To master Irish research, one must first understand the nature of Irish historical records, says Andre Brummer, general manager of Ancestry.com. Brummer was quoted in a recent press release from Ancestry.com. He said that during the late-18th and early- to mid-19th centuries, much of the Irish populace lived as tenant farmers or laborers and kept few written records. Nowadays, each Irish county is covered by one or more heritage centers that can be contacted to search their indexes.

"Family history experts suggest that researchers first thoroughly explore the U.S.-based resources before jumping over the pond to find Irish or foreign records," says Brummer. "It's possible to conduct a great deal of Irish and Irish immigrant research without going to Ireland now that some major sources have been microfilmed and are available online."

According to Brummer, family history research is constantly changing due to computer technology. Many important records have been transcribed, indexed, and published in journals worldwide. The Periodical Source Index, or PERSI, is the largest genealogy and local history index ever assembled, with well over a million citations spanning 250 years and 5,000 different periodicals. The PERSI collection is available to members of the Ancestry.com Web site or on CD-ROM.

Brummer also went on at some length to describe accessible online indexes that may include church records, newspapers, tombstones, tax records, and civil records of births, marriages, and deaths. You can read the entire announcement online.

Here is a brief list of some of the better Irish genealogy Web sites:

• Ancestry.com’s Irish Resources and More Irish Resources
• RootsWeb’s Guide to Tracing (Irish) Family Trees
• "Irish Place Names and Family Names," by James G. Ryan, Ph.D.
• Beginning Irish Research
• Library of Congress Bibliography of Irish Genealogy
• Fianna Guide to Irish Genealogy
• Irish Library and Information Studies Bibliography
• LDS Source Guide for Ireland
• Swift Guide to Ireland – Irish Genealogy
• The National Archives of Ireland
• The National Library of Ireland
• Finding the Origin of Your Ancestors in Ireland
• TIARA – The Irish Ancestral Research Association. A nonprofit organization for Irish genealogical and historical research and education.
• The Irish Frequently Asked Questions from Usenet Newsgroups
• IrishGenealogy.com
• Genealogy Research in the UK and Ireland
• An Irish National Archives description of the available records of births, marriages, and deaths
• The Rook Family Home Page project, an effort to integrate Irish family history and genealogy into the larger context of culture, history, and society.
• The O'Donnell Surname Genealogy Web Page – Irish Archaeology. Links to relevant resources on the Internet, e-mail directory of archaeologists researching Irish archaeology, and a guide to archaeological and historical journals, with tables of contents.
• Irish Prints. A company that sells high-quality photos of old Ireland and Irish people during the early-1900s. This collection of prints features Irish castles, towns, coastline, and countryside scenes in easy-to-navigate galleries.
• Newtownsandes Online. A small parish site in County Kerry Ireland.

There are thousands more online Irish genealogy Web sites. However, the above list will get you started. Many of the above sites contain links to still more online Irish resources.