Jamboree 2015 - Meet the Speaker: Michael Brophy, MBA

Michael Brophy is a nationally known professional genealogical researcher, heir search specialist, and lecturer from the Boston area. He has served as Program Director and Publicity Director for the Massachusetts Genealogical Council and was the first Treasurer of the New England Association of Professional Genealogists.  Mike earned his MBA degree from Suffolk University and a BBA degree from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst.

Mike was featured on the Irish TV series Dead Money, a genealogy show about heir searchers. In 2010, he was hired to conduct research for the NBC television program Who Do You Think You Are? on an episode dedicated to the family history of actress Gwyneth Paltrow. He specializes in New England and Irish genealogy subjects. His genealogy education includes several certificates from the Institute of Genealogy and Historic Research (IGHR) and certificates in Private Investigation and Advanced Forensic Genealogy from Boston University.

FR008 Friday June 5, 1:00 - 2:00 p.m.
Paddy on the Net: Irish Genealogy Databases
Information about our Irish ancestors is exploding on the Internet. The best websites for Irish research are explored and analyzed. Recent landmark additions of vital records and census information are presented. Finding aids for further Irish research are assessed and critiqued in this exciting lecture on all that has happened with Irish resources in cyberspace.

SA017 Saturday June 6, 10:00 - 11:00 a.m.
Irish Genealogy
The lecture will start with the central event in the history of Irish genealogy, the destruction of the public records office in Dublin on June 30, 1922. Unique challenges and realistic expectations for Irish ancestral research will be discussed. Vital records, immigration documentation, and unique resources will be presented. Examples are used to emphasize key principles and record holdings such as the lineage of notable Irish American Grace Kelly.  The overall goal of the lecture is to give attendees a practical guide to finding the origins of their Irish ancestors.