There’s an estimated 70 million of Ireland’s diaspora scattered around the globe, the vast majority of these are the descendants of the emigrants who’ve left over the past centuries. If you’re among them and are seeking your ancestral ties to the Emerald Isle, be sure to visit the Ireland Reaching Out site. It’s a freely accessible, and purely volunteer-based, initiative that started in 2009. Now boasting over 165,000 global members, more than 160,000 family tree “quests” resolved, and that they’ve helped roots seekers connect to over 30,000 Irish ancestors! Four key (and free!) offerings are:
• An interactive message board, where genealogy-minded international volunteers assist members with their family history queries.
• A “meet and greet” service where those visiting Ireland can request meeting with a person living in the area of their ancestral origins to answer questions on the locale and possibly connect them with living relatives.
• An ancestor database to search and for adding information about your forebears.
• Newsletters chock full of useful content authored by academics, genealogists, historians, and librarians.
By Joseph Grandinetti, Internet Genealogy author
