www.ancestry.com/s13966/rd.ashx -------------------------------------------------------------------- mail2web - Check your email from the web at http://mail2web.com/ .