Christ Church Cathedral in Dublin also has a crypt you can visit to explore its history. Photo by Mary Casey-Sturk
As you grow older, you start to think about your future and, to some extent, your past. You wonder about the people who came before you, how they came to be where they lived, who they loved, where they worked and if you are like them.
In recent years, my journeys have explored my family tree. Recently, I’ve been thinking very much about the Irish side of my family.
While I’m not technically very Irish, I was raised in a proud Irish family. From an aunt, I learned that her second great-grandfather was born in Tipperary around 1813. Family members eventually settled in Ohio.
Knowing this, I headed to Dublin, Ireland, in the spring of 2025 to be a tourist and learn how to discover more about my Irish roots.
EPIC The Irish Emigration Museum
Photo by Mary Casey-Sturk
One destination high on my list was the EPIC The Irish Emigration Museum. It’s a popular destination, Katy Thornton of EPIC shares, “Last year EPIC welcomed almost 370,000 people to the museum, our biggest number yet.”
Here, you will discover why 10 million people left Ireland and explore the impact they had around the world. Maybe your relatives are among them?
They bring history to life here with a series of videos, objects, galleries and interactive activities. Learn why people left, famines, music, dance, food, crime, punishment and joy.
Even if you aren’t Irish, EPIC is an engaging way to spend your time. Located at Custom House Quay (CHQ), along the River Liffey, EPIC has a gift shop featuring local artisans and the CHQ building has several eateries.
Irish Family History Centre
Before your trip to EPIC, you can book a consultation with one of their expert genealogists at The Irish Family History Centre, which is located within EPIC.
While the EPIC The Irish Emigration Museum immerses you in the fascinating stories of the Irish people and honors the connections between Ireland and its diaspora, the Irish Family History Centre also helps you discover YOU.
Whether you want to take a deep dive into generations of ancestors or are just a bit curious, their experts can help you. You must book in advance, and there are different fees.
They begin by learning where you are on your research journey and what documents you currently have. In 2024, 3,500 visited the Centre. You can start your research from home, using family trees, Ancestry, or oral history. An Ancestry DNA test can also help narrow down where your ancestors came from and often what region they emigrated to in the United States.
You can also find historic church and civil records of Irish births, marriages and deaths at www.irishgenealogy.ie. The website is free to use and no subscription or registration is required to use it. Here you can search for: births 1864–1924, marriages 1845–1949, and deaths 1871–1974. For military records, go to www.militaryarchives.ie.
Additional Research in Dublin
Ireland’s General Register Office has a family research facility at Werburgh Street in Dublin. Their research room has access to various registers, and you can buy photocopies of records.
The National Archives, located on Bishop Street in Dublin, is the official repository of state records and is responsible for collecting, preserving and making public all government records.
It provides access to Ireland’s public records for researchers worldwide and has over 60 million documents spanning 200 years of history.
During your visit, you can explore its collections, learn fascinating stories that provide a deeper understanding of Ireland’s past, and find research support while utilizing their Reading Room. Request a reader’s ticket in advance.
The National Library (7/8 Kildare Street, Dublin) offers a free walk-in advisory service for those looking to trace their family history and genealogy workshops and talks.
You’ll also find microfilm copies of most surviving Roman Catholic parish registers and other records that can be used as census substitutes. Remember to check in advance for operating days and hours for the above locations.
It’s important to note that a great deal of records were destroyed in an explosion and fire at the Public Record Office in Dublin in April 1922.
Anti-Treaty forces occupied Dublin’s Four Courts buildings. An explosion in an adjacent building started the fire that spread to the Record Treasury central archive storage, where munitions were being manufactured. The damage was so great that only the outer wall remained.
Records lost include two-thirds of the Church of Ireland’s parish registers of baptisms, marriages and burials, many probate records from before 1858 and from 1858-1922, marriage bonds and decades of census data from the 1800s.
For multiple resources on researching your family history in Ireland and Northern Ireland, visit: Explore genealogy tools.
More to Explore
Dublin is rich with history and many attractions share compelling stories about the people and struggles of Ireland.
The GPO Museum is located inside one of Dublin’s most iconic buildings, the General Post Office on O’Connell Street. It shares the story of the 1916 Easter Rising and modern Irish History.
The GPO acted as Ireland’s communications hub and headquarters for the men and women who participated in the 1916 Easter Rising.
This set in motion a chain of events which ultimately led to the creation of the Irish Republic.
While the building was destroyed by fire during the Easter Rising, the columns in the front survived, and you can see bullet holes in them today.
Galleries of exhibitions and videos explain the story. The building is still a working Post Office where you can purchase stamps, Leap Cards (for public transportation) and more. Inside the galleries, you will also find postal and other Irish history.
I spent a good deal of time here learning so much about this event and the people who stood for independence.
The Jeanie Johnston
Opposite the EPIC The Irish Emigration Museum along the River Liffey, is the Jeanie Johnston. This is a recreation of a ship that brought thousands of people to North America.
Her maiden voyage from Kerry to Quebec in 1848 had 193 passengers aboard who were escaping the Famine. In all, she carried 2,500 Irish emigrants over 16 voyages during the Famine years.
Onboard, you will learn about the Famine, its difficult journeys across the Atlantic, and its passengers, including Dr. Richard Blennerhassett, who ensured all the passengers survived.
While visiting this area, take time to look at the Famine Memorial (the Famine Statues). These haunting figures commemorate the most profound disaster in Irish history, when Ireland lost more than one million citizens to starvation.
Ireland Travel Guide
St Audoen’s Church
While St. Patrick’s and Christ Church Cathedrals are stunning and well worth visiting, St. Audoen’s Church and Visitor Centre volunteers share stories that will transport you back in time.
Open seasonally, it is nestled in the heart of the walled medieval city, with sections of the wall nearby. It’s the only medieval parish church remaining in Dublin. The Church was crucial to the life of the medieval city, and papal messages were shared here.
The Guild Chapel of St. Anne houses an award-winning exhibition on the importance of St. Audoen’s to medieval Dublin and visitors can enter the part of the church still in use today.
Other sites for history buffs include Dublin Castle, Marsh’s Library, Glasnevin Cemetery, Little Dublin Museum and the Kilmainham Gaol Museum.
During my time in Dublin, I made some family connections, better understood their journey to the United States and felt a greater connection to them and myself.
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Author Bio: Mary Casey-Sturk is an Editor and Writer for Living Magazines (Kentucky) as well as a contributor to Smoky Mountain Living Magazine (North Carolina). Mary is also a content developer, freelance travel, food, wine and features writer and the author of “Eating Cheese Curds With Strangers”.
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