Monday 14 May 2012

Military records for release this month

Genealogist John Grenham took a trip to the Military Archives last week and reports that the much-anticipated Bureau of Military History collection, which covers the Independence movement from 1913 to 1921, will be available by the end of this month on the Military Archives website.

The Bureau gave individuals an opportunity to record their own stories and experiences of this period and has resulted in a fascinating collection of material relating to the Irish Volunteers from their formation in 1913 to 1921. It comprises 1773 witness statements, 334 sets of contemporary documents, a huge photographic collection, voice recordings and press cuttings.

It's going to be a real bonus to have this detailed and colourful information available online.

While on the subject of online resources, I noticed that Grenham's Irish Times/Irish Ancestors site has had a major overhaul this month. Page design was, admittedly, in need of a refresh so it's good to see a bright, crisp and modern look take over, with legibility and functionality much improved.

The Browse section has been completely updated to reflect the 2012 edition of Tracing Your Irish Ancestors, on which the site is based; the navigation has been upgraded and many sections are also now database-driven.

A new free visualisation chart showing householders' locations is offered and the number of units per subscription increased by a whopping 80%.