A Dundee online publishing company has launched a service to help people trace their Irish roots.
The brightsolid subsidiary findmypast has teamed up with Irish history and heritage company Eneclann to launch findmypast.ie, an Irish-version of the popular genealogy site.
It will host the most extensive collection of Irish land records available anywhere online.
Records available on the site include wills dating to the 13th century as well as documents such as the 18th-century Elphin census and the 1798 Rebellion census.
The collection also includes the exclusive publication of the Landed Estates Court Records, which includes details of more than 500,000 tenants on Irish estates.
Chris van der Kuyl, chief executive of brightsolid, said, “The launch of findmypast.ie marks a significant step forward in reinforcing brightsolid’s position as one of the world’s leading genealogy businesses.
“Globally there is a huge population of people with Irish ancestry, and this site will provide a much-needed resource for those seeking to trace their family history.
“By stepping beyond the traditional records we intend to be able to answer the question ‘what did they do?’ rather than just ‘did they exist?’
“We are committed to launching more than 50 million records over the next 12-18 months.”
Eneclann chief executive Brian Donovan added, “We are looking forward to working with brightsolid on this venture.
“With the combined expertise of Eneclann and brightsolid we are able to offer a truly comprehensive service to those looking to trace their Irish ancestors.
“Findmypast.ie will host some of the most significant Irish records that have ever been made available and we are thrilled to be part of this project.”
Brightsolid enjoyed by The Courier’s publisher DC Thomson has enjoyed rapid growth in recent years becoming one of the leading players in the expanding genealogy sector.
As well as findmypast.co.uk, the company also runs the websites 1911Census.co.uk and, in partnership with the General Register Office of Scotland, scotlandspeople.gov.uk