I’ve curated all 53 Irish genealogy seminar videos from the past six years of the annual RootsTech conference on genealogy and technology, hosted by FamilySearch.
Irish genealogy is always a popular topic at RootsTech, which offers many on-demand seminars and other videos from the past few events on their website – more than 1,700 sessions on 185 topics in over 30 languages – for free.
In addition to the videos, many include a Downloadable Resources section below the video, which allow downloads of slides, a syllabus, seminar outlines, list of links, sample materials, and other resources.
Below is my curated collection of the 53 Irish genealogy-related video seminars from 2019 to 2025:
Introductory / Overview Topics
▪️ Beginning Irish Research (~59 minutes)
▪️ Irish Family History is Easy! Seriously – 2023 (~25 minutes)
▪️ British & Irish Research: The Differences (~60 minutes)
▪️ Geography of the British Isles – A Crash Course! (~57 minutes)
▪️ Getting Started with Research in Ireland (~54 minutes)
▪️ Coming and Going: Tracing Your Irish Surname History (~1 hour)
▪️ Where am I?: Are You Searching in the Right Place? (~17 minutes) ⭐ NEW for 2025
Covers geography, boundaries, and terms related to the British Isles, and locating the correct collections.
▪️ Scottish and Irish Genealogical Connections (~1 hour) (no handouts/slides; hosted on YouTube) ⭐ NEW for 2025
This panel session is designed to help you kick-start research into your Irish and Scottish ancestors. It features three professional genealogists from Ireland and Scotland who will introduce you to the connections between these countries that are significant for family history research. Find out about the population movements between Scotland and Ireland as well as the similarities and differences between records and research methods across the regions. Learn how to trace your Scottish and Irish ancestors effectively by discovering the best websites and tools to use, clues to look for in records, and techniques for making the most of your DNA matches.
Specific Topics
▪️ Uncovering Ancestral Origins: Cluster Research and Indirect Evidence (~58 minutes) (Advanced-Level session) ⭐ NEW for 2025
Explores the use of cluster research and indirect evidence to uncover our immigrant ancestors origins. Reviewing the Gildea Family of Ireland case study illustrates how the assembly of indirect evidence from late 19th and early 20th century NYC records, paired with cluster research, contributed to establishing familial links and pinpointing their Irish origins.
▪️ Reconstructing the Lives of Our Female Irish Ancestors (~57 minutes)
▪️ Tracing the Irish in Australia and New Zealand (~55 minutes)
Series: Ireland: Find Your Ancestors! (2022)
This series has a total of 5 video sessions. You can either visit the main series page, or each individual video session below:
▪️ Researching your ancestors using the resources & records of Public Record Office of Northern Ireland (~20 minutes)
▪️ Irish Heritage Family History Research Tips with Joe Buggy of Ancestry® UK (~20 minutes)
▪️ Using Irish Landed Estate Papers to Find Your Ancestors (~22 minutes)
▪️ Using Irish Land Valuation Records to Find Your Ancestors (~21 minutes)
▪️ Using Online Irish Records (~20 minutes)
Records, Archives, and Sources
▪️ Researching Irish Records (~6 minutes)
▪️ Scavenger hunt through Irish records (~59 minutes)
▪️ Genealogical Treasures in Irish Archives (~24 minutes)
▪️ Inside the Guide – Ireland Sites and Databases (~5 minutes) (no handouts/slides; hosted on YouTube) ⭐ NEW for 2025
A quick introductory overview video of some of the Irish resources linked on the free website, The Family History Guide
▪️ Finding the Irish Cousins Who Stayed Behind (~24 minutes)
▪️ Hidden Treasures: Discovering Local Sources in Your Irish Research (~22 minutes)
▪️ How the Ulster Historical Foundation can help you find your Irish ancestors (~20 minutes)
▪️ From The Ashes: The 1922 Irish Public Record Office Fire (~1 hour)
▪️ Irish Genealogy Resources at the Virtual Treasury (~1 hour) ⭐ NEW for 2025
▪️ Unearthing the Treasures in the Irish Registry of Deeds (~1 hour)
Newspaper-Related Topics
▪️ Uncovering Family Stories with British and Irish Historic Newspapers: Myko Clelland (~54 minutes)
▪️ Making the Most of the British Newspaper Archive (~22 minutes)
▪️ Turning the Pages of British Newspapers (~20 minutes)
▪️ Ticking Through Time: Discovering Stories with Findmypast Newspapers (~40 minutes) ⭐ NEW for 2025
Discusses the extensive Findmypast newspaper collections, which offers important coverage of the UK and Ireland.
▪️ Using Newspapers to Break Down Brick Walls and Add Details to your Tree (~41 minutes) ⭐ NEW for 2025
Covers use of newspapers for research, including 2 critical collections for Irish genealogy: Irish Newspaper Archives and the British Newspaper Archive.
Tutorials on Specific Sources, Collections and Websites
▪️ Using FindMyPast to Unlock Your Irish Family History (~24 minutes)
▪️ On the Record: An Introduction to Civil Registration in Ireland (~1 hour) ⭐ NEW for 2025
▪️ The Irish in the 1921 Census of England & Wales (~29 minutes)
▪️ Examining the Irish Census (~59 minutes) ⭐ NEW for 2025
▪️ FreeREG: What Is It and How to Use It (~23 minutes)
A look at the FreeREG project and search engine, an in-progress transcription project to make the parish registers of the United Kingdom (England, Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland) and Ireland, available free on the Internet.
Military
These seminars cover researching Irish service in the British military, United States Civil War, and, Irish War of Independence.
▪️ For Their Country: Finding Your Irish Military Ancestors (~59 minutes)
(Focused on the U.S. Civil War, World War I, and Irish War of Independence)
▪️ Getting Started with British Army Records (~56 minutes) (no handouts/slides; hosted on YouTube) ⭐ NEW for 2025
▪️ Researching First World War Ancestors (~44 minutes) ⭐ NEW for 2025
In-Person Research
▪️ Planning Your Irish Research Trip (~14 minutes)
Poverty and Famine
▪️ Escaping the Famine: Exploring Irish Settlements in Canada (~59 minutes) ⭐ NEW for 2025
▪️ The Poor in Ireland: Workhouses and Poor Law (~26 minutes)
Series: Tracing the Poor and Destitute Irish (2021)
This series has a total of 3 video sessions. You can either visit the main series page, or each individual video session below:
- Tracing the Poor and Destitute Irish, Part 1 of 3 (~20 minutes)
- Tracing the Poor and Destitute Irish, Part 2 of 3 (~23 minutes)
- Tracing the Poor and Destitute Irish, Part 3 of 3 (~16 minutes)
Series: Mournful Exodus: Strategies for Finding Your Irish Ancestors’ Origins (2021)
This series has a total of 3 video sessions. You can either visit the main series page, or each individual video session below:
▪️ Mournful Exodus: Strategies for Finding Your Irish Ancestors’ Origins, Part 1 of 3 (~20 minutes)
▪️ Mournful Exodus: Strategies for Finding Your Irish Ancestors’ Origins, Part 2 of 3 (~20 minutes)
▪️ Mournful Exodus: Strategies for Finding Your Irish Ancestors’ Origins, Part 3 of 3 (19 minutes)
DNA / Genetics
▪️ Towards a Genetic Genealogy Driven Irish Reference Genome (~38 minutes)
▪️ Researching Irish Ancestry with DNA: Tips to Trace Your Roots (~59 minutes) (no handouts/slides; hosted on YouTube) ⭐ NEW for 2025
▪️ Using Genetic Genealogy to Break Down a Brick Wall – Part 3 (Y-DNA Genetic Genealogy Case Study) (~13 minutes) ⭐ NEW for 2025
A case study of using Y-DNA to break through a brick wall, and overcome the challenges of the limited surviving records in Ireland.
▪️ Finding Sarah’s Family: Confirming Connections Through DNA and Documents (~44 minutes) ⭐ NEW for 2025
A case study of using genetic genealogy to break through a brick wall, and overcome the challenges of the limited surviving records in Ireland.
RootsTech In-Person Seminar Material Downloads
(No Videos Available; Support Materials Only)
These 4 seminars were not offered online, but only at the 2024 in-person conference. However, the handouts are available to download below:
▪️ Irish Genealogy Debunked: Busting Common Misconceptions
(2024 In-Person-only Seminar) Syllabus: 
PDF file download
▪️ Getting started with Irish Civil Records
(2024 In-Person-only Seminar) Syllabus: PDF file download
▪️ Unraveling Irish Roots: Tracing Ancestry in the Land of Saints and Scholars
(2024 In-Person-only Seminar) Syllabus: PDF file download
▪️ Who were the Scots-Irish?
(2024 In-Person-only Seminar) Syllabus: PDF file download
More Topics: The Complete Library (2019–2025)
You can view the complete RootsTech On-Demand Video Library covering all the available topics.
Select each of the seminars that interest you by browsing the seminar list at one of the links above and pressing the plus (+) “Add to Playlist” button. This option becomes available once you register and login at FamilySearch.org. 🥷