Before we launch into the why, what, where, and how of Irish genealogy research, lets take a trip back in time, and think about the people who were our ancestors. I'm sure you've thought about your mom and dad, and their mom and dad (your grandparents) and their mom and dad (your great-grandparents) and THEIR mom and dad (your great-great grandparents) and so on… But have you really sat down and figured out exactly how many Irish ancestors you REALLY have? Like say, in the 100th generation? The figures get to be pretty astounding!! Lets look at this in more detail...

Say you go back 10 generations. This can be done fairly easily with a pen and paper. You are descended from 1024 people in that generation!! Can you imagine THAT family reunion! Now try going back 100 generations. Yeah right, you say? Well here is the actual number: 1,267,700,000,000, 000,000, 000,000, 000,000!!!!!!! In layperson's terms, that is a little over 1.2 nonillion ancestors that you are descended from in the 100th generation. A generation is estimated by most reference manuals as 30 years. So this puts us right around the year 1000 B.C. or so. What is so confusing or odd about this number is that in 1000 B.C., there weren't that many people on the face of the earth. So actually, as this number proves, we aren't descended from 1.2 nonillion different people who are exclusively our ancestors. When you get back in your genealogy research far enough, you will find that certain descendants intermarried.

This brings up another aspect of Irish genealogy research. Yes, you want to find out about yourself, and what makes you "you". But sometimes you may find things that are not nice. You may find out things downright ugly. But, these people were human beings, just as we are, and not some make believe "perfect people" that lived in a vacuum. It's all part of your Irish history and if you are going to do the Irish genealogy research you must accept this fact and understand that you can't change it.

So now you're really ready to begin your Irish genealogy research. You've thought about the good and bad things you may find, and you understand that you are launching into a vast and possible daunting task. Now you must consider some other ideas about starting your research. WHY do you want to research? HOW do you research? WHERE do you research? WHAT exactly are you searching for? It can be a daunting task, to say the least!

First of all is the WHY? Genealogy is not just about finding the names of your Irish ancestors. Its about self-discovery. "Why am I like I am?" You probably want to know where your green eyes and brown hair come from. Or why you have such a snappy temper, or why you can do math so well. Or perhaps you have some sort of medical problem and wonder if something in your genetic makeup contributed to the situation. Or perhaps you are planning a trip to Ireland and want to visit your ancestors old "stomping ground" and hopefully meet long lost cousins with whom you can share a Guinness in a cozy pub.

Whatever the reason for your Irish genealogy research, you will get hooked on this hobby once you start to experience a little success. And that is why I compiled a report that will help you to be successful in researching your Irish family history. Starting the search can be overwhelming and you are probably asking yourself "Where do I begin?"

The Irish genealogy report that I have compiled is a starting point to put you on the right path to finding your Irish family history. It is a genealogy guide to the resources necessary to have a successful search for your ancestors. We have already determined the WHY, but this report details the WHERE, the WHAT, and the HOW of successful Irish genealogical research. When you get this report, you will have a step by step method that will help you get on the right track to finding your Irish family history. It tells in detail WHERE to begin, and WHAT types of items you are searching for. It will also provide you with a great way to organize what you find so that future generations will benefit from your Irish genealogy search too!