Irish Genealogy Seminar & Cruise

We organized an Irish genealogy cruise in January 2009. It was a very successful and enjoyable experience for the speakers and the attendees.

We are planning another conference and cruise. Information will be available soon. If you want to be notified as soon as plans are finalized, send an email to Mary Ellen Grogan (mailto:megrogan@ix.netcom.com).

Genealogy conferences held on cruise ships have become very popular. The price is comparable to attending a national conference and you get a fabulous vacation at the same time! This is also a wonderful opportunity to travel with friends and family who are not interested in your passion for genealogy. There really is something for everyone on modern ships.

The cruise turned out to be a better venue for learning about genealogy than we had expected. At a large conference, you normally attend educational sessions for three days in a row. On the cruise, the educational sessions were held on the "at sea" days. This meant that everyone had a chance to absorb and reflect on what they had learned during their break for a "port day". The whole experience was less intense than a normal conference, and everyone was still full of enthusiasm on the very last day. If you have attended a conference before, you know that this is unusual.

We hope to create opportunities for everyone to learn how to research Irish families.

We strongly encourage everyone to attend a conference on Irish genealogical resources before they go to Ireland. Participants will benefit more in the "hands-on research" if they understand the resources. It will also make your time more productive in Ireland if you understand the research opportunities.

For your information, this cruise was held from January 10 to 18, 2009 on the Royal Caribbean, Independence of the Seas, in the Eastern Caribbean.