SOUTHINGTON – People interested in their Irish heritage often are stymied by the lack of records. A fire in 1922 destroyed many of Ireland’s 19th-century census records and others were lost during wars, famines, through intentional destruction and natural disasters.

Now during “St. Patrick’s Day month,” professional genealogist Nora Galvin will help make it easier to research and discover one’s Irish heritage during a special program, “Adventures in Irish Research,” on Tuesday, March 26 at 7 p.m. at the Southington Historical Society, 239 Main St. This program is hosted by the Southington Genealogical Society and is free to the public.

Galvin’s program will explain the process to finding an ancestor’s origins in Ireland, explore Irish records and show where to locate online records. “There has been an explosion of online availability of resources for Irish research,” she stated.

A board-certified genealogist, Galvin is a member of both the Connecticut Professional Genealogists Council and the Association of Professional Genealogists. She is the editor of the journal, “Connecticut Ancestry.”

Now celebrating its 40th year, Southington Genealogical Society meets monthly on the fourth Tuesday at 7 p.m. at the historical society. For more information on the society, visit www.southingtongenealogicalsociety.org or Southington Genealogical Society, Inc. on Facebook.