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Recent Posts
- Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure #3 (2023) – Antarctica
- Will I ever see a photo of any of my great grandparents?
- Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure #2 (2019) – Ireland & Scotland
- Connecting my Brennans back to Ireland – DNA makes it official
- A little DNA, time, and luck uncovered a new Sweeney connection
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Category Archives: genealogy
Thank you Gerry Clarke and Social Media
Our recent family history tour of Ireland was a great success. We visited the townlands and old cottages for the Sweeney, Horan, and Brennan ancestors. We knew where we were going with the Sweeney part of the trip. The Brennan … Continue reading
Heading back to Ireland
My sister, one brother and I are heading to Ireland this week for a little family history tour. I made some great connections on my last trip and some new connections via the Internet that will make this trip very … Continue reading
The friendly people of Ballinafad and Ballinamore
During our August trip to Ireland, we visited the townlands where my grandfather and grandmother grew up. Driving was quite an experience, but we managed to make it through the trip without an accident! I must admit I was nervous, … Continue reading
Posted in genealogy, ireland, travel
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A great trip to Ireland
My wife and I and another couple went on a trip to Ireland this August. It was great craic as they say in Ireland. After several planning iterations, including advice from Pat Preston of IrelandExpert.com, we ended up with a … Continue reading
It’s Sweeney after all
The 1911 Irish Census is now available at the National Archives of Ireland. Thankfully my grandfather’s family is listed as Sweeney. I realize people say don’t worry about multiple spellings, but I’ve tried to convince myself that I’ve been working … Continue reading
Family history records you can obtain
Early in my genealogy research, I made a trip to the National Archives in Waltham, MA. Everything else was researched on the Internet or through Ancestry.com and requested by postal mail or fax. I must credit an extremely helpful person … Continue reading
You think you know what your name is?
When I looked more carefully at my grandfather’s birth entry, I realized his name was “Sweeny”, not “Sweeney” which we have all carried since his arrival in the US in 1903. This made me question the validity of my father’s … Continue reading
You think you know when your grandfather was born?
In my genealogy research, I found no less than 5 documented birth dates for my grandfather that differed from his birth certificate. These dates spanned 12 years and two seasons! I obtained copies of his birth certificate, the passenger … Continue reading
Obtaining dual citizenship – U.S. and Ireland
The United States allows dual citizenship with numerous countries, including Ireland. A few years ago I found out Ireland offers citizenship by descent. It is called “Citizenship through Foreign Births Registration (FBR)”. The background work took me a couple of … Continue reading