Jayne McGarvey provides a professional genealogy service for people with ancestors from Northern Ire
Genealogy in Northern Ireland
Maybe you are considering exploring your Northern Irish roots for the first time, or want to investigate your family history further but don’t have the time to look. Or you’re just not in the right location to pursue your genealogy project or search a particular set of Records, Will or Graveyard. Perhaps you have lost a family member in a census or can’t find that elusive wedding. Knowing about our ancestors can provide a sense of identity in a changing world, and many of us yearn to know more about the people who made us who we are. Yet all too often we know precious little beyond our own grandparents. What part of the country were your ancestors from and what was their place in society? Irish genealogy has somewhat of a reputation for being a disappointing and frustrating pastime for amateur family historians. Countless stories have emerged of people hitting dead ends and the dreaded brick wall, or you will have been told that all the records were lost in the 1922 Four Courts fire in Dublin and indeed many records, but not all, were lost. Each family has its own story just waiting to be uncovered, and it’s a real privilege to help someone find out about their past. If you are ready to embark on your voyage of discovery then contact me today, and take your first step towards knowing your ancestors. My Services
Initial Ancestral Research Assessment
An Initial Ancestral Research Assessment explores the feasibility of archival research by identifying sources of potential relevance for your family history in Northern Ireland. It is often a good idea to commission only a couple of hours to begin with. This will facilitate some work to be done and for a research plan to be drawn up based on results, the information you have and the survival of NI genealogy records which appear relevant. This can also be a useful starting point if you wish to undertake some or all of your own research. An initial research assessment costs £30 and on average takes 3–4 weeks to complete. Detailed Research Packages
A Detailed Research Package can be tailored to suit your individual requirements, whether you wish to build up an individual profile of an ancestor or search a particular family line (which can include extended family members if you wish) or search an individual set of records. This may include archives held at the Public Record Office of Northern Ireland (PRONI), The General Registration Office, (GRONI) or it may be more locally at churches, graveyards, libraries, newspaper offices etc. This can be useful for clients who wish to carry out the majority of their own research but for time/geographical reasons are unable to search an individual set of parish records or visit a particular grave yard. A Detailed Research Package costs £35.00 per 2 hour block commissioned and includes travel to Central Belfast Archives. Travel to other non-centrally held repositories or areas can be quoted for upon request. Please note that postage charges and fees imposed by registry offices / archives for certificates and photocopying will be added to these time charges. These will be agreed with the client before research commences. Photography
If feasible would you like photographs of homesteads, townlands, churches, schools, headstones? (These can be priced individually or as a package dependent on distance, and can be provided as hard copy and/or digital image)
Please email me for a quotation
Document Retrieval
Know what you want, and where it is, just want a copy by email or post
Please email me for a quotation
26/01/2026
Many of us now keep our family history online – trees, records, photographs and notes built up over years of careful research. It’s easy to forget that these online trees are not a permanent archive.
Websites can change, subscriptions lapse, accounts are closed, and errors or accidental deletions do happen. If your tree exists only online, a single technical issue could mean the loss of work that cannot be easily replaced.
Regularly backing up your genealogy tree and all attached documents gives you control and peace of mind. A downloaded copy protects your research, allows you to review and correct it offline, and ensures your work can be passed on to future generations, regardless of changes to any website.
Your research is a legacy. Treat it with the same care as the original records you value so highly.
21/01/2026
The question is, should you be careful or just ask them to help with your genealogy research?
20/01/2026
As we look back on the year just gone, it’s a good moment to give ourselves credit. Every breakthrough, every record found, every family story uncovered matters. And just as much so do the lines of enquiry that didn’t pan out — they all helped sharpen our understanding and guide the next step.
Irish genealogy is rarely a straight path, but persistence, curiosity and learning from each search are achievements in their own right. Here’s to the progress made, the lessons learned, and the discoveries still waiting to be found in the year ahead.
16/01/2026
The office reopens on Monday, 19 January 2026, after a lovely Christmas and New Year Break.
Happy New Year Everyone.
25/12/2025
Merry Christmas everyone
16/12/2025
Just for fun.
A Cemetery is a marble garden not to be taken for granite.
09/12/2025
Not sure how to analyse your DNA matches?
Follow these steps
1. Create a simple DNA template tree by identifying each great-grandparent couple and assigning each pair a letter code.
2. Set up colour-coded match groups for each couple in your DNA platform.
3. Identify solid “founding matches” who descend from only one couple and confirm their cM range before grouping them.
4. Build each group by adding all shared matches connected to those founding matches.
5. Review the group for unexpected matches and look for trees that offer valuable clues.
6. Add shared matches from new members carefully to avoid mixing lines.
7. Keep clear notes on how you assign matches and record any uncertainties.
8. Update groups as new matches appear and refine as you learn more.
9. Watch for complexities such as endogamy or unusually high shared cM.
10. Combine DNA grouping with traditional research and, when helpful, use tools like GEDmatch and DNA Painter for deeper analysis.
These steps help you organise DNA matches and better understand your ancestral lines.
25/11/2025
Are you trying to track down your great-great-aunt or uncle's marriage records and figured out that “Agnes” might also be hiding as Ann, Nancy, or even Una. At the same time, Eugene occasionally turns up as Owen, Jeremiah moonlights as Darby, and Sinéad could be Jane on a Tuesday and Ginny by the weekend.
At this point, are you convinced your ancestors weren’t avoiding documentation… they were playing an enthusiastic game of hide-and-seek with the parish priest.
24/11/2025
Do you follow your ancestors' siblings' lines forward?
19/11/2025
Love this.
18/11/2025
When Great Aunt Maureen hands you the "complete family history back to the High Kings of Ireland"...
The correct answer is always C.
Because we all know that "1,000-year family history" usually means someone once stayed in a B&B near a castle and decided they must be related to nobility, with a few sprinklings of truth woven in for authenticity.
Please do yourself a favour: Research it. You might not find kings, but you'll probably see far more interesting stories about ordinary people doing extraordinary things.
17/11/2025
Breaking Through the Brick Wall: Finding Your Irish Grandmothers' Maiden Names
One of the biggest challenges in Irish genealogy? Tracing our female ancestors beyond their married names. Civil registration didn't begin until 1864, and even then, mothers' maiden names weren't always recorded consistently in earlier years.
This is where autosomal DNA becomes absolutely invaluable!
Your DNA matches inherit from BOTH maternal and paternal lines. When you find clusters of matches sharing surnames that don't appear in your direct male line, you're likely looking at your grandmothers' families.
Pro tip: Look at your 3rd-4th cousin matches. These often share great-great-grandparents with you - perfect for identifying those elusive maiden surnames from the mid-1800s when Irish records get sparse.
Combined with traditional records like Griffith's Valuation (which occasionally listed widows) and parish registers, DNA can help you reclaim the lost surnames of the remarkable women in your family tree.
Have you discovered any of your Irish female ancestors' surnames through DNA matching? Share your success stories below!
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Maybe you are considering exploring your Irish roots for the first time, or want to investigate your family history further but don’t have the time to look or you would like some help to decide which record collections may be of the most help towards your research goal.
You may not in the right location to pursue your genealogy project or search a particular set of Records, Will or Graveyard.
Perhaps you have lost a family member in a census or can’t find that elusive wedding.
Knowing about our ancestors can provide a sense of identity in a changing world, and many of us yearn to know more about the people who made us who we are. Yet all too often we know precious little beyond our own grandparents. What part of the country were your ancestors from and what was their place in society?
Irish genealogy has somewhat of a reputation for being a disappointing and frustrating pastime for amateur family historians. Countless stories have emerged of people hitting dead ends and the dreaded brick wall, or you will have been told that all the records were lost in the 1922 Four Courts fire in Dublin and indeed many records, but not all, were lost.
Each family has its own story just waiting to be uncovered, and it’s a real privilege to help someone find out about their past. If you are ready to embark on your voyage of discovery then contact me today, and take your first step towards knowing your ancestors.
My Services
Initial Ancestral Research Assessment
An Initial Ancestral Research Assessment explores the feasibility of archival research by identifying sources of potential relevance for your family history in Northern Ireland. It is often a good idea to commission only a couple of hours to begin with. This will facilitate some work to be done and for a research plan to be drawn up based on results, the information you have and the survival of NI genealogy records which appear relevant. This can also be a useful starting point if you wish to undertake some or all of your own research.
An initial two-hour research assessment costs £30 and on average takes 3–4 weeks to complete.
Detailed Research Packages
A Detailed Research Package can be tailored to suit your individual requirements, whether you wish to build up an individual profile of an ancestor or search a particular family line (which can include extended family members if you wish) or search an individual set of records. This may include archives held at the Public Record Office of Northern Ireland (PRONI), The General Registration Office, (GRONI), The National Archives Ireland (NAI), The National Library of Ireland (NLI), the General Registrar Office of Ireland (GRO) or it may be more locally at churches, graveyards, libraries, newspaper offices etc. This can be useful for clients who wish to carry out the majority of their own research but for time/geographical reasons are unable to search an individual set of parish records or visit a particular grave yard.
A Detailed Research Package costs £56.00 per 2 hour block commissioned and includes travel to Central Belfast Archives. Travel to other non-centrally held repositories or areas can be quoted for upon request. Please note that postage charges and fees imposed by registry offices / archives for certificates and photocopying will be added to these time charges. These will be agreed with the client before research commences.
Consultancy Services
Whether you are a seasoned researcher or just beginning, Genealogy can be a fascinating pursuit and many of my clients enjoy being involved in the research themselves. If you would like help to begin or continue your research I can offer one to one classes, either in person or by distance, help you review the information you already have, solve problems with your family tree or assist you put together you own research proposal. Depending on your expertise this can be tailored to suit your needs and access to records.
Please email me for a price at info@jaynemcgarvey.com
Photography
If feasible would you like photographs of homesteads, townlands, churches, schools, headstones? (These can be priced individually or as a package dependent on distance, and can be provided as hard copy and/or digital image)
Please email me for a quotation
Document Retrieval
Know what you want, and where it is, just want a copy by email or post
Prices for document retrieval begin at £10.00 stg for Documents available in the greater Belfast area. Please drop me an email for more details.
