Find your irish ☘️family
I’m Dr Liam Alex Heffron and I’m a Name Collector
Have you a name, a place, or a family story you’d like to follow?
I help people explore their Irish family history, particularly in Mayo, Sligo and the west of Ireland. Whether you’re starting with a few clues or have reached a sticking point, tell me what you’re hoping to understand.
Every name has a story. Our past helps shape our present, even when we don’t yet know the story. That’s the thinking behind Name Collector, and the heart of my research: getting to know the people who came before us, the communities they belonged to and the places they called home, so we can better understand our own place in the world.
Complete the short enquiry form. If I can help, I’ll invite you to a free introductory call. Any paid research, its scope and fees will be agreed with you before work begins.
How I can help
A question to investigate. Work through what you already know and identify relevant records.
Evidence to make sense of. Examine spelling variations, conflicting details and the local context behind a record.
A family in its place and time. Explore the schools, townlands and communities connected with your ancestors.
You don’t need a complete family tree to begin.
ACCESS THE COLLECTION (ANCESTRY MEMBERS)
FREE ACCESS TO ST CORMAC’S SOCIETY DIGITAL ARCHIVE
Experience behind the research
I’m Liam Alex Heffron, a historian from County Mayo with a PhD in History from the University of Galway. My work brings together family records, local knowledge and the wider history behind a person’s life.
Television research. I’ve provided historical research for the BBC’s Who Do You Think You Are? and RTÉ’s The Battle for Rural Ireland.
School records and Ancestry. Through the National Schools Record Collection project, I’ve partnered with Ancestry.com to publish over 700,000 pupil records from Mayo and Sligo — a distinctive source for tracing families and the communities they lived in.
Research and writing. My work includes Royal Irish Academy-funded research into the Civil War’s impact on Mayo families, No Revolution: Igniting War in North Mayo, 1917–1923, a contribution to Spirit of Revolution, and my Name Collector essays.
Heritage on the ground. I’m founding chair of St Cormac’s Society, with its digital heritage archive, and have worked with Coillte on the Blanemore Forest Archaeological Walk.
I bring that experience to your question, while being clear about what the evidence can — and cannot — tell us.
How we would begin
1. Tell me your question. Complete the short form below. A few sentences are enough.
2. A free introductory call. If I can help, I’ll invite you to discuss your question and whether further research would be worthwhile. This is an initial conversation, rather than a research session.
3. Agree the work and fees. Before paid work begins, we’ll agree the research scope, what you’ll receive, the timescale, fees, any extra costs and payment arrangements. I’ll ask before undertaking additional paid work.
Research depends on surviving records and may leave a question unresolved.
Enquire about a free introductory call
Tell me what you’re hoping to find out. Approximate dates and places are useful, and “not known” is perfectly fine. Read Privacy and data protection below before submitting.
I’ll use your details to assess and reply to your enquiry. This form does not subscribe you to a newsletter. Read Privacy and data protection below for full details.
Prefer email? Send a short outline of your research question to historyandheffron@gmail.com.
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Liam Alex Heffron is responsible for the personal information you provide here. I use your name, email and enquiry to assess your request and reply. For a proposed research service, the legal basis is taking steps at your request before entering a contract.
Submissions are stored in Squarespace and sent to my Gmail inbox. Google reCAPTCHA helps protect the form against spam. These providers may process information outside the European Economic Area; see Squarespace’s privacy information and Google’s privacy information. This form does not subscribe you to a newsletter. Please focus on deceased ancestors and leave out sensitive details about living relatives.
If an enquiry does not lead to paid work, I delete it after six months unless we agree to keep the conversation open. If you become a client, I’ll explain the arrangements for research files and any records that must be retained.
For questions, or to exercise applicable rights of access, correction, deletion, restriction, objection or data portability, contact historyandheffron@gmail.com. You can also complain to Ireland’s Data Protection Commission.