Friday 11 May 2012

A Friday miscellany

Tales of the unexpected You may remember the World War One Family History Roadshow at the National Libary back in March.

People brought along their family's memorabilia to show experts. These were then scanned and digitised for upload to the Europeana 1914-1918 website along with the family's story about the item.

The project is part of the build-up to the 100th anniversary of the outbreak of WW1 and the stories can now be viewed on the website. Here's one concerning James Burke, a 22-year-old private in the Royal Irish Fusiliers, in the Untold Stories section.

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Imagine that! Just over a week ago, Family Search added an index to the British Army's Chelsea Pensioner Service Records. When you want to follow up a promising result, the site directs you to the pay to view images on FindMyPast UK.

One of the Irishmen on these records is Charles Gildea, born in Roscor, Co. Tyrone in 1798. He joined the British Army in Enniskillen, County Fermanagh.

Who was he? Well, he wasn't known for his heroics but he is noteworthy because he was an ancestor of John Lennon on his mostly English/Welsh maternal line.
(Thanks Colin!)

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Bring your own trowel Volunteers are needed for an 8-week archaeological research project Cashel's Big Dig, at Rathnadrinna Fort, Cashel, Co Tipperary. They have to commit for a minimum one week period, be over 18, and must supply their own archaeological trowel. Starts 11 June. Ends 3 August. For more information and to reserve your free place, email.

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No word from Monaghan It's been the best part of a year now since IrishGenealogy.ie, the Department of Heritage, Arts and the Gaeltacht's genealogy database, announced that it would be adding free indexes and images from Monaghan's church registers. Since then, RootsIreland have uploaded two packets of pay-per-view records for Monaghan (in November and April), but there's still no sign of any records from the county on the free site. So what's happening? Here's an explanation via the site's feedback team: "Work is still ongoing on the Monaghan records. Unfortunately the quality of the images was not as good as for other parts of the country so the work is taking longer to complete."
(Many thanks to Eva)

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Derry on the move Derry Genealogy Centre has found a new permanent home at Foyle Valley Railway Museum on Derry's Foyle Road. Brian Mitchell, the resident genealogist and an accredited member of APGI, can be consulted at the new base or by email.

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Foxrock Book Launch Foxrock Local History Club will be launching a new book at Deansgrange Public Library, Clonkeen Drive, Deansgrange, Dublin 18 next Wednesday 16 May at 6.30pm. The new title, Foxrock Miscellany, is published by the History Press and is a compilation of ten titles from the Club's Foxrock Local History series.

The book will be officially launched by Tim Carey, Heritage Officer for DĂșn Laoghaire Rathdown.

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