Heritage and Genealogy Tours

Emigration became an inherent part of Irish life before independence, especially from the Famine onwards. Although the 1600’s saw a mass emigration of Irish Catholics, the Irish Famine of 1848 was the breaking point for many and the final ultimatum before deciding to leave Ireland in search of a better life.

The peak in Emigration occurred as a result of the Great Famine of 1845-1852. The failure of the potato crop, due to blight, and insufficient provision of alternative food supplies resulted in destitution, death and emigration on a cataclysmic scale. Some estimate that the Irish diaspora may total as many as 70 million people. The greatest verifiable number is to be found in North America, with some 45 million people having a degree of Irish heritage in the United States.

The deep bond between Ireland and its diaspora is so strong that it is even reflected in the Irish constitution, Article 2, which states that “the Irish Nation cherishes the special affinity with people of Irish ancestry living abroad who share its cultural identity and heritage”. That bond, plus a longing to trace ancestral roots led us to set up our Heritage and Genealogy tours for those wishing to discover their family roots.

For those of you who wish to begin your journey, we are delighted to announce a collaboration with Wendy Farr of The Forensic Genealogists to those planning a visit to Ireland the opportunity to trace their Irish ancestry. Wendy is an experienced genealogist, member of the Association of Professional Genealogists and the Genealogical Society of Ireland, who works with clients across the globe who yearn to know more about their Irish roots. 

Wendy will work with you to create a comprehensive family tree showing, as far as records will allow, the areas your Irish ancestors came from, details of their towns and townlands, their families and their occupations. Copies of all source materials, including birth, marriage and death records, naturalization records, census records, burial and grave records are included in your family tree. You will have all the information you need in order to plan an exciting itinerary for your Ireland tour with Bonner Travel. 

Visit Forensic Geneologist Wendy Farr

Contact: Wendy Farr on wendy@probateresearch.ie for further information.

Learn how a young woman, Annie Moore, from Co Cork became the first new arrival ever processed at Ellis Island in New York, when the immigration facility opened its doors on New Year’s Day, 1892.

Between 1848 and 1950 approximately 6 million men, women and children left Ireland in search of a new life abroad. This incredible number of people is made all the more interesting when you consider that 2.5 million of them, almost half of all emigrants, left via the port of Cobh, formally known as Queenstown, in County Cork. 

If you are the slightest bit curious about your Irish roots or family tree, get in touch and we will help you begin this incredible journey of discovery. You just never know where it might take you.