As it celebrates its 10th anniversary, Clare Roots Society will be hosting a third international family history conference – Diaspora of the Wild Atlantic Way – later this year, bringing together genealogy experts from around the world.
The conference will take place in Ennis, Co Clare, on Friday 23 and Saturday 24 September, with the main theme being the movement and migration of people from the west coast counties of Ireland to Scotland, Britain and beyond. It will also address emigration after 1916 and will feature a focus on genealogy in the future.
While the full programme is not yet finalised, there is already enough detail for researchers to start getting themselves organised for this major date in the Irish genealogy calendar.
The keynote speaker will be genealogy blogger Dick Eastman from the USA (EOGN), who is making his first trip to Ireland and has been involved in genealogy for over 30 years. Other confirmed speakers include Scottish genealogist and author Dr Bruce Durie (currently a Fulbright scholar in the USA researching migration) who will speak on Irish emigration to Scotland; author and genealogist John Grenham (Irish Roots), who will share his experience of researching emigration from the west of Ireland; and researcher and blogger Pauleen Cass (Family History Across the Seas), who has a particular interest in people who left from East Clare and will discuss the reasons some migrants chose Australia over America and other destinations.
On the Friday evening, an exhibition of emigrants' stories will be on display and the opening lecture – From the Rising to Refuge: America and the Irish Revolution – will be presented by historian Gavin Wilk who will discuss the emigrants who left Ireland after 1916 and their experience in America. Mike Feerick will give a short talk about Ireland Reaching Out and will officially launch the conference, and a conference dinner will be held.
The venue is Treacy's West County Hotel in Ennis, where special accommodation rates are available for conference attendees (mention Clare Roots Society when booking).
For updates and contact details, see the Society's website.
