Monday 18 August 2014

Irish genealogy and history events, 18-31 August

With Heritage Week kicking off this coming weekend, there are tons of brilliant history, genealogy and heritage events taking place across Ireland. You can search online for events in your area at heritageweek.ie or pick up a copy of the full listing at Failte Ireland tourist offices, libraries, OPW sites, heritage centres, CNCI members, NPWS sites, heritage and county council offices, An Oige hostels, museums, Bus Eireann stations and some hotels.

My blogpost last week listed the genealogy events specifically organised for Heritage Week. The list below includes a mix of event types that I've either been notified of or that I discovered some time before the Heritage Week list was published. Some will have been organised for Heritage Week. Some will not. The list is by no means definitive.

Monday 18 August: Using Ancestry.com to trace your family History, with Rhona Murray. Part of the Eneclann/Ancestor Network 20x20 lunchtime series. Venue: National Library of Ireland, Kildare Street, Dublin 2. 20-min lecture plus Q&As. Free. No booking. 1:05pm.

Monday 18 August: Controlling the Carlow corridor during the Middle Ages, with Linda Doran. Host: Rathmichael Historical Society. Venue: Rathmichael NS, Shankill, Dublin. €4. 8:00pm.

Monday 18 August: Excavations at Trim Castle, with Alan Hayden. Host: Rathmichael Historical Society. Venue: Rathmichael NS, Shankill, Dublin. €4. 8:00pm.

Tuesday 19 August: Reading Headstones primary sources carved in stone, with John Tierney. Part of the Eneclann/Ancestor Network 20x20 lunchtime series. Venue: National Library of Ireland, Kildare Street, Dublin 2. 20-min lecture plus Q&As. Free. No booking. 1:05pm.

Wednesday 20 August: Book launch: Resting in Larne's Green Lane, Gravestone inscriptions and interments in the Old Section, Larne (Greenland) Cemetery, compiled by Larne FHS, part of the North of Ireland Family History Society. Venue: Centrepoint (behind the library), Larne. 8pm. Light refreshments provided.

Wednesday 20 August: Using the College Archives for family history research, with Ellen O'Flaherty. Part of the Eneclann/Ancestor Network 20x20 lunchtime series. Venue: National Library of Ireland, Kildare Street, Dublin 2. 20-min lecture plus Q&As. Free. No booking. 1:05pm.

Thursday 21 August to 6 September: Wicklow's War: the First World War in County Wicklow. A free public exhibition will be on display in Greystones Library, Mill Road, Greystones, Co Wicklow. The National Library of Ireland's exhibition "Gallant Sons", concerning Irish men who fought in WW1 will also be on show. Opening hours.

Thursday 21 August: Digitising Irish newspapers: how we bring Ireland’s past stories back to life, with Ian Tester. Part of the Eneclann/Ancestor Network 20x20 lunchtime series. Venue: National Library of Ireland, Kildare Street, Dublin 2. 20-min lecture plus Q&As. Free. No booking. 1:05pm.

Thursday 21 August: How to research your Erris ancestor, a workshop. Venue: Gaol Siar, Main Street, Belmullet, Co Mayo. (Above Carey's.) €35. 11am to 2pm. Need to book. Tel: Barbara on 087 216 9625 or email eolas@gaolsiar.com.

Friday 22 August: Irish in European armies, with Lar Joye. Part of the Eneclann/Ancestor Network 20x20 lunchtime series. Venue: National Library of Ireland, Kildare Street, Dublin 2. 20-min lecture plus Q&As. Free. No booking. 1:05pm.

Friday 22 to Saturday 23 August: The Genealogy Event, Strand Hotel, Limerick. Two-day conference and Irish genealogy get-together. Programme and tickets.

Friday 22 to Saturday 23 August: O'Meachair/Maher/Meagher clan gathering. Exhibition, conference, social and genealogy ( one-to-one sessions on Saturday from 2pm to 5pm; no booking). Barony of Ikerrin (northeast County Tipperary). Need to register. Programme and details.

Saturday 23 August: St Paul's Graveyard Trail, with Brian White. Host: Bray Cualann Historical Society. Venue: St Paul's Church, Main Street, Bray, Co Wicklow. 3pm.

Saturday 23 August: Hedge School re-enactment. Host: Ballon Improvement Group. Venue: Sli na Sceach, The Forge, Kilbride, Co Carlow. 2–4pm. Free. Details: Maire George, 087 242 4934.

Saturday 23 August: North of Ireland Family History Society Open Day. Venue: Unit C4, Valley Business Centre, 67 Church Road, Newtownabbey. Co Antrim. Find out more about their fabulous resource centre and meet a friendly, knowledgeable bunch of people. From 10.30am to 4.30pm. See NIFHS website for more details.

Monday 25 August: Limerick and The Great War, with Dr Tadgh Moloney. First of the Limerick and the Great War Lecture Series. Venue: The Hunt Museum, Custom House, Rutland Street, Limerick City. Free. 1pm. Phone: +353 61 312833 Email: education@huntmuseum.com

Monday 25 August: Census-related records on the National Archives website, with Catriona Crowe. Part of the Eneclann/Ancestor Network 20x20 lunchtime series. Venue: National Library of Ireland, Kildare Street, Dublin 2. 20-min lecture plus Q&As. Free. No booking. 1:05pm.

Monday 25 August: Royal College of Physicians of Ireland opens its historical home to the public during Heritage Week. Guided tours at 11.30am, 1.15pm, 3.00pm and 5.30pm. Tours will take approximately 40 minutes. Places are limited, so book online to guarantee your place. Venue: RCPI, 6 Kildare Street, Dublin 2.

Monday 25 August: Dungarvan Historic Town Atlas, with John Martin. Hosts: Museum Society and County Heritage office. The town atlas is a project of the Royal Irish Academy, which was first launched in 1981. A number of towns and cities have already been published. John Martin has been commissioned to research Dungarvan. Venue: Town Hall Theatre, Dungarvan. 8pm. Free. All welcome.

Tuesday 26 August: World War One in County Wicklow, with John Goodman, looking at a number of Wicklow men and their frontline experiences, and how the war directly affected life in the county. Venue: Greystones Library, Mill Road, Greystones, Co Wicklow. 7pm. Free. Details: 01-2873548.

Tuesday 26 August: Doing Local History, with Ray Gillespie. Part of the Eneclann/Ancestor Network 20x20 lunchtime series. Venue: National Library of Ireland, Kildare Street, Dublin 2. 20-min lecture plus Q&As. Free. No booking. 1:05pm.

Tuesday 26 August: The Shamrock Fund of WW1, with Brian White. Host: Bray Cualann Historical Society. Venue: Bray Library, Eglinton Road, Bray, Co Wicklow. 7pm.

Tuesday 26 to Friday 28 August: Timeline – World War 1, an audiovisual perspective of the events leading up to, during and after the Great War. Also memorabilia, exhibitions, poetry readings. Not suitable for children. Free. Main Hall, City Hall, Terence McSwiney Quay, Cork City.

Tuesday 26 August: Medieval female monasticism in Co Tipperary, with Tracy Collins. Cashel Summer Lecture Series. Venue: Cashel Library, Friar St, Cashel, Co Tipperary. 7:30pm. Free.

Wednesday 27 August: An Irish Family Goes to War, with Dr Deirdre McMahon. Second of the Limerick and the Great War Lecture Series. Venue: The Hunt Museum, Custom House, Rutland Street, Limerick City. Free. 1pm. Phone: +353 61 312833 Email: education@huntmuseum.com

Wednesday 27 August: The map-making of the OS: challenges on every front, with Dr Jacinta Prunt. First of the Mapping City, Town and Country lecture series. Venue: Royal Irish Academy, 19 Dawson Street, Dublin 2. 1-2pm. Free. All welcome. No need to book.

Wednesday 27 August: Finding women in the records, with Mary McAuliffe. Part of the Eneclann/Ancestor Network 20x20 lunchtime series. Venue: National Library of Ireland, Kildare Street, Dublin 2. 20-min lecture plus Q&As. Free. No booking. 1:05pm.

Thursday 28 August: Niall of the Nine Hostages and the genetic architecture of Irish surnames, with Dan Bradley. Part of the Eneclann/Ancestor Network 20x20 lunchtime series. Venue: National Library of Ireland, Kildare Street, Dublin 2. 20-min lecture plus Q&As. Free. No booking. 1pm.

Thursday 28 August: Introduction to Genealogy Online. Venue and host: Portlaoise Library, Lyster Square, Portlaoise, Co. Laois. 2–3pm. Free but booking required by email to library@laoiscoco.ie or telephone: 057 8622333.

Thursday 28 August: Genealogy seminar, with Sinead Holland. Host: Loais Libraries. Venue: Abbeyleix Library, Main Square, Abbeyleix, Co Laois. 5:30pm to 7:30pm. Free, but booking required. Tel: (0)57 873 0020.

Thursday 28 August: West Cork men and the Great War, with William Casey. Host: Skibbereen Heritage Centre. Venue: Skibbereen Credit Union Conference Room. 8pm. Free but booking essential due to limited space. Call the Heritage Centre on 028 40900.

Thursday 28 August: Workshop - Sources for military personnel in India. Venue: British Library, Euston Road, London, UK. Free. 2pm. Booking required by email.

Friday 29 August: The First World War, 1914-1918: Ireland within the wider European context, with Dr Jerome ann de Wiel. Third of the Limerick and the Great War Lecture Series. Venue: The Hunt Museum, Custom House, Rutland Street, Limerick City. Free. 1pm. Phone: +353 61 312833 Email: education@huntmuseum.com.

Friday 29 August: Tulla Weekend of the Welcomes/Ireland Reaching Out, with Sr deLourdes Fahy. Plus music and light refreshments. Venue: Tulla Courthouse, Tulla, Co Clare. 7:30pm. All welcome. Email for details to tulla@irelandxo.com.

Friday 29 August: Uncovering the Irish of the American Civil War, with Damien Shiels. Part of the Eneclann/Ancestor Network 20x20 lunchtime series. Venue: National Library of Ireland, Kildare Street, Dublin 2. 20-min lecture plus Q&As. Free. No booking. 1:05pm.

Friday 29 and Saturday 30 August: The fourth Tudor & Stuart Ireland conference. Venue: National University of Ireland, Maynooth, County Kildare. Details.

Friday 29 August & Saturday 30 August: WDYTYA?Live Scotland. Part of Homecoming Scotland. Exhibition and workshop programme. NIFHS and APGI will be attending. Venue: SEEC, Glasgow.

Saturday 30 August: WW1: a Great War of a good war? History Ireland Hedge School. Venue: Electric Picnic, Stradbally, Co Laois. 3pm. Sold Out.

Saturday 30 August: Researching Your Family History, with Waterford Council Archivist Joanne Rothwell. Venue: Ballymacarbry Community Centre Ballymacarbry, Clonmel, Co Tipperary. 2:30pm. More info: info@ballymacarbry.com & 052 6185483

Sunday 31 August: Guided tour of Old Cobh Cemetery, with Jack Gilmartin. Venue: Old Cobh Cemetery, Cobh, Co Cork. Free. No booking. Meet at the main gate of the cemetery at 2:30pm.

Sunday 31 August: The war to end all wars, 1914-1918, a day of lectures hosted by the Maritime Institute of Ireland and the Heritage Council. Venue: Dun Laoghaire Club, Eblana Lodge, Eblana Avenue, Dun Laoghaire, Co Dublin. 11:30am to 8pm. Donations requested; recommended €5 per lecture/€20 for the day. Details.