If You Go: Ireland

What to do

To dig for your roots, start in Dublin at the National Library, 2 Kildare St., just east of the Grafton Street shopping district. If you've done the basic preliminary research from your family resources, an adviser can help you home in on the resources you need. Many birth and property records are there, on microfilm, and the General Register Office, the National Archives, the Valuation Office, and the Registry of Deeds are all within walking distance. If your ancestors hailed from Northern Ireland, drive up to Belfast on the fine new expressway, A1, to the Public Record Office of Northern Ireland, or PRONI, 66 Balmoral Ave. This facility, within a 15-minute drive of busy downtown, maintains a wide array of civil records. Advisers here can tell you what to look for and how to search, but we found them generally less cordial than the National Library counselors.

If you're willing to pay a professional researcher, fee-based assistance is available throughout Ireland. One umbrella group, Irish Genealogy Ltd., supports 34 offices across the island compiling local records for a comprehensive database. At the centers, professional researchers help people tracing their forebears. The website is www.irishgenealogy.ie. There are many other associations, and a terrific booklet, ''Tracing Your Ancestors in Ireland," is available from Bord Failte, Baggot Street Bridge, Dublin 2, or from the Northern Ireland Tourist Board, 59 North St., Belfast BT1 1NB.

Where to stay