Benefits Of Irish Genealogy You Should Know
Genealogy in Ireland has long been disputed. There are several historical reasons for genealogy disputes among Irish populations. Under the Brehon Law, property rights did not lie with individuals or families in early Irish society but rather with a large group of kin, which included second cousins. Therefore, property rights were dependent on who you were related to.
However, even with these problems in record-keeping and lineage, people may be interested in tracing their Irish heritage. Here’s why
Why Tracing Your Irish Heritage is Beneficial?
Tracing your Irish heritage is beneficial for numerous reasons.
Connecting with Distant Relatives
Tracing your Irish genealogy can allow you to connect with relatives you’ve never known. That’s a great starting point for you to learn more about Irish culture and history too.
Learn and Validate Family History
Tracing your Irish heritage allows you to validate information about your family history. Oral family histories aren’t always accurate. However, tracing your Irish roots brings you one step closer to successfully validating your family’s history.
Citizenship
Descendants of Irish citizens can also apply for citizenship even if they weren’t born in Ireland based on lineage. However, the rule for citizenship by descent only extends up to your grandparents. This means that if an older ancestor was an Irish citizen, but your grandparents weren’t, you become ineligible for citizenship. You only require one grandparent to be an Irish citizen to apply through this method.
Attaining Irish citizenship has various benefits. Citizenship allows you to live, work, and vote in Ireland. Ireland is also a member of the European Union, which will enable you to work and live in any European Union member state. Irish citizens are also in an exclusive position where they’re the only nationality globally who can work in both the European Union and the UK without requiring a visa.
Difficulties Tracing Irish Heritage
Difficulties in tracing Irish heritage may arise. Religion played a pivotal part in Irish history, and records are often maintained separately based on the churches followed by families.
For example, Roman Catholic registers date back to the late 1700s. However, if your ancestry originates from Protestant churches, you may find a switch in recordkeeping at the time of conversion.
A large number of records were also lost due to an explosion. Retrieving or restoring those records is impossible, and the information is lost forever.
If your research has gotten stuck, it may be time to contact a professional. If you’re looking to trace your Irish heritage, you can contact My Ireland Family Heritage.
My Ireland Family Heritage helps people trace their ancestors and learn about their lives. We have been serving people for the past 20 years in the fields of Irish genealogy and tourism. Contact them today to trace your family history.
