Researching the lives of women in the past

Have you ever wondered if there were a scandal buried in your family history? Datshiane Navanayagam meets two female genealogists from the US and Ireland to discuss the desire many of us have to dig into our heritage. Michele Soulli is an American genealogist who made headlines around the world when she tracked down the real "Brenda" from rap superstar Tupac's hit song Brenda's Got A Baby, and reunited her with the child she had put up for adoption. Hilary McDonagh helps clients who want to trace their family histories or find missing heirs. In Ireland, where famine prompted girls to migrate overseas by themselves, Hilary has unearthed some incredible stories. Producer: Hannah Sander (Image credit: Hilary McDonagh (L), Michele Soulli (R))

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Researching the lives of women in the past is an episode from The Conversation by BBC.

This episode is 26:28 long.

This episode was published on Feb 9, 2026.

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