Tracing the Power family for the Paul Merton episode of Who Do You Think You Are? was quite a challenge, not least because Power is one of the most common surnames in Co. Waterford. Paul’s mother’s maiden name was Power. At the time of Griffith’s Valuation), a land survey taken in the 1850s there were over 3000 Power households found in Ireland,
Read MoreBradshaw Murder at Philipstown
In the recent episode of Who Do You Think You Are? for Irish television, Pat Shortt discovered an ancestor accused of the murder of his landlord, Mr. Bradshaw of Philipstown House. While some details of the murder were found in the local press, it was the police file of the investigation into the murder that revealed the complex story of the Bradshaws,
Read MoreWho Do You Think You Are? Damien Dempsey
In a recent Irish episode of Who Do You Think You Are? singer and songwriter Damien Dempsey discovered that his maternal ancestor, Frederick Bridgeman, was granted Freedom of the city of Dublin in 1841.Freemen of the City of DublinIn a description on the website of the Dublin City Library and Archives, which hosts a database of records for freemen of
Read MoreWDYTYA Molly Shannon
Much of the focus of our research for the WDYTYA Molly Shannon episode was to try and understand the relationship between her ancestors, the Cattigan family, and their landlords, the Pikes. An article discovered in the Connaught Telegraph (9th February 1889), published on the Irish News Archive, reported that the local relieving officer presented
Read MoreCSORP
The Chief Secretary’s Office Registered Papers (CSORP) is a vast and rambling collection of material that is pitted with gems for genealogical research. If your ancestor had any interaction with the machine of the state, there is a possibility that they will be documented in this collection.The CSORP can be found in the National Archives of Ireland.
Read MoreBryan Cranston – Who Do You Think You Are?
In the most recent episode of Who Do You Think You Are? US Bryan Cranston, star of the TV shows Breaking Bad and Malcolm in the Middle, traced his Cranston ancestry back through American and Canadian records to his great great grandparents, Joseph Cranston and Sarah McLeod. Bryan Cranston’s Irish OriginsDuring the course of his search, Bryan discovered
Read MoreBrendan O’Carroll Who Do You Think You Are?
One of the most valuable sources when it came to researching the murder of Brendan O’Carroll’s ancestor, were the Witness Statements in the Bureau of Military History collection. Bureau of Military History Witness Statements The Bureau of Military History is a collection of some 1700 witness statements as well as photographs, documents and
Read MoreJulie Walters Who Do You Think You Are?
For the latest episode of BBC’s Who Do You Think You Are? our research into the family of Julie Walters found a most interesting character in her great grandfather, Anthony Clarke. According to his newspaper obituary, Anthony Clarke was present at the first meeting of the Land League at Irishtown in Co. Mayo. With this clue to follow, we investigated
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