Genealogy courses
Genealogy Course - Exploring Your Roots
Roots Revealed provides genealogy courses that are specifically tailored to help you explore your roots and find ancestral information within Irish and Northern Irish records.
The course content described below is 20 hours in duration, usually delivered as ten 2-hour sessions.
If you are interested in commissioning a course, please get in touch to discuss in more detail. Courses can be adapted to your requirements with regard to length, content and delivery method, i.e. face-to-face or online.
The date of the next genealogy course is to be confirmed. You can register your interest here with no obligation.
Genealogy courses held to date and feedback
Since September 2018, ten genealogy courses have been delivered, some of which were online and others face-to-face.
- October to December 2023 – online course via Zoom
- January 2023 – The Old Church Centre, Cushendun
- March to May 2022 – Crosskeys Inn
- January to March 2022 – online course for Apex Housing
- September to November 2021 – online course 3 for Friends of Glenariffe
- January to March 2021 – online course 2 for Friends of Glenariffe
- January to March 2021 – online course 1 for Friends of Glenariffe
- March to June 2020 – course cancelled due to Covid-19
- September to November 2019 – Ballymena North
- March to May 2019 – Ballymena North
- September to November 2018 – Ballymena North
The courses have been really well received; many of our course students have provided feedback and testimonials which may be viewed here.
Who is the Genealogy Course aimed at?
Many people are interested in genealogy and finding out about their own family history, but they often aren’t sure where or how to start. Others may have made a start in researching their ancestors but have hit a brick wall and don’t know how to overcome it. Many Irish records were destroyed in the 19th and 20th centuries, due to the Four Courts explosion in 1922 during the Irish Civil War and also deliberate Government policy. This resulted in the loss of many Irish records and as a result Irish genealogy has a reputation of being difficult. It does means that we need to be a bit more inventive by using different record sets and it is possible for many family historians to trace their ancestors back to the late 1700’s or early 1800’s without too much difficulty. Others, such as for example, those who have landowners or merchants in their family may be able to go further back.
How will the Genealogy Course Help Me?
The Exploring Your Roots Genealogy Course is aimed at a broad range of people from novices with no experience to those who have been hobby genealogists for some time, including:
Those who are interested in researching their family tree but don’t know where to start.
Those who have some experience but would like to know how to make more progress.
Those who have hit a brick wall in their research and would like ideas to overcome it.
Those who would like to take a DNA test, but aren’t sure which is the best one to take, or you’ve already taken a DNA test but aren’t sure what to do with the results or what they’re telling you?
The course will cover a broad range of Irish ancestry records and sources that will help you to research your family tree and will give you a grounding in good genealogical practice that will help you to carry out your research effectively.
You will have a greater knowledge of the available resources and improved confidence to use them when researching your family tree.
You’ll gain a greater understanding of the lives of your ancestors, their time in place and how both key local and national events shaped their lives.
You will be mixing with like-minded people who have a desire to find out more about their ancestry. Who knows – you might meet a new cousin or two?
The course will be delivered by a genealogist and educator who has years of experience under her belt.
There will be ample time for discussion and questions on each session. Places on the course are limited to facilitate discussion.
What subjects are included on the course?
The course will include the following subjects:
Getting started and organising your research
Sources of information
Units of administration – townlands, parishes, baronies, DED’s Poor Law Unions, etc
Place names
Surnames and naming traditions
Civil registration
Church records
Burial records and gravestone inscriptions
Census and census substitutes
Land, property and valuation records
Estate records
Military records
Education records
Occupational records
Printed sources
Wills and testamentary records
Local government records
Electoral records
Law and order
Emigration and transportation
Introduction to DNA
What course materials will I get?
Each week you will get a PowerPoint handout and a comprehensive list of useful sources, websites, reference materials, etc for each topic that we cover.
Forthcoming genealogy course dates
To be confirmed.
Where will the genealogy course be held?
To be confirmed.
How much will the genealogy course cost?
To be confirmed.
How do I book and pay for the Genealogy Course?
Please register your interest in a future course by clicking on the button below.
When the dates for the next course have been determined, you will be offered a place.
If you wish to take up the offer of a place on the course, you will be invoiced.
Can I buy the Genealogy Course as a gift?
Yes certainly. Just email us to enquire about a Gift Voucher for the course.