'Irish Roots' archive

---

---

Search the entire archive 2009-2016

Search term

Irish Roots

February 22nd, 2010

Last week I tried to explain why the potential market for Irish genealogy is so much smaller than the figure of 40 million Irish-Americans customarily used. To repeat: I would be surprised if the number of those willing to pay for Irish genealogical services isn't closer to 50,000 than 100,000.

There are two main reasons, I think, for the general reluctance to pay for services related to genealogy. The first is a vague feeling that, because it's so personal, genealogy should be free. Very few lawyers are pestered by people they don't know seeking free advice; every professional genealogist is. This feeling is particularly acute in America because of the way research evolved there. Thousands of small, local genealogical societies came into existence, offering to do free look-ups on their local records, on the basis that when they needed research done thousands of miles away, another volunteer group would be willing to do it. This is a wonderfully communal way to do research, but it is closer to Karl Marx than Adam Smith and not an environment where commissioned researchers will flourish.

The second reason for the reluctance to pay is, of course, the Mormon Church. Their dedication to family history as a religious duty, and their generosity with the records acquired in the course of that duty, made the business of charging for access to or research on genealogical records problematic, to say the least.

So is genealogy of its nature a small-scale business, somewhere around the level of jarveying, with all attempts to use it to create jobs and wealth in Ireland inevitably pointless? Yes and no, in that order. As a commercial enterprise, genealogy will always be small-scale. Its real value to Ireland is indirect, as a stimulus to tourism. Of which more next week.

Blog

2016

Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	June	July	Aug	Sept	Oct	Nov	Dec
4	1
11	8
18
25

2015

Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	June	July	Aug	Sept	Oct	Nov	Dec
5	2	2	6	4	1	6	3	15	5	2	7
13	9	9	13	11	8	13	10	14	12	9	14
19	16	16	20	18	16	20	17	21	19	16	21
26	23	23	29	25	22	27	24	28	26	23	28
		30			29		31			30

2014

Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	June	July	Aug	Sept	Oct	Nov	Dec
6	3	3	7	5	2	7	4	1	6	3	1
13	10	10	14	12	9	14	11	8	13	10	8
20	17	17	21	19	16	21	18	15	20	17	15
27	24	24	28	26	23	28	25	22	27	24	22
		31			30			29			29

---

2013

Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	June	July	Aug	Sept	Oct	Nov	Dec
31	7	4	4	1	6	3	1	5	2	7	4	2
14	11	11	8	13	10	8	12	9	14	11	9
21	18	18	15	20	17	15	19	16	21	18	16
28	25	25	22	27		22	26	23	28	25	23
			29			29		30			30

---

2012

Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	June	July	Aug	Sept	Oct	Nov	Dec
2	6	5	2	7	4	2	6	3	1	5	3
9	13	12	9	14	11	9	13	10	8	12	10
16	20	19	16	21	18	16	20	17	15	19	17
23	27	26	23	28	25	23	27	24	22	26	24
30			30			30			29

---

2011

Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	June	July	Aug	Sept	Oct	Nov	Dec
3	7	7	4	2	6	4	1	5	3	7	5
10	14	14	11	9	13	11	8	12	10	14	12
17	21	21	18	16	20	18	15	19	17	21	19
24	28	28	25	23	27	25	22	26	24	28	26
31				30			29		31

---

2010

Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	June	July	Aug	Sept	Oct	Nov	Dec
4	1	1	5	3	7	5	2	6	4	1	6
11	8	8	12	10	14	12	9	13	11	8	13
18	15	15	19	17	21	19	16	20	18	15	20
25	22	22	26	25	28	26	23	27	25	22	27
				31			30			29

---

2009

Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	June	July	Aug	Sept	Oct	Nov	Dec
6	6	2	2	6	4	1	6	3	7	5	2	7
13	9	9	13	11	8	13	10	14	12	9	14
20	16	16	20	18	15	20	17	21	19	16	21
27	23	23	27	25	22	27	24	28	26	23	28
					29		31			30

---