Sometimes you just get lucky.

Maybe someone has already done a good bit of work on your family but you don’t know it. Perhaps a third or fourth cousin you don’t know.

Or there might be some people searching the same surname who are not closely related but may have some advice for you. Sometimes these people with a wealth of information on your family have a website or sometimes someone with a website for your surname of interest be aware of someone searching the same surname.

One way to see if there is a webpage for people interested in your Irish surname is my webpage listing hundreds of links to websites for particular Irish surnames. Have a look at the links on my Irish surname page .

Another option is to use Google or some other search engine to find the names that interest you. Be creative in your search terms!