What a great title! It was the subject of an exceptionally helpful blog by Donna Moughty. Follow her advice - based on Elizabeth Shawn Mills' principle of identifying your ancestor's FAN club (friends, associates, neighbors) - and you may be able break through your brick wall.

• Follow your ancestor(s) in every census
• Look at every similar surname in the neighborhood and anyone living in your ancestor's household
• Review church records, even if not online
• Research each marriage witness and baptism sponsor
• Analyze neighbors - did they emigrate together?

Read Moughty's blog posting, while you still have free (St Patrick's Day) access to Irish research websites: www.moughty.com/blog/dont-forget-the-collaterals.html.