Irish Family History Centre

Irish Family History Centre, Irish Family History Centre, Custom House Quay, North Wall, Dublin 1, Ireland
1-90 Years
Paid

Description

Are you trying to find a deeply engaging genealogical spot to keep your children inspired over the weekend? Situated in the heart of the Docklands, this highly specialized heritage attraction offers some of the best things to do with kids in Dublin. As a premier interactive museum and genealogy research hub located inside the CHQ building, it allows children and parents to uncover their ancestral roots using advanced touchscreens, digital databases, and live expert consultations.

Planning your family budget is completely stress-free, as general access prices to the interactive zones start from £0 since infants under five years old can join their parents free of charge. Tickets for structured research sessions or individual digital workstation bookings are kept highly competitive, ensuring local parents can access comprehensive family trees affordably.

If you are looking for the best place for a day out with family and kids that bridges modern digital technology with personal heritage discovery, this interactive learning centre is an exceptional choice. It transforms cold records into an engaging, educational day out by letting children search for their own surnames on digital maps. It is the perfect venue to rescue a rainy afternoon while keeping curious young minds fully focused on real-life historical detective work.

Features

  • Paid
  • Host birthday parties: No

Features

Key Features

  • Sensory Play & Touchscreens: Children can manipulate large interactive touchscreens to view ancient parish maps and trace population migrations.
  • Interactive Exhibits & Tech: The research desks utilize fast digital databases and electronic quiz stations designed to introduce kids to historical research.
  • Educational Day Out: The self-guided exploration zones link directly to school history curricula, regional geography, and social shifts.
  • Live Expert Consultations: Families can sit down for a face-to-face chat with professional genealogists who help decode ancient family secrets.

Deep-Dive Highlights

  • The Interactive Surname Map: A massive digital screen where kids can type in their own last names to see exactly where their ancestors lived hundreds of years ago. It instantly turns broad history into a personal game of discovery.
  • The Digital Census Workstations: High-tech computer desks loaded with millions of regional records. Children can act as historical detectives, searching through old census sheets to find real signatures from their great-grandparents.
  • The Emigration Shipping Database: An interactive station tracking the massive passenger ships that crossed the Atlantic. Kids can see what life was like aboard the vessels and find the names of young travelers from the past.
  • The Military Record Archive: A dedicated sub-exhibit filled with old digital enlistment papers and service medals. It helps older kids learn about the personal stories, heights, and occupations of regular historical soldiers.
  • The Heritage Quiz Hub: A series of electronic kiosks that test the family on historical trivia, naming patterns, and traditional trades. It is a fantastic way for siblings to compete while learning about old cultural customs.

Detailed Collections & Sub-Exhibits

  • The 1901 and 1911 Census Digital Portals: Complete searchable records that let families view the actual handwritten household returns from over a century ago.
  • The Griffith's Valuation Mapping Tool: An interactive primary land survey map showing old property boundaries and landlord names from the 19th century.
  • The Roman Catholic Parish Registers: Digitized parchment volumes containing hundreds of years of baptism, marriage, and burial entries.
  • The Ellis Island Passenger Records: A specialized overseas transport log that tracks millions of regional individuals arriving at the famous American port.
  • The Irish Lives Remembered Digital Magazine: An on-site reading library filled with illustrated family trees and extraordinary stories of regular global citizens.

Facilities

  • Stroller-Friendly Spaces: The layout inside the historic CHQ building is completely flat and spacious, making it simple to navigate with a buggy.
  • Public Washrooms: Clean restroom spaces and clear baby changing units are located nearby within the main building complex.
  • Lockers and Storage: Small personal lockers are available on-site for storing heavy backpacks and coats during your research session.
  • On-Site Dining: The surrounding CHQ vault features multiple child-friendly cafes, sandwich shops, and casual restaurants.
  • The Genealogy Gift Shop: A dedicated retail counter stocked with family tree wall charts, custom heraldry prints, and educational history books.

What to see

What Visitors Love

  • The interactive digital maps make searching for family surnames highly exciting for school-age children.
  • Genealogists on-site are incredibly knowledgeable, patient, and brilliant at explaining old handwriting to kids.
  • The modern, indoor facility is fully climate-controlled, making it an excellent refuge on cold, rainy days.
  • The location is highly accessible by public transport, with the tram stopping nearly at the front door.

What Visitors Don't Like

  • The experience is highly text-heavy and computer-focused, meaning toddlers may lose interest quickly.
  • Tracing specific family lines can sometimes be difficult if your ancestors had exceptionally common surnames.
  • The research zones can feel relatively quiet, requiring parents to keep younger children from running between desks.

Pro-Tips for Visiting Parents

  • Gather Details Before You Arrive: Talk to grandparents or older relatives before your visit to write down full names, birth dates, and counties to make your digital searches successful.
  • Book Consultations Early: Live expert chats have highly limited daily slots, so reserving your professional genealogist session online prevents disappointment.
  • Utilize the Free Worksheets: Ask the desk team for child-friendly family tree templates that kids can fill out by hand as they uncover records.
  • Combine with a Museum Visit: Book a joint ticket package with the adjacent EPIC Emigration Museum to get a complete, immersive look at regional history.

Price

Price: Paid

Price Details

Standard Center Admission

  • Adult General Entry: approx. £8.00 (€9.50)
  • Child Entry (Ages 6 to 15): approx. £4.00 (€4.50)
  • Toddlers and Babies (Under 5s): Free Entry
  • Senior & Student Tickets: approx. £6.50 (€7.50)

Premium Genealogy Packages

  • Standard Consultation Bundle (Entry + 15-Min Expert Chat): approx. £34.00 (€40.00)
  • Extended Consultation Bundle (Entry + 30-Min Expert Chat): approx. £59.00 (€70.00)

General ticket pricing and live expert calendars are managed via the central booking portal. To check real-time researcher availability and lock in your family consultation slots, book directly through the Irish Family History Centre Ticket Portal.

Birthday Parties

Offer Birthday Parties: No

  • Monday to Sunday: 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM

(Last entry for self-guided database research is strictly 45 minutes before closing time).

Address: Irish Family History Centre, Irish Family History Centre, Custom House Quay, North Wall, Dublin 1, Ireland

Post Code: D01 T6K4

Council: Dublin City Council

County: County Dublin

  • By Tram (Luas): The venue is exceptionally easy to reach via tram. Take the Luas Red Line directly to the George's Dock platform, which sits right outside the CHQ building entrance.
  • By Train: Take the main cross-country or coastal rail lines straight to Dublin Connolly Station or Tara Street Station. Both commuter hubs are less than a 10-minute walk away.
  • By Bus: Dozens of urban bus routes stop directly at the nearby Custom House Quay, Eden Quay, and Connolly stations.
  • By Car: Drive toward Dublin 1 and follow central directional signs for the Custom House Quay or the North Docklands financial district.
  • Car Parking: There is no private parking at the CHQ building. Secure hourly paid parking is available right next door at the Park Rite Custom House Quay Car Park or Connolly Station Car Park.

0

0 Reviews

Rating breakdown

5
80% Complete (danger)
0
4
80% Complete (danger)
0
3
80% Complete (danger)
0
2
80% Complete (danger)
0
1
80% Complete (danger)
0

Get the best blog stories into your inbox!