Ireland’s Leading Genealogy & Research Company For Over A Decade
Established in 2006 by Dr. Robert Somerville Woodward and Nicola Morris, Timeline has become Ireland’s most recognisable name in genealogy & historical research. We are the Irish researchers for the BBC television series “Who Do You Think You Are?“ and numerous other radio and television shows, we have also undertaken research for governments, public and private institutions and thousands of people across the globe seeking to find their Irish roots. With a wealth of experience in the fields of Irish genealogy and history we are able to offer expert advice and research services across a broad range of areas including;
Individual family trees / Histories of houses, companies & institutions / Journalism & media research / Irish citizenship by descent applications
Timeline director Nicola Morris is a member and former President of Accredited Genealogists Ireland (AGI), the only accrediting body for genealogy in Ireland and she has served as a council member and Hon. Secretary of AGI.
Our Team
Nicola Morris – Co Founder & Director
Born in Kenya to an English father and Irish mother, Nicola draws on a rich family history that can be traced back to the court of Henry VIII, the breweries of Lancashire, the farms of Yorkshire, Cork city publicans and a mysterious Italian great great grandmother.
She grew up in Dublin city and obtained a honours degree in History from Trinity College Dublin. Nicola is a member of Accredited Genealogists Ireland (AGI).
Nicola works very closely with the production company for the BBC TV programme Who Do You Think You Are? as well as the Irish and US versions of the show, which aired on RTE, NBC and TLC networks. Nicola has appeared on screen with Rosie O’Donnell, Jeremy Irons, Graham Norton, Chris Moyles, Julie Walters, Emma Willis and Paul Merton.
Nicola was also one of the presenters of the first series of The Genealogy Roadshow for RTE. She was a researcher for and contributor to The Tenements, an award nominated series for TV3 as well as a researcher and presenter on The Great House Revival for RTE and she works closely with other Irish and international production companies on programmes about genealogy and Irish history.
Nicola lectures on genealogy at University College Cork and University of Limerick, as well as the AGI run Family History courses at City Colleges and has also lectured on the Archives and Record Management MA in University College Dublin. She has given talks at various events, such as Back To Our Past and lecture series at the National Archives of Ireland and National Library of Ireland.
She has had articles published in the Who Do You Think You Are? and Irish Roots magazines and has also written a history of the Fulbright Commission in Ireland.
As well as offering a professional genealogical research service, Nicola also works on house and building histories and histories of institutions and organisations. In 2017 she was appointed to the Board of the Irish Manuscripts Commission and was more recently appointed to the Genealogy and Heraldry Committee of the Board of the National Library of Ireland.
Dr. Robert Somerville-Woodward – Co Founder (retired)
Initially educated in England at the University of Southampton. Robert went on to receive a First Class Honours Degree in History and Geography at the University of Bradford. He then gained a Masters Degree in Peace Studies and scholarship awards from the Joseph Rowntree Foundation and Geraldine Cadbury Trust.
From 1994 to 1998 he attended University College Dublin in the Combined Departments of History under the supervision of Professor Mary Daly.
A recipient of a three-year postgraduate scholarship under the Ireland-UK Scholarship Exchange Scheme from 1996 to 1998 he was awarded his PhD in 1998 for his thesis: ‘Language Without a Mouth: The Development of an Irish Language Consciousness in the English Language’.
In 1998 he was one of the winners of the inaugural Beckett Gold Medal in Modern Irish History for his monograph The Dublin Ossianic Society, 1853-1863.
Since 1998 Dr. Somerville-Woodward has worked as a genealogist, professional researcher and writer in the field of Irish history. One of his larger research commissions was undertaken for Ballymun Regeneration Limited, an eighteen-month project resulting in the two-volume Ballymun: A History c. 1600-1997.
Robert has left Timeline to relocate to the United Kingdom.
Customer Testimonials
Exceptional, cannot recommend highly enough. Timeline located a 1930’s birth record that the Irish GRO, a UK specialist adoption trace agency and ww.irishgenealogy.ie could not locate. The reports provided were extraordinarily thorough and comprehensive detailing exactly the activities and directions undertaken, rationale and recommendations. This went far beyond a simple database search and report, required physical documentary review and displayed to me a genuine desire to solve the puzzle and answer the question posed. An extremely satisfied individual who would not hesitate to recommend Timeline to anyone desiring answers to Irish genealogical questions.
You cannot imagine how pleased I was to receive your email packed full of information this morning. At long last, I have a better idea about that particular branch of O’Sullivans. The other is from Sheepshead peninsula , so untangling two Sullivan branches almost requires a tree surgeon. Better still, the information you provided about my grandmother ,Mary O’Sullivan was a revelation. She died in 1925. My mother never knew her and had no personal data about her. Only a photograph. One photograph. Today is my mother’s 98th birthday . I was able to call her and give her the news about her Mom, her grandparents and information she never knew. What a great and timely gift you have provided to me. My mother was thrilled to hear. Thank you so very much!
Many thanks for the downloads. I really appreciate the thorough job done, and know who to come to in future. I may also add that I was very impressed by the speed with which the work was done and the straightforwardness of the ordering process.
I have received my Grandads birth certificate. Thank you very much. You give a great service, friendly, quick and no fuss. Thank you again
This is amazing. I in no way expected this breadth and depth of information, in the space of one document you’ve managed to give me more information than my father had all his life. I even referred someone onto you this morning that I happened to tell about the report
Thank you very much for your research. It is very informative and I can’t wait to delve into the details. I will definitely recommend your services to other struggling genealogists who could benefit from your knowledge and services.
“First let me say the work completed on the Blake and Harrington families was outstanding. The thoroughness of the report has brought to light a great deal of information I was not aware of or ever knew could be found.
What outstanding research and information!!! Thank you and I very much look forward to meeting you.
I have been using Timeline’s genealogy clerk service for over two years now, I have found it to be an invaluable tool for furthering my own genealogy research and am happy to recommend it .
Our Clients Include
Appeared On Broadcasters
