The Society regularly offers webinars with specials guests that are of interest to our members. Below is a list of these webinars with detailed descriptions. Please see our Events page for upcoming webinars.
Members, did you miss a live for-fee webinar?
Never fear! IGSI members have exclusive access to the recorded webinars and their handouts, which you can access here.
Topic
Featuring
Date
What you need to know before hiring an Irish researcher, or visiting Ireland to do your own research
Fiona Fitzsimons
August 15, 2026
When and how should you hire a professional researcher in Ireland? Fiona will discuss selecting a qualified genealogist with local the expertise you may need to address your specific research challenges. She will also discuss preparing for a visit to Ireland, for your research and to visit associated people and places.
The Virtual Register Treasury of Ireland
Brian Gurrin
July 18, 2026
In the opening barrage of the Irish Civil War in 1922, seven centuries of Ireland's public records burned in the Four Courts building in Dublin. Wills, census and court records — the paper trail of a nation — were destroyed in a single tragic day.
The Virtual Record Treasury of Ireland (VRTI) is reconstructing them. Hosted by Trinity College Dublin, this international partnership draws on 75+ archives worldwide — in the Republic of Ireland, Northern Ireland, and the UK — to retrieve surviving copies and reunite them online. Over 350,000 records are restored so far, and the efforts continue. The goal is a free, open-access, permanent repository.
How has the Irish Ancestors website changed in the past year?
John Grenham
June 20, 2026
The host of the JohnGrenham.com.web repository, and the Irish Roots blog (www.johngrenham.com/blog) returns for an annual update. John's team has made major upgrades to the mapping features on his site over the past year. We look forward to learning of leveraging his tools in tandem with the newly released 1926 Census of Ireland.
Teasers include:
- Complete redesign of the surname information dashboard.
- Updated surname mapping.
- New zoomable maps of Griffith's householders and listing of all surname variants.
- A collaboration with FindMyPast.ie results in Griffith's entries now mapped down to townland level, with a much more fine-grained overview of exactly where families were in a county and parish.
- Also with FMP data >8,000 new surnames: unique, mistranscriptions, & actual new variants of existing surnames. All are integrated with the surnames and variants tables.
No tech background required—just bring your curiosity. You'll leave with practical techniques you can try immediately, a better sense of what AI does well (and where it still needs a human eye), and maybe a few new leads on that elusive great-great-grandmother from County Cork.
Old Records, New Tools: An Introduction to artificial intelligence (AI) for Genealogists
Gigi Hickey & Mary Wickersham
May 16, 2026
Curious about AI but not sure where to start—or whether it's even relevant to tracing your ancestors? Our speakers will show you how today's AI tools can help you with brick walls, faded documents, and mysterious townlands that every family historian knows too well. We'll walk through real examples (many drawn from Irish records) demonstrating how AI can help you decipher difficult handwriting, suggest research strategies when you're stuck, make sense of unfamiliar placenames, and even draft those tricky notes to distant cousins.
Researching Ancestral Crisis in Ireland
Chris Paton, BA (Hons), HND, PgDip
Apr 18, 2026
Chris will discuss the many historical moments when our ancestors experienced difficultly, through actions of their own or those carried out against them, and someone stood nearby with a quill and ink to document the time. Ancestors were sent to mother and baby homes, Magdalene laundries, stood trial for crimes or fell victim to criminals. Some were adulterers or bigamists, or revolutionaries, and much more. Real hardships were enduredand many overcame the difficulties. Others did not, but their stories brought us to becoming the people we are today.
Chris will outline research strategies and resources to help us understand the experiences of those times that shaped our families.
Using DNA Resources for Irish Family History Research
Claire Bradley
Mar 21, 2026
DNA testing provides a new angle for research into your Irish ancestry. We will touch on all three types of DNA testing but focus on autosomal DNA results and how this tool can complement the source records you have identified. Clues in your ethnicity estimate and cousin matches can be important to the progress of your research. We will discuss the ethics of testing and the possibility of uncovering a family secret.
Using the RootsIreland.ie Website for Your Research
Brendan Scott
Mar 7, 2026
RootsIreland is an online genealogy database run by the Irish Family History Foundation (IFHF). The site contains vital records as well as other fascinating documents like ship passenger lists and Irish gravestone inscriptions. You can purchase access by the day, month, 6-month, or annual subscription. It also offers free resources and contacts by county acrose the Irish Isle.
Using Irish Newspapers and Other Printed Materials
Natalie Bodle
Feb 21, 2026
How do we know what Irish newspapers are available and how to access them? We’ll review the major repositories where they may be found, and a range of printed journals, gazetteers and street directories to find your Irish ancestors.
Natalie is a professional genealogist in Ireland, author, and international speaker on researching Irish ancestry. www.RootsRevealed.co.uk.
How can I best find source records on the MyHeritage.com Library Edition?
Daniel Horowitz
Dec 6, 2025
In this 90-minute broadcast Daniel focuses on use of the Library Edition of MyHeritage, and how researchers can best leverage the site's search and filtering tools to identify relevant source records and public trees on the site. He will discuss effective search strategies and introduce us to new and notable tools available to MyHeritage in a library setting. He will briefly describe the additional features available to personal subscribers to the site.
MyHeritage is an online subscription resource for family history research with web and mobile platforms, available in dozens of languages. Users can browse/search/save billions of historical records, newspaper entries, and photos documenting their ancestors. In recent years, many different tools have been added relating to record searching, photo enhancement, DNA analysis, and artificial intelligence.
Irish Research in the Public Records Office (PRONI): In Belfast or online, it's not just Ulster!
Dave Miller
Nov 16 2025
The Public Records Office of Northern Ireland (PRONI) archive in Belfast contains millions of historical and genealogical documents that date back centuries. It can be of great value to the genealogist and family historian, and these records are not limited to what we now know as Northern Ireland!
Dave will discuss both online and in-person visit to find essential records of your ancestors. He will provide examples of the records that are available from his own research. Don’t forget, as a researcher, that the place we know as “Ireland” has changed greatly over the centuries, and your crucial records can appear in unexpected places!
Irish Migrations to Canada – When & Why? How to research these Irish ancestors.
Janelle Asselin
October 4, 2025
Many Irish emigrants sailed to Canada, even those who later settled in the States. Canada was fully part of Great Britain until 1867, along with Ireland, so in many respects it was easier and cheaper for Irish to sail to Canada. Using Janelle’s 2x GGF and 5x GGM as case studies, she will discuss waves of immigration from Ireland, the "push & pull" to Canada, key destinations and Irish settlements.
Researching Presbyterian Ancestors in Ireland
Dr. William Roulston
August 23, 2025
Different strands of Presbyterianism were found in Ireland, so an array of records from those denominations can be confusing. Where can this material can be accessed for research? Records vary: the higher courts of Presbyterianism, individual congregations, as well as personal papers of individual ministers. Whether your ancestors were Covenanters, Seceders, or Non-Subscribers, whether devout or merely nominal, whether they remained in Ireland or emigrated, Dr Roulston can help to navigate and have fruitful research.
The same name - everywhere in Ireland. Sifting and separating family groups
Chelley Brekke McClear
June 28, 2025
If any of your family names are common, you have likely faced a blizzard of source records that MIGHT be your ancestor. How to sift, sort, analyze, and make some sense of what you have found?? Chelley will give examples using Irish records to illustrate her process to "separate the wheat from the chaff."
Irish Vital Records
Fiona Fitzsimons
February 15, 2025
Civil records are the easiest of all Irish records to find and to interpret. They’re the building blocks of your family history, often the first records you will use in research. These records document 180 years of social and government change in Ireland. We'll discuss how you can access them online, or while visiting Ireland. If you can't travel to the Emerald Isle, when might you benefit from hiring a researcher there? Who might you correspond with for local expertise?
Research Documents and Letters with Artificial Intelligence
Mark D. Thompson
January 4, 2025
Recording no longer available for viewing, at presenter's request. We include it on our list to show you the extent of our educational offerings.
Artificial intelligence can assist you in analyzing your personal archives, as well as online sources. Whether you need to summarize large documents to easily identify names and relationships, or to develop a "cast of characters" or timeline in complex documents, AI tools can make your research more efficient and effective. Get familiar with terms like ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude, and more. We will discuss how to use some of the most powerful AI tools available to genealogists today, such as transcription and translation, being mindful of accuracy and sourcing. We will also explore how the major research websites are providing new tools for us, using related technology.
Tracing Medieval Roots: Genealogy in Ireland from the Medieval to the Modern Era
Thomas Finan, PhD, FSA
December 7, 2024
Dr. Thomas Finan is a professor of medieval history and archaeology at Saint Louis University is a scholar of medieval Ireland. For over 20 years he has led a "dig" in County Roscommon to examine the site of a medieval castle (of the MacDermot lords of Moylurg), unearthing mysteries of 13th century rural Ireland. A proud descendent of Roscommon Irish, Dr. Finan is also active in several digital projects analyzing collections of medieval genealogical material. Hear and see of the ancient Irish world they are revealing.
Recording views free to members - visit Webinar Recordings and click the link provided.
The Connemara of County Galway: Despair in the American Heartland
Jane Kennedy, MA
November 16, 2024
From Counties Galway and Mayo, they were some of the poorest in Connemara. On the 11th of June 1880, over thirty families and dozens of single men and women waited by the Galway city docks. Their parish priests had brought them to the city the day before. From County Galway came twenty-eight families, including the Currans from Carna in Moyrus civil parish. In their hands were tickets to America. New suits of clothes awaited them onboard the steamship. Their destination was the plains of western Minnesota and a chance to restart their lives on their own 160 acres of farmland near a town called Graceville.
What is Your Brick Wall?
Tom Rice CG &
Kathy Lund
September 26, 2024
You have reached a point in your research that you can't seem to get beyond. Is it truly a brick wall or… is it a difficulty that might be overcome with more learning and insight, or possibly professional research? Let’s discuss the differences. How might you move forward, or identify a way to do so? This session will help you to distinguish between a true “dead end” and a temporary intermission to reflect on new strategies and tactics. Examples galore will be provided to illustrate key points.
From Tithes to Griffith's: property and valuation records in Ireland
Michael Walsh
July 20,2024
Michael introduces major land and property valuation record sources from 19th-century Ireland, including Tithe Applotment Books, early townland valuations and notebooks compiled as part of the valuation process, Griffith’s Valuation (valuation sheets and corresponding maps), and Revision Books.
Evidence in Folklore for Irish Family History
Fiona Fitzsimons
January 27, 2024
Understanding the folklore of Ireland is key for researchers to understand the lives of our ancestors. The National Folklore Collection is a record of Ireland’s oral traditions and material culture. It holds one of the largest archival collections of its kind, recognized in the UNESCO Memory of the World Register for its significance in world culture. The collection reveals the texture of daily life in Ireland during the 19th and early 20th Century that we do not find in history books. Fiona will introduce this remarkable collection and show how it will help us to interpret ancestral evidence.
Strategic Searching on Findmypast
Jen Baldwin
December 16, 2023
Jen works for findmypast as Research Specialist and North American Content Manager. Her presentation will help you to make the most of the site's resources by learning best practices and seeing different ways to search the site. She is a renowned presenter who will help you to leverage the site to your greatest advantage in your reseaarch. The newest site features will be highlighted. To quote Family Tree Magazine: Findmypast’s core content is for England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales, with some coverage of places settled by British Isles emigrants. If you’re researching in these regions, Findmypast is a must-use resource.
Searching for the Immigration Records of our Irish Ancestors
Mary Wickersham
December 3, 2022
Millions of U.S. passenger arrival records are available online; even more are not yet indexed from ships’ passenger manifests stored on microfilm at the U.S. National Archives and Records Administration. How can you tell when your ancestor came to the North America? Searching ship’s manifests and other historical records may provide you with clues about an ancestor’s date and ship of arrival in the U.S. Major resources for finding U.S. (and some Canadian) immigration information are discussed and listed in the class handout with links to online repositories and helpful online how-to reading materials.
Irish Genealogy 101
Tom Rice
August 7, 2021
Are you new to Irish genealogy or perhaps it has been a while since you dug into your Irish family roots? This is the webinar for you! Tom Rice will provide an introduction to the key tools for finding your ancestors in Ireland: most important record types, Irish geographic terms, Irish names, key Irish genealogy websites and books, and much, much more.
Burren Girl Documentary: Behind the Scenes
Rita Davern
June 12, 2021
Rita Davern is a Minnesota woman who searched for the place and people her grandmother left behind. The quest took her to the Burren: a beautiful, windswept region of County Clare, Ireland. There she found a clan - and its medieval legacy - that were scattered and lost during some of the most difficult centuries in Irish history. Free for all to view. Click on the title to view the webinar (opens in a new browser window). Note we no longer have viewing rights to the film itself.
