We are pleased to release the results of our second reader survey of IrishCentral.com. Once again we are delighted that close to 2,000 of you responded, showing a great interest in your roots. The survey was conducted with Amarach Research, one of Ireland’s top market research companies.

Here are the summarized findings:

ANCESTRY AND ROOTS

19% of you do not know what part of Ireland your ancestors hailed from.

For those who do :

·17% of you have roots in County Cork, with the proximity to Cobh where the ships left from  making emigration an easier option for those living there.

·9% have roots in County Mayo and 8% have roots in County Donegal.

·7% of ancestry traces back to County Galway and 6% to County Clare.

TRACING YOUR ANCESTRY:

Over four in five (84%) of you have tried to trace their Irish Ancestry.  The majority (40%) have gone online to undertake the search, while more than one-quarter (28%) travelled to Ireland to undertake the research.

· 4 in 5 (80%) have a strong interest in Irish American history, with the topics of music and art of highest interest.

THE IRISH GENERAL ELECTION

One third (37%) of Irish Americans we surveyed  feel well informed about the political and economic situation in Ireland.

Emigrant Voting

·Close to 2 in 4 (39%) believe that Irish emigrants should be allowed to vote in the next General election.  A similar proportion agrees that emigrants should be allowed to vote in the Irish Presidential election.