| Are you ready to find more Irish relatives, | | | | The greater a match you are with someone, the |
| cousins, and kin than you ever thought possible? | | | | more likely you are to have a common ancestor. |
| Traditional methods of Irish genealogical research | | | | If you find someone who is a strong match with |
| are wonderful and can open new doors and break | | | | you and who also has one of your ancestral |
| down brick walls with startling regularity. However, | | | | surnames, that's even more exciting. You can |
| as wonderful as methods such as archival | | | | then contact that person to exchange family |
| research, cemetery studies, online databases, and | | | | history information and see if you can piece |
| reading published genealogies are, they have their | | | | together your common threads into one. |
| limits. Eventually, the record trail is going to run | | | | 3. It can uncover long-forgotten (or hidden) family |
| dry, or you're going to come across a gap in the | | | | secrets. Sometimes, a DNA testing result isn't |
| records that can't be filled. What do you do then? | | | | what you expected it would be. You might find |
| Should you just give up researching that particular | | | | that your ancestral area of origin is different than |
| Irish line and be happy with what you've got? Not | | | | what you thought, or that your DNA profile |
| at all! You turn to DNA testing! | | | | doesn't match that of other people with your |
| If you've never used DNA testing before to find | | | | surname. Results such as these could indicate a |
| more Irish relatives, you may be confused as to | | | | non-paternity event-cases where an ancestor's |
| how it works. While it's true that DNA testing | | | | reported father actually wasn't the biological |
| won't pinpoint exact, specific individuals who | | | | father. Your results would reveal ancient truths |
| belong on your family tree, it can point you in the | | | | and give you new clues for further areas of |
| right direction in a number of exciting ways, and | | | | research. Unexpected results can also help prove |
| can help fill in those impossible gaps in your family | | | | or disprove old family origin stories, or reveal the |
| tree. Here are the top 3 reasons you should be | | | | presence of an unexpected ancestor (such as the |
| using DNA testing as part of your Irish genealogy | | | | indication of Asian DNA in a line that was |
| research! | | | | expected to be entirely Celtic). |
| 1. It can help you find the area where your Irish | | | | DNA testing today is more affordable than ever, |
| ancestors originated. DNA testing is an excellent | | | | so it's really within the reach of nearly anyone |
| tool for placing families on the map. Through deep | | | | who wants to explore it. The days of expensive, |
| analysis of your ancient ancestral roots, DNA | | | | $500+ tests are over, with most companies |
| testing can show you where your ancestors | | | | offering testing for less than $200. If you're |
| came from, where they went, and where they | | | | interested in expanding your known Irish relatives |
| ultimately settled. It's particularly useful for those | | | | and finding out more about your family tree, then |
| who don't yet know the part of Ireland from | | | | DNA testing can open up many new avenues of |
| which their ancestors came. | | | | research, and may even answer a few |
| 2. It can match you with genetic cousins. When | | | | long-standing questions. Just remember, females |
| you get your DNA tested, you can use your | | | | can only have DNA traced on their maternal line, |
| results to find others in the testing company's | | | | so if you're a woman and want to trace DNA on |
| database with the same sequence as you. You | | | | your father's line, you'll need to get your father, |
| can also choose to make your results public to | | | | brother, or other direct male relative on that line |
| other users for research purposes (though you | | | | to supply a DNA sample for you. |
| can also keep your results private, if you wish). | | | | |