New Zealand and Australia make up the top five countries with the highest population of Irish ancestry. At least 10% of the population of these two countries has some Irish descent after their ancestors immigrated as political convicts, desperate farmers fleeing the Great Famine, assisted migrants, etc.
Whatever the case, uncovering this family secret could help better understand your existence today.
However, despite the Irish being the third, if not second, largest ethnic group across both countries and the numbers plummeting to over 2 million people, many descendants still struggle to piece together their heritage.
What’s more tricky, Irish citizens continue to migrate to date, further complicating the already deeply ingrained history. That is not to say that it’s impossible to trace your ancestors.
The legacy remains available and evident in accents, traditions, names, records, politics, and more. However, tracing these ancestors is no easy feat, as so many families have lost the crucial links to their past and themselves immigrated further.
Why Did the Irish Move to Australia & New Zealand?
Understanding the reason your ancestors migrated helps not only to serve the history but is itself a living legacy that’s woven into the fabric of these nations. In most cases, ancient migrations were forcefully exiled or in search of opportunities and survival.
All these happened in different waves that better inform the circumstances back then and the patterns witnessed today.
The Great Irish Famine (1845–1852)
The seven years of devastation remain a memorable event in Irish history and triggered a massive exodus of over a million people across other parts of the world. This happened on the heels of disappointing harvests and the failure of the potato crop that had been a staple food for the populations.
Convict Transportation (1788–1868)
With a distance over 10,000 miles from Ireland to Australia and over 18,000 to New Zealand, only a faint number succeeded in this endeavor. A majority of the Irish migrants in these nations then did not come voluntarily; Britain’s harsh legal system forcibly transported them to their penal colonies in these territories.
You may have heard of the famous poet John Boyle O’Reilly, who was part of convicts transported in the late 19th century but later escaped to the US. The Irish men and women comprised petty crime offenders and political activists such as the members of the Young Ireland rebellion.
The Gold Rush (1850s)
As the Irish people were reeling from the wrath of the Great Famine, colonial governments were planning to leverage newly discovered gold deposits in Victoria, Australia, and Otago, New Zealand.
At that time, Irish men had gathered some mining experience from Cornwall’s tin mines, and so a new wave migrated to the newly discovered old fields to make a fortune. It was the genesis of the boom witnessed in mining cities like Dunedin in New Zealand and Bendigo and Ballarat in Australia.
Assisted Migration Schemes (19th–20th Century)
Both the New Zealand and Australian governments launched assisted programs such as the Earl Grey Scheme (1848–1850) in an effort to populate and develop their respective countries. As a result, young Irish women were sent to work and possibly establish families there.
The impact is evident today in the political landscape, surnames, and traditions. The two countries mark Irish cultural festivals such as St. Patrick’s Day. Besides, the prime ministers, like Anthony Albanese (Australia) and Christopher Mark Luxon (New Zealand), have Irish roots.
The most important impact that these events have on tracing your Irish ancestors is that they leave a wealth of records that streamline the journey. So whether your ancestor was a public servant, an assisted migrant, a gold miner, a refugee, or a gold miner, you have a tapestry to uncover.
Essential Records & Expert Tips for Tracing Your Irish-Australian & Kiwi Roots
Some of the key records and databases for Irish-Australian or Kiwi research include immigration records, ship passenger lists, workhouse records, newspapers, and more.
- Passenger Lists & Immigration Records: Immigration registers and passenger lists reveal names, age, occupation, and sometimes the place of origin for everyone who arrived by ship. These records may be found in the New Zealand Archives and the National Archives of Australia. Additionally, the Irish Famine Memorial Database has a list of the Irish famine orphans sent to Australia in the mid-19th century.
- Convict Records: The Convict Records of Australia and the Irish Prison Registers available on online databases offer transportation records with trial details, ship names, individual names, and even physical descriptions.
- Land Records: Land ownership and mining records reveal about the early Irish immigrants who came seeking fortune in the goldfields. In New Zealand these records are available in the Victoria Public Records Office. They show land claims and mining licenses and sometimes the laborers. On the other hand, the Otago Goldfields Heritage Trust has details of the early gold rush settlers from Ireland.
- Birth, Marriage & Death Certificates: Getting hold of your ancestors’ civil records can help quickly unearth crucial dates, birthplaces, and family relationships. Check with the New Zealand Births, Deaths & Marriages or the New South Wales Registry for any leads on this.
- Newspaper Archives: Newspapers capture the lost details in the civil records as well as the zeitgeist of your ancestors. Historical newspapers in New Zealand and Australia are found at Papers Past and Trove, respectively.
- Orphan and Workhouse Records: During the Great Famine, families were enrolled as part of Earl Grey’s Orphan Scheme, which had them, among other things, settle on workhouses and have their details recorded. Thanks to that program, these records are readily available and have proven handy in unlocking mysteries related to ancestry and what life was like back then.
- Cemetery Records: Ancestry graves in Ireland also offer a glimpse of your ancestry not just by the details but also by the unique Celtic crosses used for many Irish immigrants to Australia and New Zealand.
- DNA Testing and Matching: DNA is one of the most acclaimed ways to trace your ancestors, but having moved from Ireland to NZ or Aussie, and probably further, means some breakdowns of ethnicity on that calculator. But at least you get that breakdown, which may validate your traditional roots and allow you to pursue your haplogroup further.
Hire a Professional Irish researcher
Tracing your Irish ancestors who migrated to Australia and New Zealand may only succeed with accurate results with the assistance of a professional investigator. The ancestry search process is no easy feat, especially when working with more than one country.
The complexities are well documented, as are the strategies and tips to break through brick walls. Nonetheless, services for accurate genealogy have become more available, more reliable, and more affordable, so you’re left with no other viable option.
Leverage our free consultation to speak with our experts and help you understand the magnitude of the matter when it comes to researching Irish ancestry. We have nuanced researchers and expertise and a track record of successful cases even when previous or DIY attempts prove futile.