What began as a practical solution learning to use Google My Maps to avoid getting lost in Ireland unfolded into a profound, multi-year journey of discovery, innovation, and legacy building.

Initially, the focus was simple: documenting cemeteries and tracing family history. This led to integrating research into platforms like Find A Grave, where individual memorials could be updated with verified biographies, service records, and photographs. The creation of virtual cemeteries followed digital spaces where family data could be collated, preserved, and easily accessed for future research.

As mapping skills deepened, so did the vision. Family migration patterns were visualised through geospatial data, transforming static genealogies into dynamic, interactive histories. This ability to place lives on a map literally opened new doors. War memorials, once seen as lists of names carved in stone, became entry points into global stories. Mapping these memorials added a visual arm to remembrance, allowing researchers and families to see, in real time, where individuals served, fell, and are commemorated. Project Link below.