S01EP06 - 'The Witness' with David Ryan

The Family Histories Podcast

Host Andrew Martin is joined by David Ryan, an Irish family historian who discovered his passion for genealogy after studying for his MA in Medieval History. He'll be telling us how he made this transition, the challenges of researching family history in Ireland, and what it's like to work for Ancestry as one of their team of professional genealogists.
Relatively Speaking:
David has chosen to tell the life story of his Great Great Grandfather John Hyland. He'll explain the hardship that John was born into at the end of the devastating famine in the early 1850s, and the events that have since shaped Ireland in the 20th century - most of which were revealed by a chance discovery of a record in The National Folklore Collection.
The Brick Wall:
Family rumour has always said that David's paternal and maternal 3x Great Grandmothers - Honora and Bridget Williams, were sisters. They are both born in the 1820s, and both married in the 1840s, all in the village of Ballyporeen in County Tipperary, Ireland.
Were they sisters, or is it just a case of coincidence? Can you help David solve this old family story?
David isn't sure whether Andrew's offer of help will come to much, but he's in for a surprise...
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Credits:
Series One, Episode Six.
Andrew Martin - Host and Producer
David Ryan - Guest
Eliot Lees - Foley
Show notes: familyhistoriespodcast.com

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