Michael Egan (Ireland), “The Importance of belonging: Exploring contemporary interest in genealogy”

The interest in one’s own roots is growing more and more. This was stated by Michael Egan of the Irish Family History Foundation (IFHF), who spoke on the second day of the Pastoral Congress at the Dublin World Meeting of Families (21-26 August). “I have never met someone who was not interested in finding out where his ancestors came from,” he said, “and who they are and what the people whose names appeared on their family tree were doing. Piece by piece, like putting together a big puzzle, the search for new information becomes like an addiction.” The IFHF was created in Ireland in 1984 with the aim of collecting the data and the names contained in the old parish registers, often rendered almost illegible by the passage of time. This work became necessary in the light of the Irish diaspora because it allowed the Irish to discover their roots. “Everyone thought,” says Egan, “if we do not start as soon as possible, all that information will be lost forever.” The first group, composed of people from all over the country, began collecting the historical data in the registers of all the churches in Ireland. “In each county, centers were founded where data was collected,” continues Egan, “initially on paper and then digitally. It seemed appropriate to call the site we created with the collected data ‘Roots Ireland’ (Rootsireland.ie).” The 34 centers of IFHF are present in 32 counties, and the cooperation between the different entities has always been very good. “The fact that the centers are deeply rooted in their communities,” says Egan, “makes it possible for the experts in each county to have detailed information about surnames, topography, history, the location of cemeteries, genealogical and historical sources, as well as all the tourist facilities. Everything is under one roof. This is information that is not available from any other source.” All the funds that the IFHF receives through the website are distributed to the Centers, and the money is used to add new data to “Roots Ireland.” “Up to now,” says Egan, “nearly 21 million documents have been collected, registered, checked, and put online. But the work is not finished yet. We will pursue our task as long as we have the desire and the enthusiasm to continue.” The group “Clans of Ireland” meets regularly in Dublin’s Christ Church, and seeks to promote the development of clans, awards the medals of the Order of Merit and, in collaboration with the Permanent Council, institutes an annual prize for the best historical essay on Gaelic Ireland in the Middle Ages (600 BC - 1700 AD). Furthermore, Egan emphasizes how, in recent years, DNA has become an important part of genealogical research. “It allows tracing unknown relatives who, today, are living in every part of the world,” he explains, “This is very important for Ireland because our ancestors were often forced to go to distant countries, with very little chance of staying in touch with other members of their family. Very often, thanks to DNA, we hear about people from Australia who are in contact with others living in the United States and discover that their ancestors belonged to the same family but were forced to emigrate because of famine. Until recently, these connections would have been unimaginable.” The service offered by the IFHF helps people to get genealogical data about their families directly from home, often at no cost. “The interest in genealogy really exploded in the last decade;” comments Egan, “Many people have found that genealogy is a very pleasant pursuit, especially when one has time to dedicate to it. For many people living abroad today, having Irish ancestors is not just a question of ‘being Irish’, but they try to find out which county they come from, from precisely which parish, and the location of the house where they were born. Then, once the place is discovered, they want to return there. This gives them great joy. Our task today, through our work, is to allow more and more people to experience this joy.”