This service is for those who know in which townland their ancestors lived and want to find out more about the area. Visiting the places where your ancestors lived might even give you that last bit of missing information. It will definitely provide a rich context of their lives. If you are not able to visit Ireland yourself, we can go and visit these for you and provide a report and especially pictures.

This service includes the following:

Description and photography of your ancestral village or townland

We will provide background information and pictures of the village or townland where your ancestor(s) lived, as it is today. This may include buildings that were relevant to your ancestor(s) and that still exist, such as a church they likely attended or a school where they learned to read or write (like the 1907  school in the picture). We will also include the street where they lived and if you are really lucky and it is still there, their house.

Grave transcriptions and photography

If you know in which cemetery your ancestor(s) are buried, we will go and look for their grave. Gravestones are often very informative on the people buried and/or give other names to research. Provided we find the grave, we will provide you with a detailed transcription and photos of the grave and surroundings. It should be noted though that especially the poor often did not have a gravestone. In this case, we will take photos of the cemetery.

Local History

We will not just look at the village or townland as it currently is, but also research the history of the local area. We are members of a local history society and have been published in their magazines. This will provide an idea of how it would have looked and what was happening there in the time of your ancestors. The picture is of Blackrock train station, one of the oldest surviving stations in the world. The coming of railways impacted hugely on where people lived and worked and how villages developed.

Report and files

We will bring together all documentation and findings in a professional report and provide you with digital files of all the photos we have taken.
 

Contact us for more information