The National Library of Ireland will be hosting its 8-week Introduction to Family History course from 18 January.
The course, led by the well-respected tutor Sean J Murphy, will be held on Wednesday afternoons (2–4:30pm). Places will be limited to 30 participants and the course fee is €100. Participants should have some experience of using computers.
Booking by email only to Ciara Kerrigan – ckerrigan@nli.ie – will open on 12 December. Do not send your booking request before that date.
Here's the course schedule:
18 January 2017: Lecture 1, First Steps
Preview of course; principles of history and of genealogy, recommended texts, preparing draft pedigrees; advice on completing a personal genealogical project; research methods, National Library, National Archives, General Register Office and other record repositories. Please bring available laptops, tablets, etc, for practical classwork.
25 January: Lecture 2, Computers and the Internet
Computers and online resources; websites of National Library and other repositories; the e-library; Ancestral Quest and other genealogy programs, online family trees; photographs, videos and digital images. Online workshop I.
1 February: Lecture 3, Placenames, Forenames and Surnames
Origins and forms of Irish placenames, administrative divisions; forenames or first names; origins of surnames internationally and in Ireland, surnames of Gaelic and settler origin, septs and chiefs, the question of Irish ‘clans’.
8 February: Lecture 4, Census Records
Census returns of 1901 and 1911 and pre-1901 fragments, census records online; review of progress in personal genealogical projects.
15 February: Lecture 5, Vital Records and Property Valuation Records
Civil records of births, marriages and deaths commencing in 1864 (and non-Catholic marriages commencing in 1845); Tithe Applotment Books (1820s-30s), Griffith’s Valuation (1848-64), Valuation Office records. Online workshop II.
22 February: Lecture 6, Church Records, Wills and Deeds
Parish and church registers (baptism, marriage and burial) of Roman Catholic, Church of Ireland, Presbyterian and other denominations; National Library and other online church register resources; wills pre- and post-1858, National Archives and online; the holdings of the Registry of Deeds
1 March: Lecture 7, Memorial Inscriptions and Miscellaneous Sources
Memorial inscriptions in graveyards, churches and commercial cemeteries; an introduction to estate papers, newspapers, directories, occupational records, and other miscellaneous sources. Online workshop III.
8 March: Lecture 8, Conclusion and Recapitulation
Recapitulation of main points of course, review of students’ progress, comparing portfolios, selected student case studies, planning further work.
