Genealogy, tourism, and Ireland

January 4th, 2007 | by aobaoill |

In talking about the Irish economy to acquaintances in the US, I frequently mention the genealogy industry, and its link to tourism. One issue that hadn’t occured to me – dealt with in a new paper in First Monday – is the impact of internet-accessible services on the Irish genealogy industry, and possible knock-on impacts on tourism figures at large. I’m not fully convinced of the correlation in the figures – the down-turn in the international economy, rising cost of services in Ireland, and the increased reticence of Americans concerning foreign travel, are all possible contributory factors – but there’s a wealth of information here about the services now available online, and the tactics being used to convince those researching to still visit Ireland to complete their searches.
A side-note is the reference to the digitization of genealogy records by the Church of Jesus Christ of the Latter Day Saints (LDS/Mormons). The purpose there – though not mentioned in the paper – is that the LDS believe it’s possible to convert and batise someone, and save their soul, even after their death. As an agnostic, not so relevant to me personally, but the conversions can be deeply painful to many people who are members of other religions.

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