Laura Price.

Expert Genealogist

A native of Offaly, with roots in Roscommon and Louth, I have always been interested in my family’s history, although my first career was in IT. I have many years experience in researching family and local history, and qualifications in Genealogy from UCD and City Colleges.

In 2019 I co-authored a book with Brendan Ryan, Shannonbridge – A History of Raghra and, in 2024, contributed a chapter to The changing face of Offaly towns in the early 1900s. I am the Director of Special Collections in the Genealogical Society of Ireland and the editor of the Society’s Annual Journal. I am particularly interested in land records and the Registry of Deeds, which can contain hidden gems of family and local history.

I love hearing people’s stories of their families, and helping them look for their origins. One of my favourite things about my job is when I can connect someone with their ancestor’s ‘place’. It may be the church they attended, the ruins of a house, the graveyard where the family is buried…but having that connection means so much to people.