The Ballycastle Blog: Irish Genealogy and More

That moment! It is a moment frozen in time and memory. A moment you’ll always remember, the moment that you view a handwritten entry in an old ledger book in a small Irish village parish office, after months or years of searching. The handwritten entry from 1866, recording your Irish grandparent’s birth, or the handwritten entry from 1911, recording your Irish grandparents’ marriage appears before your eyes. An emotional, sentimental feeling comes over you. Here is the evidence and record of a significant event in your Irish ancestor’s life in Ireland. The record connects you with your Irish ancestors’ origins. The record is a part of your Irish family history that, in some spiritual way, may define who you are today.

After you identify your Irish ancestors’ home and parish in Ireland and you travel to Ireland, it is well worth a visit to the parish church to view the baptism and marriage records and find the entries related to all of your ancestors in that parish. The parish pastor will transfer the ledger entries to modern forms with the parish seal, as the official records of your ancestors’ baptisms or marriages.

See more Irish family history articles and lessons learned in earlier posts below and in the archives.

When you are traveling to Ireland to research your Irish roots, you want to optimize and maximize your travel experience and your research time. As many of you probably know already, jet lag can kill and waste the first day in Ireland for you. However, if you practice some sound jet lag remedies, you may find the energy to enjoy the first day in Ireland as much as the following days.

In the past, before I caught on that there were cures for jet lag, I partied on the outbound legs of my trips to Ireland with the best of them. You know who you are! On vacation trips to Ireland, I partied in the departure airport lounge and on the plane. That’s what vacations are all about! However, arriving in Ireland at 7 a.m. local time (2 a.m. U.S. eastern time), with three beers or vodka tonics in me, the party came to a screeching halt! I’d take myself to the first hotel and first bed I could find, crawl in, and not emerge for hours. Hence, the first day in Ireland, and I’m a no show!

Now that I’m older (and slightly wiser?), I practice the following jet lag remedy with proven good results. It may be difficult for some of you, but consider it anyway. I abstain from caffeine and alcohol 24-48 hours prior to my flight and during the flight. I have my first cup of coffee after landing in Ireland. I’ve found that now I’m energized, awake, and ready to enjoy the entire first day in Ireland. No longer do I crawl into the first bed or sofa I can find in the middle of that first day. I now have enough energy to make a full day of it, waiting until 10 p.m. or later to retire. I hope that this short term caffeine and alcohol abstinence remedy may work for you too! What jet lag remedies have worked for you?