HIDDEN HEARTLANDS: Ancestral research here in Tipperary

One of the main reasons visitors come to rural Ireland is to research their ancestry. Thurles is fortunate to have one of the best facilities for this in the country at Tipperary Studies, located above the library at the Source in Cathedral Street. 

State of the art research facilities, digitised records and historical mementos combined with a knowledgeable and friendly staff give the roots seeker the best possible start in what can be a daunting task.

Visitors can also see several historical artefacts connected with the area.

These include the 17th century Castlefogarty harp of the type carried about by travelling musicians such as O’Carolan.

Portraits of Lady Thurles (Elizabeth Poyntz, ancestor of Lady Diana) and her grandson George Mathew, a scale model of Thurles as it was in the 1840s by James Condon, a wooden sculpture by Phil Bourke of Upperchurch depicting the major events in Irish history from the Wild Geese to the 1916 Rising and a display of artefacts connected with the War of Independence and Civil War.

Tipperary Studies covers the whole county and has an impressive arsenal of historical records which can be easily accessed.
These include Tithe Applotment and Tithe Defaulters books from the 1820s and 1830s, Griffith’s Valuation and pre-Valuation Books from the 1840s and 1850s, Ordnance Survey House Books from the 1840s, maps, newspapers and much more. Further info can be found at: https://tipperarystudies.ie/

The 1901 and 1911 Census records form a dividing line in many searches. If a person’s relatives are included in these, then family history becomes relatively clear. However, many if not most visitors had ancestors who left the local area prior to then.

These visitors really need a helping hand in most cases. Research using the facilities at Tipperary Studies lays the groundwork but, armed with hints and pointers from the professionals, the visitor often has to arouse their own inner detective and venture forth into the unknown countryside.

Luckily for them, rural Ireland still has plenty of people willing to help. Nearly every parish has an amateur historian or two with knowledge of or access to local records.

Many locals have a detailed knowledge of the gravestones in nearby cemeteries. There are still “tracers” with encyclopaedic knowledge of local family relationships and who lived where.

As often as not, a tale or two about some event or the doings of a less than respectable ancestor adds spice and realism to the information. It is rare for a visitor to draw a complete blank. These local historians and “tracers” are the unsung heroes of Irish tourism.

They help to provide the information the tourists are seeking and also give them an insight into the lives of ordinary people.
Almost always a cup of tea in the local’s home gives the tourist a warm feeling and new friendships are formed. This in turn leads to repeat visits and great word of mouth marketing, often leading to more of the tourist’s relatives visiting.