Final volume due of family history tome

WANT to know where your family name came from? Look no further.

The 29th and final volume in the Irish Families Project is ready for distribution almost 30 years after historian Mike O’Laughlin wrote the first installment in Kansas City, America.

“It really started as a hobby. I had never been back to Ireland and I wasn’t sure where the O’Laughlin, or O’Loughlin, name came from so I looked up an O’Loughlin’s castle on the map and that started it. When I went over to Ireland I picked out some O’Loughlins at random and arrived at their door. I have been staying with them ever since when I have been over to do research.”

The full set of books holds information on 40,000 surnames. They pull together parish records, census lists, coats of arms and the history behind the names themselves. In some cases he has traced the histories back to pre-Norman times.

Since the publication of the first book, Mr O’Laughlin said it had attracted interested people from the Irish diaspora around the world: “I know the Americans can be a pain arriving over knocking on your door looking for their relatives, but I suppose you have to understand for them it is about finding out where they have come from.”

The final book in the series, which is the second volume dealing exclusively with Co Kerry, will be officially launched early this year.

Mr O’Laughlin said although the flow of emigration from Ireland had slowed there was still vibrant interest in the genealogy among the descendents of those who arrived off the boat many years ago.

The Irish Genealogical Foundation, which is an umbrella group of the Families Project, has recently begun broadcasting a podcast on Irish names which has attracted 12,000 listeners worldwide.

The complete set of book is available to buy online at www.irishroots.com where you can also download the latest podcast.