Heritage & Ancestry

County Clare, Sligo, Donegal, and Kerry all have strong claims to being Ireland’s fiddle heartland. Here’s what makes each county’s playing style distinct, and where to hear live sessions today.

Dún Aonghasa on Inis Mór is one of Europe’s most dramatic prehistoric sites — a 3,000-year-old stone fort perched on a 100-metre cliff above the Atlantic. Here’s how to get there, what to expect, and what else the island offers.

Discover the most common Irish surnames from County Galway — their Gaelic origins, meanings, and the clans behind them. Plus get weekly Ireland stories free in our newsletter.

To trace your Irish ancestry, start with three free sites: IrishGenealogy.ie for civil records and census data, AskAboutIreland.ie for Griffith’s land survey, and the National …

Which Irish county makes the best brown bread? Clare, Kerry, Cork, Donegal — each has a strong case. Here’s what the debate is really about.

In 1593, Grace O’Malley sailed to Greenwich Palace to negotiate with Queen Elizabeth I — and won the release of her imprisoned family. The remarkable true story of Ireland’s pirate queen and her meeting with the Tudor monarch — plus get weekly Ireland stories free in our newsletter.

Look at a map of Ireland’s 32 counties and the outlines start to look like animals. Kerry resembles a terrier, Leitrim an eel, Donegal a duck. Here are the strongest candidates and why.

Ireland has no native snakes — and never has. The legend of St. Patrick banishing serpents from Ireland is a medieval allegory, not a historical event. Here’s the real story behind one of Ireland’s most famous myths.

Fionn Mac Cumhaill is Ireland’s greatest legendary hero. Discover the real story behind Finn McCool — the Salmon of Knowledge, the Fianna warriors, the Giant’s Causeway, and why half the Irish diaspora worldwide knows his name.

Your Irish surname holds the key to your family’s origins. Discover what Murphy, Kelly, O’Brien and more reveal about your ancestral county — and how to trace your family back to the specific townland they called home.