Ireland Reaching Out (Ireland XO) is a volunteer-based, non-profit initiative that builds vibrant, lasting links between the global Irish Diaspora and parishes of origin in Ireland.

Volunteer Network

The programme is based on a simple idea; reverse genealogy. Instead of waiting for people of Irish descent to trace their roots, Ireland XO volunteers worldwide are networking with people of Irish descent in their local areas, helping to build bridges between the present and the past by connecting people with the home parishes of their ancestors.

Since 2009, Ireland Reaching Out (Ireland XO) has helped thousands of Irish people discover the history of their families and reconnect with their parish of origin.    Whether you have emigrated recently or have never been to Ireland, we welcome Irish people from all over the world and those who share an affinity for our rich and varied cultural heritage.   We are a community with no geographical boundaries, connected first through bonds of people and place, and then developed through our shared celebration of culture and friendship, both online and offline.

Read some of our success stories HERE.

We offer four key services, FREE to all members

  • A message board, run by a team of international volunteers many of whom are expert genealogists. They will help members with their genealogical queries and assist them with any family history query.   
  • A meet and greet service, visiting diaspora can request to meet with a local person that lives in the same area their ancestor once did. The volunteers will meet with them, chat about the area, and answer any questions they have. They may even find living relatives that they can connect with.
  • A free ancestor database that all members can search and add to providing a space to record the stories of our ancestors
  • A newsletter programme that provides content written by expert academics, genealogists, historians, and librarians

Funding

Ireland Reaching Out is a non-profit, volunteer, and community-based Organisation. In the past we have received funding from the Department of Foreign Affairs & Trade, The Heritage Council  , and Google Inc.

Alison currently sponsors the maintenance of our website. 

Our main reveneue stream comes from Google Adsense and public donations. This means Google will place advertisements on the website and Ireland Reaching Out will earn a small fee when someone visiting the website clicks on one of these ads.  There is no cost to website visitors, as clicking on an ad is completely free to them, and any revenue earned from this will be reinvested in the maintenance and growth of the Ireland Reaching Out programme.

To make a donation click HERE