Ancestry/Genealogy

The Irish were a subjugated people, not literate by English law, and many of the Catholic records were kept in secret. So most Irish Americans have no idea who their ancestors were, don't even know which Irish county they came from.

I am fortunate in that my grandparents were Irish immigrants to the US and I know where they were born and raised and have Irish cousins still living in the same village!

Have you done DNA testing on Ancestry? It is currently by far the best site to track down ancestors.
It has a huge and excellent data base and lots of matches with documented trees. Yes some of the trees are crap trees, but some are very well done. Some of the tree owners have gone to Ireland for their research, and some even are Irish living in Ireland. I have found a number of ancestors this way and found answers to my brick walls.

So you don't need to necessarily invent the wheel.

Yes most of us are going to have cousins in Australia, New Zealand, etc.
Quite a few impoverished Irish women deliberately broke the law with minor crimes to get sent to these locations. There was a bride shortage there and once the women landed they could have their pick of husbands and get a much better life than they had in Ireland. Of course men were exiled as well for crimes.

I will take a look at your tree and see what I can find out for you.

Oh I love Irish music.