Now is a good time to finally research your family tree (and here’s a free guide)

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You’ve probably been putting it off for years.
But if you’re curious about where you come from or you’re keen to put together a family tree for your kids, now is an excellent time to get started.
If you’d like to use this lockdown to start delving into your family lineage, Cork City Library’s Senior Library Assistant, Johnathon Fehily has come up with a step-by-step guide.
The four-part series is easy to use and completely free of charge, appearing online here every Thursday for the month of January.
“Cork as the major Irish trading port on the Atlantic has seen untold numbers of Irish people leave this Island for a mixture of reasons, in search of a better life, escape from religious persecution and in search of freedom and adventure to name just a few,” said Mr Fehily.
“Cork and in particular Cobh were often the final point of contact with many people with the land of their birth. Cork’s importance as a port trading city led to a diverse population with segments of society including Norse to Gaelic, British; Huguenot and Jewish to name but a few.”
How do I begin?
The guide will attempt to help those interested to locate their own family background through a rich selection of sources, including the Local Studies Department, newspapers, parish and religious records.
Many of these records have been digitised and are available for people to access from the comfort of their own home so once you’re pointed in the right direction, you can work away in your own time.
All you need to get started is a pen and paper and a few approximate dates of births, marriages and deaths to begin your research.