Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
TRACING YOUR ANCESTORS
Go on, you're dying to see if you've got a bit of Irish in you, and maybe tracking down your roots is the main
reason for your visit. It will have made things much easier if you did some preliminary research in your home
country - particularly finding out the precise date and point of entry of your ancestors - but you might still be
able to plot your family tree even if you're acting on impulse.
The
Genealogy Advisory Service
at the
National Library
(
www.nli.ie
; Kildare St;
9.30am-9pm Mon-
Wed, 10am-5pm Thu & Fri, 10am-1pm Sat; all city centre) will advise you on how to trace your an-
cestry, which is a good way to begin your research if you have no other experience. For information on commer-
cial agencies that will do the research for you, contact the
Association of Professional Genealogists in Ireland
(APGI;
www.apgi.ie
; c/o the Genealogy Advisory Service, Kildare St). The
Births, Deaths & Marriages Re-
gister
(
01-671 1863;
www.birthsdeathsmarriages.ie
;
Joyce House, East Lombard St;
9.30am-12.30pm &
2.15-4.30pm Mon-Fri) and the files of the National Library and the
National Archives
(
407 2300;
www.nationalarchives.ie
;
Bishop St, Dublin 8;
10am-5pm Mon-Fri) are all potential sources of genealogical
information.
There are also lots of books on the subject, with
Irish Roots Guide,
by Tony McCarthy, serving as a useful in-
troduction. Other publications include
Tracing Your Irish Roots
by Christine Kineally and
Tracing Your Irish
Ancestors: A Comprehensive Guide
by John Grenham. All these, and other items of genealogical concern, can be
obtained from the
Genealogy Bookshop
(3 Nassau St).
Tourist Information
You'll find everything you need to kick-start your visit at the
Dublin Discover Ireland Centre
. Besides general visitor
information on Dublin and Ireland, it also has a free accommodation booking service, a concert-booking agent, local and
national bus information, rail information, and tour information and bookings.
The following tourism centre branches are walk-in centres only.
Dublin Discover Ireland Centre
(
www.visitdublin.com
; St Andrew's Church, 2 Suffolk St;
9am-5.30pm Mon-Sat,
10.30am-3pm Sun) The main branch of Dublin Tourism.
Dublin Tourism Centre
(Arrivals Hall, Dublin Airport;
8am-10pm)
Internet Resources
Web-based tourist information on Dublin is available at the following sites:
Dublinks
(
www.dublinks.com
)
A catch-all website with info on things such as shopping, parking, hotels, restaurants
and other necessary info.
DublinTourist.com
(
www.dublintourist.com
) An excellent and thorough guide to virtually every aspect of the city, from
booking a room to going for a drink.
Pigsback.com
(
www.pigsback.com
)
Offers all kinds of city-wide discounts, from cinema tickets to free lunches.
Telephone Resources
If you want tourist information over the phone, call the relevant number:
