Ann Kissane
9 Priory Street
New Ross
Co Wexford
Tel: +353 (087) 4592679
Website: www.akancestrallinks.com
Email: ann@akancestrallinks.com, annkissane@gmail.com
Special Interests: Counties Wexford, Kilkenny, Carlow and Kerry.
Ann Kissane was born and raised in New Ross, Co Wexford with ancestral connections to Wexford, Carlow and Kerry. Ann graduated from the Dublin College of Catering with a Diploma in Hotel Management and Business Studies. After graduating she moved to the UK and then Northern Ireland where she worked initially in Hotel Management then in Facilities Management. During this time Ann gained excellent organisational skills and attention to detail which have proven invaluable in her work in Genealogy.
Ann has always had a keen interest in family history and as a child she was fascinated by the stories told by her Grandmother and Father about both sides of her family. In 2001 Ann uncovered an invaluable family document written in the 1960’s by her Grand-uncle. This document recorded over six generations of her family history, prompting her to start her research on her family. This proved a brilliant grounding in family history research and an important lesson in validating family stories!
Ann has been carrying out family history research for 15 years in Ireland and has extensive experience with the Irish record repositories. Ann obtained a Diploma in Family History Research (Genealogy), ICM Professional Development Award. This course was run through the Independent College of Dublin in spring 2011. The Diploma course was delivered in conjunction with Accredited Genealogists Ireland (AGI). She is a member of the New Ross Historical Society and has contributed to the BBC’s “Who do you think you are?” magazine based on family stories she uncovered during her research. Having a keen interest in Irish history Ann enjoys discovering how key historical events impact on family stories of those she has researched.
In 2014 and 2015 Ann became involved in The Kissane Family Gathering project, culminating in a Family gathering of 650 family members from all over the world in North Kerry in August 2015. The detail of her research provided the family branch from Ahalhana, Moyvane, Co Kerry. This project was a collaborative project involving family genealogists across Ireland, England and the USA, cumulating in a family tree of over 2500 people.
Ann is currently working in an advisory capacity on Genealogy to the visitors at the Dunbrody Irish Emigrant experience based in New Ross, Co Wexford.