How exciting is it to find that your mother’s grandfather was a fisherman on the Aran Islands, or that your father’s grandmother was a famous horsewoman? Searching back through the generations can tell us a lot about ourselves and the people we love in the here and now. All of a sudden, it becomes very clear where so-and-so’s stubborn streak came from, why the family is full of redheads, or maybe why the youngest girl has such a passion for drawing. Whatever one finds while peeping through the limbs of the family tree, genealogy helps bring people together and uncovers their common bonds.

Ireland’s Heritage Minister, John O’Donoghue, has announced a new cultural agreement between the Irish and Canadian archive offices, which will place the details of two 100-year-old Irish censuses online.

The 1901 and 1911 Irish censuses are to be indexed and made available free on the Internet. The records will detail name, age, sex, marital status, occupation, county, and country of birth of every person listed in every house, prison, hospital, and industrial school. It includes the person’s education, ability to speak Irish, the number of years the women were married, and the number of children born.

These censuses contain precious insights into Irish family history for millions around the world. With 70 million people worldwide claiming connections with Ireland, these records will help many connect with their cultural roots.

What could possibly make an Irish vacation even more wonderful than it already is…knowing that your own people walked the same roads and visited the same places, and that their essence is not only a part of you, but part of the beauty and magic that is Ireland as well.

Visit Irish Origins to help you get started looking for the branches on your own family tree.