Irish Catholic parish records hold baptism, marriage and burial entries going back to the 1700s. Learn how to search 11 million records free online — plus get weekly Ireland stories free in our newsletter.
Ireland’s nature and landscape photographers are among the most dedicated artists working today. From underwater ocean photography to decades spent climbing mountain ranges at dawn, these four photographers are capturing Ireland’s wild places in ways that deserve a far wider audience. Meet George Karbus, Peter McCabe, Darren J Spoonley, and Gareth McCormack.
Irish family names like Murphy, Kelly, O’Brien, and Walsh carry centuries of history. Discover the Gaelic origins of Ireland’s most common surnames and what they reveal about your ancestors’ county, clan, and story — plus get weekly Ireland stories free in our newsletter.
Grace O’Malley sailed to London in 1593 and walked away with everything she asked for. The story of the Pirate Queen who outmanoeuvred Elizabeth I — plus get weekly Ireland stories free in our newsletter.
Dún Aonghasa is a 3,000-year-old Iron Age fortress on the edge of a 100-metre cliff on the Aran Islands, Galway. It has no back wall — and archaeologists still disagree about why — plus get weekly Ireland stories free in our newsletter.
Griffith’s Valuation (1847-1864) records every Irish household by name and townland — free to search. Find your ancestors’ exact farm and trace your Irish roots.
A practical guide to Irish slang — from ‘grand’ and ‘craic’ to pub phrases, regional differences, and words that confuse visitors every day.
Brehon Law gave poets the right to shame a miser into generosity — and governed Irish life for 1,200 years. Discover its remarkable traditions. — plus get weekly Ireland stories free.
Saint Brendan the Navigator sailed from County Kerry in the 6th century — and may have reached America 900 years before Columbus. Discover the voyage, the manuscript, and where to follow his trail in Ireland. Plus get weekly Ireland stories free in our newsletter.
Stone walls, empty doorways, collapsed roofs — Ireland’s Famine ruins scatter across the west in their thousands. Here is what they tell about the people who left — plus get weekly Ireland stories free in our newsletter.