All of us are at least a little Irish around St. Patrick&8217;s Day. But for those of you who truly do have Irish roots in your research, you may be about to discover that lucky pot of (genealogist&8217;s) gold.

Enchanting Ireland Tours (

http://www.enchantingireland.com/

) and YourIrishGenealogy.com have just announced the First and Only Irish Family History Writers&8217; Retreat, a week long event scheduled in Ireland on April 8-15, 2006, and designed to polish your writing and research skills while taking in the world of your forebearers.

Accommodations for the retreat will be at Fitzgerald&8217;s Woodlands House, an Irish &8220;leisure and health spa&8221; situated on 44 acres in the town of Adare.

The hotel, which can be seen at www.woodlands-hotel.ie and

http://www.enchantingireland.com

, offers every amenity you could possibly expect and the town (www.adare.org) is ranked as one of the eight picture-postcard towns in Ireland by Frommer&8217;s Guides.

The retreat is geared for every level of researcher and writer. At course end seasoned genealogists can expect to be able to put their ancestors in historical perspective and write a compelling family history while those with no prior research or writing experience should return knowing the basics of writing a family history, recording family stories and blending their family history into a clear social history. That&8217;s quite a productive week.

During the retreat, the program will alternate days of writing workshops with days of travel to nearby historic sites. The workshop days include the writing workshops, one-on-one consultations on your family history writing projects, private writing time, and writers&8217; group discussions.

The travel days will feature day trips on the first day to the 15th century Bunratty Castle and the recreated 19th century Irish village of Folk Park followed with a Medieval Banquet back at the castle; on the second day a visit to Cobh, the port from which 2 1/2 million emigrants left Ireland during the mid-1800s on their way to America and the last port of call for the Titanic as well as the burial site for Lusitania victims; and finally on the third day a visit to the recreated emigrant ship, Dunbrody, where guides in period costumes portray the passengers and crew members &8220;in character.&8221;

The tour will be led by Sharon DeBartolo Carmack and James W. Warren, two highly respected genealogists with over 30 years of genealogical research and writing experience between them.

Both specialize in Irish family history research and together teach writing workshops across the country. Their expertise almost assures a successful retreat.

Prices for the trip are very reasonable and those who book prior to Nov. 30, 2005, will receive a bonus discount of $120. Non-writing companions are welcome and may share a room with a Writers&8217; Retreat registrant at a considerable discount. They will not be allowed to attend the workshops, but for a small additional fee can join the group for any or all of the day trips or the medieval banquet.

Further information and full itineraries are available at

http://www.enchantingireland.com/Groups/040806.asp.

Brochures may be requested from Jim Warren at 719-660-8445. Don&8217;t let this &8220;golden&8221; opportunity slip by!

Please send your announcements and queries to FAMILY TREES, 900 Main Street, Natchez, MS 39120 or email

FAMTREE316@aol.com

. All queries are printed free of charge. We look forward to hearing from you!