British and Irish Research

Beryl Evans is Research Services Manager at the National Library of Wales in Aberystwyth, where she has been researching Welsh family history for over thirty five years and is the author of Tracing Your Welsh Ancestors: A guide for family historians. Over the years Beryl has contributed many articles to family history publications and given presentations of various aspects of Welsh family history to a global audience. At present she is the Chairman of Cardiganshire Family History Society and Treasurer of the Association of Family History Societies of Wales.

Ciara Chivers is a genealogist based in Northern Ireland. Through her business, Shamrock Roots, she helps clients to discover their family history and connect with their heritage. She is also a tutor at the University of Strathclyde, supporting students who are pursuing postgraduate qualifications in genealogy, and she serves as a Director of the Register of Qualified Genealogists, supporting fellow genealogists and their clients.

Ciara's family tree is deeply embedded in the north of Ireland and she particularly enjoys research that is focused on Ireland and the Irish diaspora. She developed the website MemsDead.com to help people use a wonderful source for researching Irish family history and local history - the Journal of the Association for the Preservation of the Memorials of the Dead in Ireland (also known as the Journal of the Irish Memorials Association). Mems Dead shares the findings of research that Ciara did while earning her Master's degree in Genealogical, Palaeographic and Heraldic Studies.

Claire Bradley is an Irish professional genealogist working with both traditional records and genetic genealogy. She holds a Certificate in Genealogy from University College Dublin and a Masters in History of the Family from the University of Limerick. Claire is passionate about teaching people how to research their own ancestry. She is the creator and teacher of a beginners’ adult education course now running for over a decade covering all the Irish major sources in Dublin. She is also the Director of Irish Studies at the International Institute of Genealogical Studies and gives regular lectures both on and offline to libraries and family history societies everywhere there is an Irish diaspora.

Daniel Loftus is a genealogist specialising in Irish genealogical research and research into mother and baby institutions around Ireland. He is the creator of Project Infant which endeavours to record the names of those who died in mother and baby institutions amongst other institutions around Ireland.

Dave is a professional genealogist based near London, England, and a former Principal Family History Specialist at the UK's National Archives. He is an experienced researcher, speaker, and writer and was elected a Fellow of the Society of Genealogists in 2019.

Diane Grant is a Qualified Genealogist who attained a MSc in Genealogical, Palaeographic and Heraldic Studies from the University of Strathclyde and is also a member of the Register of Qualified Genealogist. Her professional background has been in Music Publishing, for the past twenty five years. She is also a Director of a publishing company that owns the largest catalogue of Caribbean music in the world.

She is first generation born in Britain, to Guyanese parents. They were part of the mass migration to the U.K of Caribbean born British Citizens. They are now known
as the “Windrush Generation.” Diane experienced reverse migration when her family moved to Barbados in the early 80’s and she received her education there from the age of eight to sixteen.

Diane’s passion for research commenced with her own family history. Although she started from the age of fifteen, the seed was planted at an even younger age when she visited Guyana at four years old. She accompanied her great grandmother on this visit and became the recipient of great tales of her Caribbean heritage. Her keen interest is in researching all aspects of Caribbean history. She is determined to open the portal and widen the scope, for those wishing to venture into such research.

Dr Michala Hulme FHEA is an award-winning historian and professional genealogist specialising in 19th-century social history and urban death practices. She has been an academic for the past decade, working most recently at the University of Birmingham and is an honorary Fellow at Manchester Metropolitan University.

Michala is one of the most well-known genealogists in the UK. She is a familiar face and voice in the media, with numerous appearances on primetime British TV shows, such as WDYTYA (BBC) and DNA Journey (ITV). She is the host of the hit podcast "Unearth the Past" and co-host of Ancestry’s "Behind the Headlines of History" podcast. Passionate about making history accessible, she regularly speaks at conferences and delivers workshops on genealogy, working-class history, and urban death

I have a Master's degree in history and I've been working for family history website Findmypast for seven years. While helping to create engaging social media content and building a thriving community for Findmypast, I also assist with research efforts. I'm Welsh, born and bred, and can provide valuable local knowledge and historical insights for anyone wishing to research their Welsh heritage.

Janet Few is an experienced and well-known British family, social and community historian who has lectured at previous RootsTechs, at conferences across the English-speaking world and at sea. She is an author of both historical fiction and non-fiction, as well as many magazine articles. In addition, she has worked with the UK 'Who Do You Think You Are?' television programme. As an educator, Janet runs online genealogy and social history courses for Pharos Tutoring and Teaching. She is currently serving as the President of the Family History Federation and is actively involved in several other family history organisations.

For Janet, the joy of genealogy lies in the context and she believes in the importance of understanding the history of the places in which our ancestors lived and the social history of their time. Her particular interests include the seventeenth century and she can often be spotted working as an historical interpreter in the guise of her alter ego, Mistress Agnes.

As someone with a particular interest in women’s history, Janet is part of the A Few Forgotten Women team, who seek to preserve the stories of marginalised women who might otherwise be overlooked by history.

I am a professional genealogist and family historian, operating through my company Roslin Roots and specializing in Scottish genealogy and history. I have been researching family trees, and family and local history for over 15 years and I am a member of the Register of Qualified Genealogists (RQG) and the Association of Scottish Genealogists & Researchers in Archives (ASGRA). I also have a degree in History from the Open University and graduated with a MLitt in Family and Local History from the University of Dundee in Scotland.

Jen Baldwin is the Research Specialist at Findmypast and host of the podcast A Family History Of…. A professional genealogist since 2010, she has been researching her own family history since childhood and is passionate about uncovering the stories of ordinary people through the records they left behind.
Working with colleagues across the UK and beyond, Jen’s research and commentary are regularly featured by British media outlets. She lectures internationally, writes and consults on a wide range of family history topics, and enjoys discovering overlooked sources that offer fresh perspectives on the past.
At Findmypast, Jen has supported collaborations with organizations including the National Trust and Heritage Open Days, using family history to connect people with the places, communities, and stories that shaped their ancestors’ lives. She currently serves as a Trustee of the International Society for British Genealogy and Family History.

Linda Hammond, an experienced genealogist with over three decades of experience, has devoted her career to assisting clients in uncovering their ancestral roots and teaching budding family historians the best genealogical techniques. Known for her engaging presentations, Linda speaks at various events and conferences worldwide, sharing her expertise on topics such as the application of mind mapping in genealogical research. As a member of the Register of Qualified Genealogists and a tutor in the University of Strathclyde’s postgraduate genealogical studies program, Linda offers unparalleled insight and guidance in the field of genealogy.

Martin McDowell is the education officer for the North of Ireland Family History Society and an organiser of their annual DNA Summer School. He is a project administrator for three DNA projects and regularly delivers genealogy and DNA talks to a variety of groups, including local history societies, faith groups, and educational organisations. He also works alongside local government and private companies to deliver a series of genealogy and DNA-related projects across Northern Ireland.

Mary McKee has over ten years of experience in the family history industry and currently serves as the UK Archives Manager at Findmypast, where she manages partnerships with various archives and institutions. Previously, Mary held the role of Head of Digitisation, overseeing teams responsible for digitising and publishing millions of historic records and newspapers annually. She holds a Masters degree from Queen's University Belfast and is currently pursuing her PhD at Birkbeck, University of London. Her PhD thesis, titled "Bureaucratic Graffiti," focuses on marginalia discovered in the 1921 Census of England and Wales. Mary has been featured on BBC Morning Live, BBC Women’s Hour, and Dan Snow’s History Hit podcast, and has presented at conferences throughout the UK, Ireland, and America.

Michael Brophy is a nationally known, professional genealogical researcher, heir search specialist, and lecturer from the Boston area. He is currently the President of the Council for the Advancement of Forensic Genealogy (CAFG) and the first Treasurer of the New England of Association of Professional Genealogists. Mike earned an MBA degree from Suffolk University and a BBA from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. Mike was featured on the TV series Who Do You Think You Are? and the Irish TV series Dead Money, a genealogy show about heir searchers. Mr. Brophy was hired to conduct research for Ancestry.com. and several historical authors. He has lectured on a wide variety of genealogy subjects at the National Genealogy Society’s Annual Conference in 2023, 2022, 2019, 2014, 2012, and The Institute of Genealogy and Historic Research (IGHR). He specializes in New England and Irish genealogy subjects. His genealogy education includes eight certificates from the Institute of Genealogy and Historic Research (IGHR) and certificates in Private Investigation and Advanced Forensic Genealogy from Boston University. He is a licensed private investigator in Massachusetts.

Morag is a professional genealogist from Glasgow, Scotland who completed her Masters degree in Genealogical, Palaeographical and Heraldic Studies at the University of Strathclyde in 2023. Her interest in all things family history related was sparked as a teenager when a visiting distant relative from the United States presented the family with a huge, hand-drawn family tree chart. Blessed with an unusual paternal surname to research, she soon uncovered generations of ancestors living in south east Scotland, and across the Scottish border into Northumbria. Morag specialises in British and Irish research, and is also interested in travel from and to Scotland, or through the country as part of a larger emigration journey story. She now runs her own company, helping others uncover their own roots in Scotland.

Myko Clelland is genealogist, spokesperson & Director of Content in Europe for MyHeritage, one of the world's leading genealogy websites, regularly discussing family history on television, radio, online & in print.


He holds a Masters degree in genealogy (distinction) and is a qualified adult education teacher with over 500 worldwide speaking appearances, from Oxford University to The National Archives (UK), National Library of Wales, RootsTech (US & London), The Society of Genealogists, Society of Australian Genealogists, Auckland Family History Expo, Who Do You Think You Are? Live & many regional archives & local family history groups.

Dr Nick Barratt is an author, broadcaster and historian best known for his work on BBC’s Who Do You Think You Are. He is the Executive Director for Student Journey at Royal Holloway University of London, a visiting academic fellow at Open University's Knowledge Media Institute, a teaching fellow at the University of Dundee and a fellow of the Royal Historical Society. His most recent publication, The Restless Kings, explores the reigns of Henry II, Richard I and John. He was the President of the Family History Federation (2011-2021) and a trustee at the National Extension College (2023-2024) and is the current President of the Hampshire Genealogical Society.

Rich Venezia is a New Jersey native who now calls Philadelphia home. He was a member of the research team of Genealogy Roadshow (PBS) for two seasons, and also consulted on Follow Your Past (Travel Channel).

He is an expert in the research of 20th-century immigrant ancestors, especially underutilized record sources and federal records, often unwrapping volumes of records at the National Archives that haven't been opened in decades. He has coordinated weeklong institutes on 20th-century immigration research for the Genealogical Research Institute of Pittsburgh, the Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy, and the Institute of Genealogy and Historical Research.

He also specializes in Italian and Irish research. Additionally, he assists clients with dual citizenship applications for Ireland and Italy, and is a proud Italian dual citizen.

He holds a Certificate in Genealogical Research from Boston University. He lectures nationwide, including several keynotes, and spoke about "How to Grow Empathy From Uncovering Your Roots" at TEDx Pittsburgh 2017.

Rich is also a records access advocate, having coordinated the #RecordsNotRevenue campaign since 2019 against the proposed fee hikes for records held by the USCIS Genealogy Program. This campaign received international press and garnered him the Shirley M. Barnes Records Access Award from the Massachusetts Genealogical Council. He continues to fight for fairer access to these records.

Rose Goodall is Findmypast’s Newspaper Licensing Manager. An expert on historical newspapers, she is responsible for acquiring newspaper content for Findmypast and the British Newspaper Archive. Combining a passion for research and writing, Rose regularly contributes to the British Newspaper Archive blog, with her work being featured in The Times. She has appeared on radio and in podcasts, whilst her debut novel was released in 2018.

Senia Kirk is an Accredited Genealogist® in Irish research with a strong academic foundation in history and classical languages. She holds a Master of Arts in History and a Bachelor of Arts in Classical Languages from Utah State University, and a Certificate in Family History Research from BYU–Idaho. Senia is a Research Specialist at FamilySearch, where she assists researchers with British Isles and Medieval European genealogy. She also served as an Adjunct Professor at Utah State University, where she taught the university’s first genealogy course.

Stephanie O’Connell, CG®, is a professional genealogist specializing in Irish and British Isles family history. She serves as Director of Education for the Seattle Genealogical Society and has served as a ProGen mentor and SLIG instructor. Stephanie is a frequent speaker at major genealogy conferences, including RootsTech, the NGS Family History Conference, and the New York State Family History Conference.

Tahitia McCabe is the head of the Strathclyde Institute for Genealogical Studies at the University of Strathclyde in Glasgow. She holds an MLS from Syracuse University and a Postgraduate Diploma in Genealogical, Palaeographic and Heraldic Studies from the University of Strathclyde. She is honoured to serve on the board of the Association of Genealogy Educators and Schools. Tahitia is also a PhD candidate working on a study of Americans in Scotland, 1850-1900 and her areas of research interest are migration and British and American genealogy.

Tricia Seguine is a research consultant in the Chief Genealogical Office at FamilySearch, where she has worked since 2022. She currently serves as the President of the Association of Professional Genealogists. Tricia received bachelor's and master's degrees in accounting from Brigham Young University, a master's in library and information science from Rutgers University, and an associate of applied science degree in family history research from Brigham Young University–Idaho.