It’s fair to say 2020 didn’t work out the way any of us expected, writes Finders International Dublin’s office manager and senior researcher, Maeve Mullin.

Like most other businesses, we had to adapt quickly to cope with very different working conditions and we set up all our staff members to work from home so that we could continue to work safely and effectively.

That’s why we are prouder than ever to have been awarded ‘Best Probate Research Firm of the Year’ at the Probate Research Awards and the British Wills and Probate Awards.

Nevertheless, the year did bring highlights and cases that were extremely satisfying to work on. We specialise in probate research and this entails drawing on our extensive knowledge of Ireland’s records to identify the rightful heirs to an estate.

Mother’s grave

As such, this year we were able to locate the nephew and niece of someone who had been fostered as a child and who never knew his family. In another case, we found the grave of the mother of someone who had recently passed away so that he could be buried with her, rather than in an unmarked grave.

Ireland is famous for is diaspora, and in another case we searched for and found the relatives of a woman who had been born in Ireland but who was informally adopted by a couple in the US in the 1940s.

It’s often that we assist the Garda, and in July this year, we came across the appeal to find family of Stephen Corriagan, a missing person since 2011. Sadly, his remains were discovered earlier in the year and the Garda’s search for family had led to dead ends. The Dublin team were able to identify a distant cousin who arranged a funeral for Stephen, finally laying him to rest.

Ireland has a well-documented housing problem, as there are nowhere near enough homes to meet demand. One of the services we provide here at Finders International Dublin is rapid tracing of the rightful owners to empty properties, so that they can be sold and returned to the housing market as soon as possible. This year, we were able to locate the owners of many properties on behalf of Irish county and city councils.

Accredited

We have secured our ISO 27001 certification for another year. A certification for Information Security Management Systems, offering our client reassurance that we observe best practice procedures.

Beneficiaries to an estate

We work closely with solicitors in Ireland, helping them find beneficiaries to estates when someone dies with no apparent next of kin or a valid will. This year was no exception and we found more than 250 rightful heirs to estates, ensuring that money and assets were passed on.

We’re now members of Guaranteed Irish, the organisation that helps consumers identify products and services which are #AllTogetherBetter choices for Irish communities. The Guaranteed Irish symbol is awarded to companies that create quality jobs, contribute to local communities and are committed to Irish provenance.

With the roll-out of the vaccine, the end is insight for this unprecedented time. It is my heartfelt wish that next year is better for all of us, and we look forward to seeing our colleagues and clients in person once again.

 

Finders International Ireland trace missing beneficiaries to estates, properties and assets. To find out more, you can visit our website. Alternatively, you can email [email protected] or telephone +353 (0)1 5676940.