Monday 17 April 2017

Irish genealogy and history events, 17–30 April

Monday 17 April. Easter Monday. Archives and public libraries closed Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland.

Tuesday 18 April: Easter closure. Archives and public libraries closed Northern Ireland (incl PRONI & GRONI).

Tuesday 18 April: The Islandbridge Memorial Gardens, with Carole Walker. Host: City Hall Lunch-time Lectures Series (Dublin CC). Venue: Council Chamber City Hall, Dame Street, Dublin. Doors open 12:30pmm. Talk starts 1:10pm. No booking required. Seats allocated on first come - first served basis. Admission free.

Wednesday 19 April: Archaeology of the Blackstairs, with Seamus O'Morchu. Host: Carlow Historical and Archaeological Society. Venue: Community Hall, Borris, Co Carlow. 8pm. Free. All welcome.

Wednesday 19 April: Irish women during WW2, with Dr Mary Muldowney. Host: Dublin: One City One Book. Venue: The Royal Irish Academy, 19 Dawson St, Dublin 2. 6:30pm–7:30pm. Free. Register.

Thursday 20 April: Walking tour of Magee University's historic buildings, with John Thompson. Host: North of Ireland Family History Society, Foyle Branch. Confirm meeting time and place (Derry) with branch by email.

Thursday 20 April: Kindertransport to Ulster, with Charlie Warmington (preceded by AGM). Host: North of Ireland Family History Society, North Down & Ards Branch. Venue: 1st Bangor Presbyterian Church Hall, Main Street, Bangor, BT20 4AG. 7:30pm – 9:30pm. All welcome.

Thursday 20 April: From Laois to Kerry – How the clans of Laois were forced from their lands, with Michael Christopher Keane. Host: Laois Heritage Society. Venue: Heritage House Abbeyleix, Rathmoyle, Portlaoise, Co Laois. 8pm. All welcome. Admission €3.

Friday 21 April: The Exiles' Journey: James Connolly in America, discussion and documentary screening. Host: Irish American Heritage Museum, 370 Broadway, Albany, NY 12207, USA. 6:30pm to 8pm. Free. Register.

Friday 21 April: Women in the Irish Revolution, a History Ireland Hedge School. Panel includes editor Tommy Graham, Mary McAuliffe, Linda Connolly, Elaine Sisson and Conor McNamara. Host: History Ireland and Women's Association of Ireland. Venue: The Mechanics Institute, Middle Street, Galway. 8pm. Free. All welcome.

Saturday 22 April: The Loreto Sisters, their schools and their archive, with archivist Áine McHugh. Host: Irish Genealogical Research Society. Venue: Dublin City Library & Archive, 138-144 Pearse Street, Dublin 2. 3pm. Members and non-members welcome. Free to all. No need to book. (Lecture preceded at 2:30pm by IGRS Ireland Branch AGM, members only.)

Saturday 22 April: A showing of family history resources, with Sarah McHugh. Host and venue: Enniskillen Castle Visitor Centre, Castle Buildings, Enniskillen, Fermanagh. 2:15pm (Refreshments and branch meeting precedes talk from 1:30). Members free. Small charge for non-members. All welcome.

Saturday 22 April and Sunday 23 April: Alberta Genealogical Society Conference. Venue: Radisson Hotel & Conference Centre, 4520–76 Ave NW, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada T6B 0A5. Specifically Irish-themed lectures are Irish Sources You May Never Think of, with Kyle J Betit on Saturday at 10:15am; Advances in Irish Research, also with Kyle, on Sunday, 11:20am–12:10pm; and Researching Your Scots–Irish Ancestors: Canada and Beyond, with Ruth Blair on Sunday, 11:20am–12:10pm. Several of the other lectures would also be particularly useful for researchers with Irish heritage. See full programme and details of registration.

Monday 24 April: Nomadic, Titanic's little sister, with Frances James. Plus AGM. Host: North of Ireland Family History Society, Larne Branch. Venue: Larne Bowling & Lawn Tennis Club, 112-120 Glenarm Road, Larne, Co Antrim. BT40 1DZ. Free. 7:30pm. All welcome.

Tuesday 25 April: Islandbridge - People, places, pictures, with Patrick Hugh Lynch. Host: City Hall Lunch-time Lectures Series (Dublin CC). Venue: Council Chamber City Hall, Dame Street, Dublin. Doors open 12:30pmm. Talk starts 1:10pm. Bring your own headphones for enhanced sound. No booking required, but come early to ensure a place. Seats allocated on first come - first served basis. Admission free. No booking required, but come early to ensure a place.

Tuesday 25 April:: Great houses of Belfast and their families, with Roger Dixon. Host: North of Ireland Family History Society, Belfast Branch. Venue: C. S. Lewis Room, Holywood Arches Library, Holywood Road, Belfast, BT4 1NT. 7:30pm. Free. All welcome.

Tuesday 25 April:: Tracing your Irish ancestry, a workshop with Jill Williams FIGRS. Host: Consulate General of Ireland. Venue: CG of Ireland, 16 Randolph Crescent, Edinburgh, Scotland EH3 7TT. 2pm–4pm. Free. Places are limited so be sure to register your attendance by email to RSVPEdinburgh@dfa.ie.

Wednesday 26 April: The life and times of J B Malone, founder of the Wicklow Way: map-maker, soldier, historian and author, with Michael Fewer. The Old Dublin Society. Venue: Dublin City Library & Archive Conference Room, 138–144 Pearse Street, Dublin 2. 6pm. Free. All welcome.

Thursday 27 April: Dr P J O’Hara, a local doctor, with Brian O’Hara. Talk follows AGM. Host: North of Ireland Family History Society, Ballymena Branch. Venue: Michelin Arts Workshop, Braid Arts Centre 1-29 Bridge Street, Ballymena, BT43 5EJ. 7:15pm. Free. All welcome.

Thursday 27 April: The Fitzwilliams of Merrion – the last of the line, with Des Smyth. Host: Rathmines, Ranelagh and Rathgar Historical Society. Venue: Rathmines Town Hall (Rathmines College), Rathmines Road, Dublin 6. 8pm. €3. All welcome.

Friday 28 April: First generation Irish, with Margaret Sullivan; Identifying Famine immigrants in Griffith's Valuation, with Donna Moughty; Mapping Irish locations online, with Pamela Guye Holland; Jumping the pond - Finding the origins of your Irish ancestors, with Donna Moughty; and Prejudice and Pride: Irish immigrants in Know-Nothing Boston, with Margaret Sullivan. Host: New England Regional Genealogical Consortium. Venue: MassMutual Convention Center, Springfield, Massachusetts, USA. Details and program.

Friday 28 April: H.M.Coastguard in pre-Independence Ireland: the Forgotten Force, with James Doherty. Host: Waterford Archaeological and Historical Society. Venue: St. Patricks Gateway Centre, Patrick Street, Waterford. 8pm. Admission: €5.00 (members free).

Saturday 29 April: Michael Collins, Dublin 1916-22, with Joe Connell Jnr. Host: Stoneybatter & Smithfield People's History Project. Venue: The Cobblestone, 77 North King Street, Smithfield, Dublin 7. Free. 4pm to 5:40pm. All welcome.