Accredited Genealogists Ireland

Accredited
Genealogists
Ireland

Representative body for professional genealogists on the island of Ireland.

Accredited Genealogists Ireland

Accredited Genealogists Ireland (AGI) is the accrediting and representative body for professional genealogists on the island of Ireland (Ireland and Northern Ireland). The Association was established in 1986 to set a high standard of work among its members and to protect the interests of its members and their clients. To qualify for membership, a genealogist’s work is reviewed by an Independent Board of Assessors.

In addition to working as professional genealogists undertaking commissioned research, many members also share their expertise through lectures and courses on genealogy, both in Ireland and internationally. They contribute to the field by publishing books on genealogy and history, and their knowledge is often sought after for appearances on TV and radio programmes.

Since its foundation, AGI has maintained its position at the forefront of Irish genealogy advocating for the preservation of and maintaining access to records for genealogists and family historians in the future.

One of the most visible undertakings by AGI members is that they provide the Genealogy Advisory Service for the National Archives of Ireland. This free walk-in and email consultation service is available daily for members of the public, including tourists, genealogists and family historians from Ireland and overseas.

Commission Research

A welcome Video message
from
Michael Walsh
President of AGI

Why consider engaging an AGI researcher?

Deciding on which genealogist or record agent to engage based only on an advertisement in a genealogical magazine or journal is quite a risk.
It is always advisable to approach someone who holds credentials from an accrediting body which controls membership by assessment and regulates practice. AGI provides this service.

AGI Members available for research

Frequently Asked Questions

If you wish to undertake research yourself, there are plenty of Irish records that are freely available online. See our Resources section for various downloadable guides. If you would like to hire a professional genealogist to help you to find your Irish ancestors, visit our Members page, review our members’ profiles and contact several members to discuss their availability and costs, before you decide who to proceed with.

Members of AGI are accredited professional genealogists. This means that their work has been assessed by our independent board of assessors and their membership has been granted on the recommendations of that board, based on the quality of the work reviewed. Clients of our members also have recourse, if they are not happy with the members’ work, and can file a complaint with our Complaints Investigation Committee. When hiring someone to carry out research, particularly from overseas, it is essential you, as the client, can verify that their work meets a high standard and that you have recourse, if there is a issue with the work. How do I know which AGI member to choose? – Go to our Members page, where you will find a list of our members, available for research commissions. Each members’ page will have details of their experience and areas of expertise. We always recommend that you contact more than one member. Our members are often busy and can sometimes have long waiting lists for research commissions, so may not be immediately available to undertake your request. Our members each set their own prices and may recommend different approaches to your research. Once you have received a response from several members, you can make an informed decision as to who you would like to commission.

Our members each set their own prices, so costs will vary from member to member. There is no standard set fees for genealogical research. We recommend obtaining quotes from more than one member. Our members should provide you with an up front fee, agreed with you before research is commissioned. Some members will require payment in advance and others will invoice you on completion.

On our resources page you will find a number of downloadable guides and links to online resources … Resources pages.

The length of time to complete research for clients varies and is determined by the volume of research required for your project and the availability of your selected genealogist. The AGI member should be able to provide a guideline time frame within which the research will be completed.

AGI members will usually only recommend research that they believe is likely to be productive and inform your family history. However, members cannot guarantee the results of their research as they do not know exactly what they will find in the records until they have been consulted. For this reason members cannot guarantee 100% success. However, you can be assured that their research will be thorough, diligent and comprehensive.
If there are are any records to be found, our members will find them.

While a large number of AGI members are based in Dublin, where the majority of genealogical records are held in various repositories, we also have members located throughout Ireland, including Northern Ireland. AGI is an all-Ireland body, which was actually founded in Belfast. Our members can usually undertake research pertaining to any county in Ireland in addition to some members having particular expertise in a specific geographical area.

KEEP UP TO DATE WITH AGI NEWS

AGI members are involved in activities throughout Ireland and around the world.

Keep up-to-date with the latest AGI news and information.