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Tracing Your Irish Ancestors


My 2nd Great- Grandfather James Stapleton,  born to Irish Immigrant my 3rd Great- Grandfather  of the same name, James Stapleton


















I am proud to say I have a little bit of Irish blood in me, and will do my part to celebrate on Saturday along with so many other Irish descendants and 'wantabe' Irish descendants. The search for my Irish ancestors has certainly proven to be one of my most difficult research projects. My 3rd Great-Grandfather James Stapleton arrived in Canada in the first half of the 17th century. He married a young Irish girl, Ellen Phelan and had 6 children before his accidental death in 1855.

I learned early on that Irish records are a creature all unto themselves, and you certainly can't leave it up to luck to find your Irish ancestors. I've spent a long time understanding the landscape of Irish records and how to go about my Irish research and I still don't have all the answers. However, the Irish were a resilient group of individuals and so I will continue my search to learn more about James and his family history.

I've gathered together some posts that I wrote over the last several years. These posts detail some of the important lessons I learned during my Irish research, along with some links to online databases that may help you trace your Irish ancestors.

Happy St. Patrick's Day.


Irish Genealogy - You'll Need More Than Luck

Step One - Determining Where Your Irish Ancestors Lived

The Irish Census - What Exists and Where to Find Them!

Your Irish Ancestor - The Poor Tenant Farmer!

Irish Land Records May Hold the Key to Your Story!

The Irish Armchair Link List