Journalist, Claire Santry, is most well-known in the Irish
genealogy world for her indispensable blog,
Irish Genealogy News. Those who have delved deeper into her output will also
have come across her very useful
Irish Genealogy Toolkit website.
The website displays a depth of Irish genealogy knowledge that has been honed over
many years. Her genealogical credentials also extend to being a fellow of the
Irish Genealogical Research Society. Researchers have now been rewarded with
The Family Tree Irish Genealogy Guide
(2017, Family Tree Books, 238 pp. including index and appendices), her first
genealogy book. Santry's publication aims to give the reader "a thorough
grounding in genealogical techniques and point you [the reader] towards records
you need to search, both in the United States and in Ireland." It does not
disappoint.
Many people are keen to jump straight into Irish records
when they know an ancestor came from Ireland. In some situations this may be
possible for very recent immigrants in the family tree, thanks to the mass
digitization of Irish records. Starting out by gathering records in the U.S. is the reality for
the majority and Part 1 (Chapters 1-3) focuses on the North American side of
the Atlantic. Important records sets—federal census, naturalization, passenger
lists, vital records, military—are introduced that are necessary for working
back towards the immigrant ancestor and taking the steps to unlock where they
came from in Ireland. The detailed knowledge shown about digitized U.S.
newspapers, and where to access them, is impressive and readers should include
this section from Chapter 11 in their reading of Part 1.
Online research is now the starting point for many, so I was
delighted to see Key Genealogy Principles in Chapter 2, where the differences
between primary vs. secondary sources and original vs. derived sources are
discussed. This chapter also stresses the importance of citations and research
logs - concepts that many only discover after initial efforts turn into keeping
track of hundreds of ancestors.
Civil registration, church records, census records, and
land/property records form the backbone of genealogical research in Ireland and
this makes up the core of the publication. Santry's book has few peers when it comes
to providing an in-depth discussion of these record collections and pointing out the various merits of
each website that houses those records. This is an important feature for a
genealogy research guide to have in the age of the researcher also being a
consumer of subscriptions and pay as you go credits.
History, Irish names/surnames and geography are well catered
for, with an understanding of the latter crucial to researching in Ireland. Important
historical context is provided in the shape of Irish immigration to the United
States and a history of Ireland that will help the newcomer to understand why
their ancestors may have emigrated from Ireland and what they experienced in
the U.S. when they arrived there. The author's detailed knowledge of Irish administration
divisions and what records were created in them is impressively showcased,
along with excellent map examples and useful online tools. Can you tell a Nonie
from a Bedilia and why a Smith and a McGowan could be brothers? You will after
reading about names and surnames .
The two case studies about finding the Irish place of origin
that are presented at the end illustrate the types of research than many people
in the United States will have to do. They also provide an excellent insight
into the realities of research and the various strategies that you will have to
employ. It was also heartening to see DNA get a brief mention, as this is now a
tool that can be utilized to help find the Irish place of origin. Previously, when
asked, I used to primarily recommend two Irish genealogy books: Betit and Radford's
A Genealogist's Guide to Discovering Your Irish Ancestors and Grenham's
Tracing Your Irish Ancestors. That
duo now has a new partner to make it a trifecta.
