Having worked in the corporate sector for over 15 years both in Dublin and London following a business degree, the financial crisis led me to rethink my career. Already having undertaken a three year genealogy course in University College Dublin, my hobby became my new career, when I joined as part of the genealogy service in the National Library of Ireland and also for a short period in the National Archives of Ireland.
When the Irish Family History Centre at EPIC, the Emigration Museum, opened in 2016 I was delighted to join as a member of the team of expert genealogists. With over 15 years experience in the family history area I have a wealth of knowledge to offer customers. I have given classes and group talks in genealogy to Irish people and our diaspora, as well as undertaking research for private clients and television programmes.
My specialities are emigration records and in particular for the US. The Irish diaspora are very close to my heart having relatives in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, South Africa, the United Kingdom and the United States. My work is about the past but I constantly update my skills having completed a course in Mastering Genealogical Proof, reading genealogy newsletters and blogs and more recently updating my DNA skills in a 29 module course in Genetic Genealogy.