How do I get in touch with distant relatives in Ireland before a visit?
Start long before you travel. Make contact through the channel you found them by: a genealogy centre, a parish, a surname group, a letter. Say plainly who you are, which ancestor you share, and what you are hoping for, which is usually a conversation and a photograph, not a claim on anything. Bring the family tree printed, with the American generations filled in; it is the single best introduction, and it gives the meeting its shape. Suggest a neutral first meeting, a café or the genealogy centre, and let them move it to the house if they want to. Expect tea and more food than you can eat. Bring photographs from America, take names and dates down carefully, and write a thank you letter when you get home. Families stay in touch after trips where the visitor was easy to host.
Useful pages: Irish in USA · The Irish surnames map · Trace your Irish roots · Coming home · Irish around the world
Sources
- Irish Family History Foundation: RootsIreland and the county genealogy centres, rootsireland.ie
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