In collaboration with Dublin City Council’s Culture Club and under the title ‘Ask the Genealogist’, the National Archives of Ireland is hosting a talk to be given by Vincent Brogan, a member of Accredited Genealogists Ireland, on ‘ Researching your Family History in the North of Ireland’.    After the partition of Ireland in 1922, accessing sources in Northern Ireland (NI) gradually became different, and all aspects of undertaking research in NI will be discussed in this lecture. Vincent Brogan developed an interest in genealogy at an early age thanks to his grandmother who was a native of the Sperrin … Read More

We in AGI, as a group, were saddened by the news of the death of our much loved colleague Patricia Moorhead. Pat was one of our number since 2000.  She retired from professional genealogy in 2014 and the following year AGI introduced the new category of Emeritus Member, and Patricia was the first to receive the honour. Pat was particularly interested in the history of her native Kenilworth Square, Rathgar, and in the achievements of her granduncle Thomas Joseph Crean, VC, DSO.  She had a gift of serendipity, in life and in genealogy.  She was a great raconteur and regaled … Read More

AGI Member Paul Gorry is running an Irish GenPod series on the Senior Times Podcast platform starting today, Wednesday, 20th April 2022. It’s beginning just ahead of the Senior Times LIVE Show which runs from Friday to Sunday, 22th to 24th April at the RDS Halls in the Dublin suburb of Ballsbridge. Senior Times LIVE incorporates the genealogy and family history show, Back To Our Past, now running for more than a decade. There are four episodes in the GenPod sereies, all of which will be released on successive Wednesdays. The first guest is high profile genealogist Nicola Morris, the … Read More

In collaboration with Dublin City Council’s Culture Club and under the title ‘Ask the Genealogist’, the National Archives of Ireland is hosting a talk to be given by leading Irish genealogist, John Grenham.  The last decade has seen an explosion in the online availability of Irish genealogical records, mostly free, meaning that most people with Irish ancestors can now easily and cheaply take their family back at least to the early nineteenth century. This talk by John Grenham, a founding member of Accredited Genealogists Ireland and author of the key-guide to Irish geneaslogy, Tracing Your Irish Ancestors, will give details … Read More

The National Archives of Ireland is hosting the first talk of 2022 in its evening lecture series and the speaker will be AGI immediate past-President Joan Sharkey.  Joan’s lecture is entitled ‘Researching your Roman Catholic ancestors’ and will discuss the available records and the historical background to the administration of the Irish Catholic church and how this  resulted in the majority of parish registers only commencing in the early 19th century. The talk will cover the extent of the available records and where they are located and will also give advice on using the various websites which contain transcriptions and … Read More

At its recent Annual General Meeting, Accredited Genealogists Ireland elected its tenth President.  The incoming office holder succeeds Joan Sharkey, who has completed a three-year term. The incoming President is Nicola Morris. She began undertaking work as a professional genealogist in 1999 after obtaining a degree in history from Trinity College, Dublin. She joined AGI in 2010 and has served on its governing Council as an ordinary member, as Hon. Secretary and most recently as the Association’s Vice-President. Over the past decade Nicola has worked closely with the production companies for the TV programme Who Do You Think You Are?, … Read More

Accredited Genealogists Ireland is pleased to welcome a new Affiliate, Eilish Feeley, who has been involved in family and local history since childhood. Having obtained the Certificate in History of Family & Genealogical Methods from the University of Limerick (UL) in 2016, she ventured into the field of professional genealogy.  More recently Eilish attained an MA in History of the Family from UL and completed National Tour Guide training. Originally from Co. Longford, Eilish now lives across the Shannon in Co. Roscommon.  These are her areas of special interest, while she conducts research throughout Ireland.  She refers to her fascination … Read More

Accredited Genealogists Ireland member Paul Gorry has published a new edition of his 2018 book, Credentials for Genealogists: Proof of the Professional.  In it he puts forward the case for professional genealogists seeking credentials, or accreditation, from a relevant accrediting body.  There are eight such bodies throughout the world, AGI being one of them. Gorry says ‘nowadays the majority of professional genealogists do not hold credentials and appear not to think them necessary for their career’. But he argues that professional credentials provide ‘a structure essential to the integrity of the profession, a stamp of approval for the conscientious practitioner … Read More

Accredited Genealogists Ireland (AGI) is hosting a Webinar on Zoom – Sat. 10 April 2021 @ 10.30am Whether you are already practising as a professional genealogist or just thinking about a career in genealogical research, this webinar would be relevant for you.  It will provide information on credentials for professional genealogists, on the AGI Affiliate programme and on the process of seeking accreditation as a Member of AGI. All are welcome – please book by following this link: Registration Enquiries about the event should be emailed to: event@accreditedgenealogists.ie AGI is the accrediting and representative body for professional genealogists in Ireland.  … Read More

At our recent Annual General Meeting it was announced that AGI Members Máire Mac Conghail and Helen Kelly have been elected Fellows of the Association.  Under its constitution, AGI may award Fellowship in recognition of “invaluable service…to AGI” or a “particularly outstanding contribution to the study of Irish genealogy”. As an 18 year old student Máire Mac Conghail (then called Doran) worked as a freelance researcher for the Genealogical Office and after graduating in the early 1960s she began practicing independently as a professional genealogist. After marriage and a number of years spent rearing her family, she returned to professional … Read More