📜 “Converse with the Past: The Great Famine in Mayo”
Step into the heart of 19th-century rural Ireland — not through a textbook, but through conversation.
This interactive chatbot is trained on original research from my PhD: “The Revolutionary Intersection of Land Hunger, Memory, and Social Justice Impulse within a Rural West of Ireland Community.” It focuses specifically on the chapter exploring the Great Famine in North Mayo, a period when silence, struggle, and survival collided in profound and often untold ways.
Ask questions. Follow threads. Explore memory.
Whether you’re a historian, genealogist, student, or someone simply moved by Ireland’s story, this tool allows you to interact directly with the archival and narrative depth of one of the most defining chapters in Irish life.
🧠 What Can You Ask?
See the prompts for some suggestions - but you can ask whatever you want - just remember the Chatbot is only trained on my specific research!
🔍 Built for:
Educators looking to bring history alive
Descendants searching for context and clues
Readers and wanderers moved by Ireland’s past and present
This isn’t just data — it’s a dialogue with lived experience.
🗣️ Start chatting with history below. Let the voices of North Mayo speak again.
I am test-driving a second A.I. agent below:
Do It Yourself Genealogy…
DIY Genealogy is an exciting discovery into your family's heritage and history but it can overwhelm even the most determined. Many prefer to engage a genealogist to do some or all the work, but nothing replaces the satisfaction of doing it yourself - if you have the time, passion and patience.
There have never been more resources available for genealogists or genealogy enthusiasts to avail of, in their research of family history. However, to separate the effective from the bogus or useless and understand how best to interrogate their repository of records can require a lifetime of experience - aside from doing the research itself!
Find Your Irish Family…
Find Your Irish Family was founded by Liam Heffron - the award-winning historian and innovator, researching & teaching at the National University of Ireland, Galway.
Find Your Irish Family provides the research tools, knowledge and advice to those seeking their Irish ancestors. It will shorten and sharpen your journey, saving you both time and money in your quest to connect with your Irish family.
Members receive access to new materials and events as they open online, as well as reduced fees for regular workshops and classes as a thank you for your ongoing support.
Find your Irish Family
Liam Heffron is an award-winning historian and innovator, currently undertaking his PhD research at National University of Ireland, Galway where he also teaches. He award-winning work spans community heritage projects, crowdsourced archives and the Digital Humanities.
Researching your family is one of the most rewarding and frustrating missions you could set yourself. With online classes, group tutorials and one-to-one consults, I will shorten the road ahead and make sure you take in the view along the way.
— Liam Heffron
Save time! Get the knowledge!
Find Your Irish Family is a unique service for those who wish to do their own research into their family history. Whether you have years of experience of building family trees or have just begun to jot down your grandmothers old stories of home, there is something of value for you here.