Monday 27 February 2017

Irish genealogy and heritage events, 27 Feb–12 March

Tuesday 28 February: Family history for beginners online, a workshop. Host and venue: Carnegie Library, Hamilton Road, Bangor, Co Down BT20 4LH. 11am to 1pm. Some basic computer skills required. Free, but booking advised.

Tuesday 28 February:
Understanding DNA, with Martin McDowell. Host: North of Ireland Family History Society, Coleraine Branch. Venue: Guide Hall, Terrace Row, Coleraine, Co LondonDerry. 8pm. All welcome.

Tuesday 28 February: Sinn Féin courts in West Clare 1918-1925, with Michael Nolan. Host: Kilrush and District Historical Society. Venue: Teach Ceoil, Grace Street, Kilrush, Co Clare. 8pm. Members free; non-members €5.

Tuesday 28 February: Death, ghosts & the afterlife in late Medieval Ireland, with Dr. Colman Ó Clabaigh. Host: Mallow Field Club. Venue: Social Services Centre, Mallow. Co. Cork. 8pm. All welcome. Admission €3.

Tuesday 28 February: Pre-1800 records for researching ancestors, with Dr William Roulston. Host: North of Ireland Family History Society, Belfast Branch. Venue: C. S. Lewis Room, Holywood Arches Library, Holywood Road, Belfast, BT4 1NT. 7:30pm. All welcome.

Tuesday 28 February: Sinn Féin Courts in West Clare 1918-1925, with Michael Nolan. Host: Kilrush and District Historical Society. Venue: Teach Ceoil, Grace Street, Kilrush, County Clare. 8pm. All welcome. Members free; non-members €5.

Tuesday 28 February: Researching your Castledermot family history, with Clem Roche. Host: Castledermot Local History Group. Venue: Teach Diarmada Community Centre, Castledermot, Co Kildare. 8pm. All welcome. Non-members €2.

Thursday 2 March: St James' Church, Stradbally and its environs, with Cian Flaherty. Host: Dunhill History Lecture Series XI, 2017. Venue: Dunhill Multi-Education Centre (opp GAA grounds), Dunhill, Co Waterford. 8pm. €5. Lecture is followed by Q&A and light refreshments. All welcome. Details of lecture series.

Thursday 2 March: Women of the Irish Revolution and India: Maud Gonne, Charlotte Despard Molly Woods, and the struggle for Indian independence in the 1930s, with Kate O'Malley. Last of the 'Ireland and the World after the Rising’ Winter Lecture Series 2017. Host: Glasnevin Trust & Trinity College Dublin. Venue: Museum’s Milestone Gallery, Glasnevin Cemetery. Dublin 11. 7pm. Tickets €10. Details and booking.

Thursday 2 March: Following the footsteps of the Cork Fenians – 150th Anniversary of the Fenian Rising, with John Mulcahy. Host: Blarney & District Historical Society. Venue: Scoil Mhuire Gan Smál (Blarney Secondary School), 1 Old Blarney Rd, Shean Lower, Blarney, Co. Cork. 8pm. All welcome.

Thursday 2 March: The Irish in London - Medieval/Tudor period, with Gearóid Ó Faoleán. First of The Irish in London lecture series. Host and venue: London Irish Centre, 50-52 Camden Square, London NW1 9XB. 7pm. All welcome. £6 per lecture or £15 for the series. Booking.

Friday 3 March and Saturday 4 March: Tracing Your Irish and Scots-Irish Ancestors, a two-day Ulster Historical Foundation Seminar, with Fintan Mullan and Gillian Hunt. Host: The McClelland Library. Venue: Irish Cultuarl Centre, Phoenix, Arizona, USA. 9am to 5pm. Different topics each day. Register for one day or both. $40 per day for members; $45 per day for non-members; $10 for optional lunch per day. Advance registration required by 28 February (seating is limited).

Saturday 4 March: The fracturing of Christendom - The Reformation in Ireland 1530-1700, with Raymond Gillespie. Host & venue: Tipperary County Museum, Mick Delahunty Square, Clonmel, Co Tipperary. 10:30am. €5. All welcome. Seats allocated on a first come, first served basis.

Saturday 4 and Sunday 5 March: 150th anniversary of the Fenian Rising. Kilrush & District Historical Society. Saturday: lectures 2pm to 5pm in Stella Maris Hotel in Kilkee (changed location due to weather), Co Clare. Sunday: various events, mixed venues. Details.

Saturday 4 and Sunday 5 March: Genealogy Corner and talks at 50 Plus Expo. Host: Senior Times (S&L Promotions Ltd). Venue: City Hall, Anglesea Street, Cork City. 11am to 5:30pm on each day. Details and free tickets.

Sunday 5 March: Discover Your Irish and Scots-Irish Ancestry, with the Ulster Historical Foundation. Host & venue: Lakewood and South Hill Libraries. Venue: Pierce County Library, Administrative Center Library, 3005 112th St E, Tacoma, WA, USA. 1pm–5pm. Programme is full but you can register for waiting list here.

Monday 6 March: The changing face of Dublin cemeteries and graveyards 1500-2000, with Lisa Marie Griffith. Host: 'Mondays at the Mess' lecture series. Venue: Richmond Barracks, off Bulfin Road, Inchicore, Dublin 8. 11am. All welcome. Entry €5 includes tea/coffee and a scone in the cafe. Tickets.

Monday 6 March: Proclaiming a (Fenian) Republic: The Fenian Movement in Co. Cork, with Martin Millerick. Host: Heritage Unit, Cork County Council. Venue: Council Chamber, Floor 2, County Hall, Carrigrohane Road, Cork City. All welcome. 3pm.

Monday 6 March:
A beginner’s guide to Gaelic place names, with Linda Ervine of the Skainos Centre. Host: North of Ireland Family History Society, Killyleagh Branch. Venue: Killyleagh Masonic Hall, 50 High Street, Killyleagh, County Down. BT30 9QF. 8pm. All welcome.

Tuesday 7 March: Exploring your Scots-Irish genealogy, with the Ulster Historical Foundation. Host & venue: Andrew Jackson’s Hermitage, 4580 Rachel's Lane, Nashville, TN, USA. Evening seminar (6pm - 9pm). Afternoon: individual consultations. Details.

Tuesday 7 March: The Irish in London - Early Modern Era, with Gearóid Ó Faoleán. Second of The Irish in London lecture series. Host and venue: London Irish Centre, 50-52 Camden Square, London NW1 9XB. 7pm. All welcome. £6 per lecture. Booking.

Tuesday 7 March: Introduction to online resources for family history: civil registration and church records. A talk by John Grenham MAGI at 1pm will be followed by a workshop with Accredited Genealogists Ireland (AGI) where participants will have the opportunity to discuss their research with professional genealogists and members of AGI from 2:15pm-4pm. The event is part of Adult Learners Festival and is jointly hosted by the National Library of Ireland and AGI. Venue: National Library of Ireland, Kildare Street, Dublin 2. No booking required. All welcome. First come-first served on the day. (See also Friday 10 March.) More details.

Tuesday 7 March: Common Myths about Immigrant Ancestors and how to find out the truth, with Lisa Dougherty. Host and venue: Paul O'Dwyer Library, Irish American Heritage Museum, 370 Broadway, Albany, NY 12207 USA. 11am-2pm. $5 to non-members. Free to members. Booking.

Wednesday 8 March: King of all balloons: the first flight across the Irish Sea to Holyhead in 1817, and other Dublin aerial escapades, with Mark Davies. Host: The Old Dublin Society. Venue: Dublin City Library & Archive Conference Room, 138–144 Pearse Street, Dublin 2. 6pm. Free. All welcome.

Wednesday 8 March: The Women of Ireland – International Women’s Day Lecture, with Katie Liddane. Host and venue: Tyneside Irish Centre, 41 Gallowgate, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK. NE1 4SG. Free 7.30pm to 9:30pm. All welcome. Details.

Wednesday 8 March: Irish Republican Women, with Dr Azrini Wahidin. An International Women’s Day event. Host: Nottingham Irish Studies Group. Venue: Five Leaves Bookshop, 14A Long Row, Nottingham, UK. 7pm to 8:30pm. Tickets: £3 on the door; register by email: fiveleaves.bookshopevents@gmail.com.

Wednesday 8 March: The Down Survey of Ireland, with Jimmy Laffey. Host: The Western Family History Association Venue: Lackagh Parish Centre, Lackagh, Turloughmore, Co Galway. 8pm. All welcome. Details: laffeyjimmy@gmail.com or(085) 2187544.

Thursday 9 March: The Redmonds and Waterford, 1891–1952, with Pat McCarthy. Host: Dunhill History Lecture Series XI, 2017. Venue: Dunhill Multi-Education Centre (opp GAA grounds), Dunhill, Co Waterford. 8pm. €5. Lecture is followed by Q&A and light refreshments. All welcome. Details of lecture series.

Thursday 9 March: Discover your Irish roots, a day seminar with the Ulster Historical Foundation. Hosts: Michigan City Public Library and La Porte County Genealogical Society. Venue: Michigan City Public Library, 100 E. 4th St., Michigan City, USA. 9:30am - 4pm. Register by calling 219-873-3049. Details.

Friday 10 March: Taking the next steps in family history research: understanding land and property records. A talk by Helen Kelly MAGI at 1pm will be followed by a workshop with Accredited Genealogists Ireland (AGI) where participants will have the opportunity to discuss their research with professional genealogists and members of AGI from 2:15pm-4pm. The event is part of Adult Learners Festival and is jointly hosted by the National Library of Ireland and AGI. Venue: National Library of Ireland, Kildare Street, Dublin 2. No booking required. All welcome. First come-first served on the day. More details.

Saturday 11 March: Four Irish research lectures, all presented by Donna Moughty: Using Griffith’s Valuation to identify your ancestors’ origins, Unpuzzling Ireland’s Church records, Sources for Irish research, and Seeking your Irish ancestors before and after the Famine. Host: DuPage County Genealogical Society Conference. Venue: NIU Conference Center, 1120 E. Diehl Road, Naperville, IL,USA. Conference fee $70 includes lunch. See full conference programme. SOLD OUT.

Saturday 11 March: The Big House: Life & Living, a one-day seminar. Host: Tipperary County Council. Venue: Nenagh Arts Centre, Banba Square, Nenagh, Co Tipperary. All welcome. 10am-5pm. Tickets €15. Details.

Saturday 11 March: Getting the most out of Ancestry, with Mary Wickersham. Host: Irish Genealogical Society Intl (IGSI). Venue: Minnesota Genealogical Society Library, 1185 North Concord, South St Paul, MN. USA. 10:30am–12 noon. The cost is $15 for IGSI members and $20 for non-members. Need to book.

Saturday 11 March: Family history seminar. Host and venue: Dublin City Library and Archive, 138-144 Pearse Street, Dublin 2. Free. 9.45am to 3.30pm. (Lunch 1-2pm, not provided,) Booking not required. All welcome. Details.

Saturday 11 March: National Irish Studies Conference. Host: Manchester Irish Education Group. Venue: Irish World Heritage Centre, Irish Town (off Queens Road), Cheetham, Manchester, UK, M8 0AE. 9:15am to 4:30pm. Advance tickets £20/ £25 on the door. Includes lunch and refreshments. Details.

Saturday 11 March: Neighbours, landlords and tenants on the Mountjoy and Abercorn Estates, with Dr Brian Lambkin. Host: North of Ireland Family History Society, Tyrone Branch. Venue: Seminar Room, Omagh Library, Dublin Road, Omagh, Co Tyrone BT78 1HL. 10am. All welcome.

Saturday 11 March: Researching your Irish and Scots-Irish ancestors, a day seminar with the Ulster Historical Foundation. Host: Northwest Arkansas Genealogical Society. Venue: Bentonville Community Center, 1101 SW Citizen’s Circle, Bentonville, AR, USA. 9:00am–4:00pm. Details (pdf download).

Sunday 12 March: Irish and Scots-Irish family history research, an afternoon seminar with the Ulster Historical Foundation. Host: South Central Pennsylvania Genealogy Society. Venue: Historical Society Museum, 250 E. Market St, York County, PA, USA. 1:00pm–5:00pm. Details.

Friday 24 February 2017

Ulster Historical Foundation's 9-state genealogy seminar tour starts next Friday, 3 March, in Arizona

The Ulster Historical Foundation's Fintan Mullan and Gillian Hunt will be taking off on their annual North American lecture tour next week.

They'll be starting off in Arizona and ending in Arkansas, visiting a total of nine states (AR, AZ, IL, IN, PA, TN, VA, WA, and WI) in the three-week programme of workshops, showing researchers how to get the most from Irish resources and records, gain strategies for breaking down brick walls, and grasp important historical context that may explain gaps in their research.

Here's the itinerary, below. Where the list doesn't mention that a seminar is fully booked, places are still available as of this morning, but don't delay to book as these seminars are always extremely popular. Some events are free, while others are not. Follow the details links for more information, or contact UHF via above link.

Friday 3 March and Saturday 4 March
Phoenix, Arizona
Tracing your Irish and Scots-Irish ancestors
Host and venue: The McClelland Library, Irish Cultural Centre
Full-day seminars (9:00am–5:00pm); different programme on each day.
Details

Sunday 5 March
Tacoma, WA
Discover Your Irish and Scots-Irish ancestry
Host and venue: Lakewood and South Hill Libraries, Pierce County Library. Administrative Center & Library, 3005 112th St E, Tacoma.
Afternoon seminar (1pm - 5pm). Fully booked. Waiting list available.
Details.

Tuesday 7 March
Nashville, TN
Exploring your Scots-Irish genealogy
Host and venue: Andrew Jackson’s Hermitage, 4580 Rachel's Lane, Nashville.
Afternoon: individual consultations. Evening seminar (6pm - 9pm).
Details.

Thursday 9 March
Michigan City, IN
Discover your Irish roots
Host and venue: Michigan City Public Library, 100 E. 4th St., Michigan City. Co host - La Porte County Genealogical Society.
Day seminar (9:30am - 4pm).
Details.

Saturday 11 March

Bentonville, AR
Researching your Irish and Scots-Irish ancestors
Host: Northwest Arkansas Genealogical Society. Venue: Bentonville Community Center, 1101 SW Citizen’s Circle, Bentonville.
Day seminar (9:00am–4:00pm).
Details.

Sunday 12 March
York County, PA
Irish and Scots-Irish family history research
Host: South Central Pennsylvania Genealogy Society. Venue: Historical Society Museum, 250 E. Market St, York.
Afternoon seminar (1:00pm–5:00pm)
Details.

Monday 13 March
Green Bay, WI
Researching your Irish ancestors

Host and venue: Brown County Library, 515 Pine Street, Green Bay.
Afternoon/evening seminar (3:15pm - 8:30pm). Bookable consultations on following morning.
Details.

Wednesday 15 March and Thursday 16 March
Fountaindale, IL
Irish Genealogy: Resources for success!
Host: Plainfield Public Libraries. Venue: Fountaindale Library, 300 W Briarcliff Rd, Bolingbrook.
Full day seminars (9:30am - 4:30pm) with different programme on each day. Day 2 fully booked (waiting list available).
Details.

Friday 17 March
Richmond, VA
Irish and Scots-Irish genealogy research
Host and venue: Library of Virginia, 800 East Broad Street, Richmond
Half-day seminar (9am - 12:30), followed by immigration and migration workshops by library staff.
Details.

Saturday 18 March
Philadelphia, PA
Celebrating your Irish & Scots-Irish ancestors
Host: The Genealogical Society of Pennsylvania. Venue: Brookside Manor, 50 Bustleton Pike, Feasterville.
Full day seminar (9am - 4:30pm) plus individual consultations.
Details.

Sunday 19 March
Pittsburgh, PA
Irish genealogy workshop
Hosts: Heinz History Center (HHC) & Westmoreland County Historical Society. Venue: HHC, 1212 Smallman St., Pittsburgh.
Full day seminar (9:00am-4:30pm)
Details.

Tuesday 21 March
Little Rock, AR
Irish and Scots-Irish genealogy workshop
Hosts: Arkansas Genealogical Society and Butler Center for Arkansas Studies. Venue: Hillcrest Hall, 1501 Kavanaugh Boulevard, Little Rock.
Evening seminar (6:00pm–9:00pm).
Details.

Wednesday 22 February 2017

Dublin City Libraries release free Digital Repository

Dublin City Libraries and Archive Digital Repository has been released today with some 43,000 historic photographs and documents freely available to search and download. The material includes photographs, postcards, letters, maps, and historical memorabilia.

Aran Children waiting for the "Dun Aengus" in
1952; from the Fáilte Ireland Photographic Collection
Highlights of the collection include the Fáilte Ireland Photographic Collection with images dating from the 1930s onwards of people, places and tourist locations from across Ireland, and the Dublin City Council Photographic Collection. The latter captures Dublin's changing streetscapes and buildings, as well as significant sporting, cultural, social and political events, mostly dating from the 1980s and 1990s. It contains many photos of Council employees in the course of their work, from civic events to street cleaning and even clearing the Liffey of rubbish and debris.

Also included is the Birth of the Republic Collection, which comprises material from the foundation of the Irish State, and the archives of the Royal Dublin Fusiliers Association, which relate to Irishmen in WW1.

More material relating to the 1912–1922 period will be added over the coming months and years, including the Jacobs Biscuit Factory Archives.



Tuesday 21 February 2017

GRONI relocates to Belfast suburb of Stranmillis

The General Register Office of Northern Ireland (GRONI), along with its Public Search Room, has moved to leafy Stranmillis, about one and a half miles away from its former city centre home in Chichester Street, Belfast.

https://www.google.co.uk/maps/place/Colby+House,+Stranmillis+Ct,+Belfast+BT9+5BF/@54.577198,-5.9336536,17z/data=!4m5!3m4!1s0x486108e8f8387af5:0xa8f816079abe0bee!8m2!3d54.5769026!4d-5.9326075
GRONI's full database (to current date)
is available at GRONI and PRONI.

The well-organised move went according to plan, with the office closing as normal at 4pm on Tuesday 14 February and re-opening on Wednesday 15 February in the newly-built Colby House. It was business-as-usual from the word-go, with four researchers waiting for the doors to open at 9:30am eager to check out the new facilities in the bright, squeaky clean and thoroughly modern new offices. Regular visitors will be pleased to know that the new Search Room is not only more spacious, it is climate controlled, so no more freezing in Winter and roasting in Summer! Free parking is another improvement for researchers.

As previously, twelve computer terminals are available for researchers to search GRONI's database. Unlike the online (public) database (here), which restricts access to BMD records according to the 100-75-50 year rule, researchers to the Public Search Room can gain access to birth, marriage and death records right up to current registrations. (This same lack of restriction applies to the four GRONI terminals in the Public Record Office of Northern Ireland in Belfast's Titanic Quarter.)

You'll find full details of GRONI's research facilities, opening hours, booking arrangements, ID requirements and fees on GRONI's online pages, and scrolling down.

The new address is:

General Register Office Northern Ireland
Colby House
Stranmillis Court (off Stranmillis Road)
Belfast BT9 5RR


New book explores the transformation of southern Ireland's Protestant community since the early C20th

http://www.thehistorypress.ie/Buried-Lives__p-730.aspx
Buried Lives – The Protestants of Southern Ireland, by Robin Bury, has been published this month by The History Press Ireland.

The 250-page paperback examines what the author describes as an early-20th-century transformation of southern-based Irish protestants from a once-strong people into an isolated, pacified community. Their political influence, social status and numbers had all but disappeared by the end of the civil war in 1923, he says, largely as a result of exceptional emigration during the Civil War, and they were to form a quiescent minority up to modern times. (The shrinkage of the community is borne out by official statistics – 327,000 in 1911; 220,000 in 1926; 104,000 in 1961.)

The book tells the tale of this transformation and the group's forced adaptation, exploring the lasting effect that it had on both the Protestant community and the wider Irish society, and investigates how Protestants in southern Ireland view their place in the Republic today.

With a recommended price of €20, the book can be ordered from the publisher's website (click image), via good online booksellers, and through Amazon (where a Look Inside option allows you to read sections of the text without purchase).

ISBN: 9781845888800.

Monday 20 February 2017

Images of Registry of Deeds books to 1805+ online

Following a small but promising initial upload in December* of images created from microfilmed copies of Registry of Deeds' Index Books, FamilySearch.org has added an even more substantial tranche of townland indexes, grantors indexes and memorial books to its online image collection called 'Transcripts of memorials of deeds, conveyances and wills, 1708-1929'.

I estimate about two-thirds of the 2,686 microfilms held in this collection by the Family History Library can now be browsed by images.

They include the indexes and books of abstract up to 1805, and partial coverage past that date.

Such ready online access will be of huge help to those involved in the Registry of Deeds Index Project, and to Irish genealogists who know their way around this collection.

* See blogpost - item 7.

Irish genealogy and history events, 20 Feb - 5 Mar

Monday 20 February: Genealogy information sessions, with Margaret Bonar and Elizabeth Craven. Morning venue: Raheny Library, Howth Rd, Dublin 5 from 10:30am to 11:45am. Afternoon venue: Donaghmede library, Donaghmede Shopping Centre, Dublin 13 from 2:30pm to 4pm. Free. Bookings to 087 6491605 or impossibleancestors@gmail.com.

Monday 20 February: Ordinary women in extraordinary times: Cork women in the revolutionary years, with Anne Twomey. Host: Muskerry Local History Society. Venue: Rugby Club, Ballincollig, Co. Cork. All welcome. Members free. Non-members €3. 8pm.

Monday 20 February: Fermanagh and the Boer War, WW1 and the Dublin Rising, with Seamus MacAddaidh. Host: Old Lisnaskea Past & Present. Venue: Castle Park Leisure Centre, Lishnaskea, Co Fermanagh. 8pm to 9:30pm. All welcome. £4 on the door.

Monday 20 February: On the Brink, with Brian McKay. Host: North of Ireland Family History Society, Larne Branch. Venue: Larne Bowling & Lawn Tennis Club, 112-120 Glenarm Road, Larne, BT40 1DZ. 7:30pm. All welcome.

Tuesday 21 February: Last letters home: revealing Irish-American correspondence, culture & community in American Civil War pension files, with Damian Shiels. Part of the Modern Irish History - Culture, Place and Identity seminar series. Host: University of Edinburgh, School of History, Classics and Archaeology. Venue: Room G13, Old Medical School, William Robertson Wing, Teviot Place, Edinburgh, UK. 6pm. No booking required. All welcome.

Tuesday 21 February: Medieval Cloyne, with Paul MacCotter MAGI; lecture marking the 40th Anniversary of Cloyne Literary & Historical Society. Venue: St Colman's Cathedral, Cloyne, Co. Cork. 7:30pm. After lecture at Harty's Restaurant for light buffet. Lecture free. Harty's €5 charge at the door.

Tuesday 21 February: Traditional hamlets in Ireland, with Dr Barry O’Reilly. Host: Tipperary Libraries. Venue: Tipperary Studies, The Source, Cathedral Street, Thurles, Co Tipperary. Lecture starts 7:30pm. All welcome. Free. Tea, coffee and refreshments serves before lecture. Enquiries +353 (0)504 29278.

Wednesday 22 February: Francis Smyth & Sons, umbrella manufacturers, with Gregory Young. The Old Dublin Society. Venue: Dublin City Library & Archive Conference Room, 138–144 Pearse Street, Dublin 2. 6pm. Free. All welcome.

Wednesday 22 February: Open Genealogy Consultation, with Lisa Dougherty. Host and venue: Paul O'Dwyer Library, Irish American Heritage Museum, 370 Broadway, Albany, NY 12207 USA. 11am-2pm. Free. Book a consultation.

Thursday 23 February: Cillíní (Children's Burial Grounds) in the West Cork Tradition, with William Casey. Host: Dúchas Clonakilty Heritage. Vemue: The Parish Centre, Clonakilty, Co Cork. 8pm. Free. All welcome.

Thursday 23 February: The Hales brothers and the Irish Revolution, 1916-23, with Liz Gillis. Part of the 'Ireland and the World after the Rising’ Winter Lecture Series 2017. Host: Glasnevin Trust & Trinity College Dublin. Venue: Museum’s Milestone Gallery, Glasnevin Cemetery. Dublin 11. 7pm. Tickets €10. Details and booking.

Thursday 23 February: 'The past is another country': the boycott at Fethard-on-sea, 1957, with Eugene Broderick. Host: Dunhill History Lecture Series XI, 2017. Venue: Dunhill Multi-Education Centre (opp GAA grounds), Dunhill, Co Waterford. 8pm. €5. Lecture is followed by Q&A and light refreshments. All welcome.

Thursday 23 February: 1798 ‘Faithful to the Last’, with John Craig Lyttle. 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. All welcome.

Thursday 23 February:  An Gorta Beag, the famine of 1879-1880, in West of Ireland, with Leo Finnegan. Host: Old Tuam Society. Venue: Tuam Library, High Street, Tuam, County Galway.  8pm. All welcome.

Saturday 25 February: Family history book sale. Host: North of Ireland Family History Society. Surplus maps as well as books of interest to family and local historians will be available at reduced prices. Venue: NIFHS Library and Research Centre, Unit C4, Valley Business Centre, 67 Church Road, Newtownabbey, Co Antrim, BT36 7LS. 11am to 2pm. Free parking. All welcome.

Saturday 25 February: Education in Ascendency Ireland, c1690-1745, with Rachel Wilson. Host: Education in the long C18th, Institute of Historical Research. Venue: IHR Seminar Room N304, Third Floor, IHR, Senate House, Malet Street, London WC1, UK. 2-4pm. Contact: IHR Reception, ihr.reception@sas.ac.uk, 020 7862 8740.

Tuesday 28 February: Family history for beginners online, a workshop. Host and venue: Carnegie Library, Hamilton Road, Bangor, Co Down BT20 4LH. 11am to 1pm. Some basic computer skills required. Free, but booking advised.

Tuesday 28 February: Sinn Féin courts in West Clare 1918-1925, with Michael Nolan. Host: Kilrush and District Historical Society. Venue: Teach Ceoil, Grace Street, Kilrush, Co Clare. 8pm. Members free; non-members €5.

Tuesday 28 February: Death, ghosts & the afterlife in late Medieval Ireland, with Dr. Colman Ó Clabaigh. Host: Mallow Field Club. Venue: Social Services Centre, Mallow. Co. Cork. 8pm. All welcome. Admission €3.

Tuesday 28 February: Pre 1800 Records for researching ancestors, with Dr William Roulston. Host: North of Ireland Family History Society, Belfast Branch. Venue: C. S. Lewis Room, Holywood Arches Library, Holywood Road, Belfast, BT4 1NT. 7:30pm. All welcome.

Tuesday 28 February: Researching your Castledermot family history, with Clem Roche. Host: Castledermot Local History Group. Venue: Teach Diarmada Community Centre, Castledermot, Co Kildare. 8pm. All welcome. Non-members €2.

Thursday 2 March: St James' Church, Stradbally and its environs, with Cian Flaherty. Host: Dunhill History Lecture Series XI, 2017. Venue: Dunhill Multi-Education Centre (opp GAA grounds), Dunhill, Co Waterford. 8pm. €5. Lecture is followed by Q&A and light refreshments. All welcome. Details of lecture series.

Thursday 2 March: Women of the Irish Revolution and India: Maud Gonne, Charlotte Despard Molly Woods, and the struggle for Indian independence in the 1930s, with Kate O'Malley. Last of the 'Ireland and the World after the Rising’ Winter Lecture Series 2017. Host: Glasnevin Trust & Trinity College Dublin. Venue: Museum’s Milestone Gallery, Glasnevin Cemetery. Dublin 11. 7pm. Tickets €10. Details and booking.

Thursday 2 March: Following the footsteps of the Cork Fenians – 150th Anniversary of the Fenian Rising, with John Mulcahy. Host: Blarney & District Historical Society. Venue: Scoil Mhuire Gan Smál (Blarney Secondary School), 1 Old Blarney Rd, Shean Lower, Blarney, Co. Cork. 8pm. All welcome.

Thursday 2 March: The Irish in London - Medieval/Tudor period, with Gearóid Ó Faoleán. First of The Irish in London lecture series. Host and venue: London Irish Centre, 50-52 Camden Square, London NW1 9XB. 7pm. All welcome. £6 per lecture or £15 for the series. Booking.

Friday 3 March and Saturday 4 March:
Tracing Your Irish and Scots-Irish Ancestors, a two-day Ulster Historical Foundation Seminar, with Fintan Mullan and Gillian Hunt. Host: The McClelland Library. Venue: Irish Cultuarl Centre, Phoenix, Arizona, USA. 9am to 5pm. Different topics each day. Register for one day or both. $40 per day for members; $45 per day for non-members; $10 for optional lunch per day. Advance registration required by 28 February (seating is limited).

Saturday 4 March: The fracturing of Christendom - The Reformation in Ireland 1530-1700, with Raymond Gillespie. Host & venue: Tipperary County Museum, Mick Delahunty Square, Clonmel, Co Tipperary. 10:30am. €5. All welcome. Seats allocated on a first come, first served basis.

Saturday 4 and Sunday 5 March: Genealogy Corner and talks at 50 Plus Expo. Host: Senior Times (S&L Promotions Ltd). Venue: City Hall, Anglesea Street, Cork City. 11am to 5:30pm on each day. Details and free tickets.

Sunday 5 March: Discover Your Irish and Scots-Irish Ancestry, with the Ulster Historical Foundation. Host & venue: Lakewood and South Hill Libraries. Venue: Pierce County Library, Administrative Center Library, 3005 112th St E, Tacoma, WA, USA. 1pm–5pm. Programme is full but you can register for waiting list here.

Saturday 18 February 2017

Ireland Genealogy Projects Archives: latest additions

The following files were added to Ireland Genealogy Projects Archives in the first two weeks of February:

Unusual inscription font for this headstone to the
Barry/Power family of Leperstown. In Killea graveyard,
Dunmore East, County Waterford.
Photo courtesy Valerie Ackroyd and IGPArchives.
Click image for enlarged view.
CARLOW Genealogy Archives - Land
Leases For Co. Carlow - "The History And Antiquities of County Carlow"

DONEGAL Genealogy Archives - Headstones
Killybegs (RC) Graveyard
Kilmonaster Old Graveyard

DUBLIN Genealogy Archives - Headstones
Deansgrange Cem., St. Mogue's Section, Pt. 2

LEITRIM Genealogy Archives - Headstones
Killegar (CoI) Graveyard

LONGFORD Genealogy Archives - Headstones
Granard, New (RC) Cemetery

MAYO Genealogy Archives - Headstones
Old Kilmeena Graveyard  Pt 2, Westport

MONAGHAN Genealogy Archives - Church
Baptisms, Clones Parish Registers 1682-1688

TYRONE Genealogy Archives - Headstones
St. Patrick's Graveyard, Dunamanagh

WATERFORD Genealogy Archives - Headstones
Holy Cross (RC) Graveyard, Killea

FindMyPast: 10% discount on annual Britain sub

http://www.awin1.com/cread.php?awinmid=2114&awinaffid=123532&clickref=&p=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.findmypast.co.uk%2Ffebruary-offer-10
FindMyPast.co.uk is offering a 10% discount on 12-month Britain subscriptions.

The discount is available only for the Britain sub. This doesn't include specificially Irish collections, although many of the British military record-sets are crammed with Irish men, but it will still be of interest to the many family historians whose Irish ancestors settled in England, Scotland and Wales. 

Use this link – 10% off 12-month Britain Subscription – to take up the offer; the discount code will be automatically applied.

The offer expires at 23:59 (UK) on Thursday 23 February.

Friday 17 February 2017

Ancestry's Irish & UK collection is free this weekend

Ancestry UK is offering free access to its Irish and UK collection this weekend, 17-20 February. (See Note below for Ancestry.com.)

http://www.dpbolvw.net/click-5737308-10819001?url=http%3A%2F%2Fsearch.ancestry.co.uk%2Fsearch%2Fgroup%2Fuk_irish_records
Just some of the one billion Irish & UK records free
this weekend. Click image to scroll through full list.
It's a very broad collection consisting of about one billion records. Click the image, right, to scroll through the various collections that are free of charge for the next few days.

To take advantage of the free access weekend you'll need a registered account. If you don't already have one, it's a quick process and you don't have to provide any personal details beyond name and email.

No financial details are requested.

Once you're set up with a free account, the collection of listed records will available free until 11:59pm on Monday 20 February.

NOTE:
Ancestry.com is also providing a weekend of free access to the same Irish and UK records, even if its landing page describes the collection as British! If you have a registered account through the .com site, the free access will expire at 11:59pm ET on Monday 20 February. Here's Ancestry.com's free access landing page.

Free access now closed.

Tuesday 14 February 2017

Irish Historic Town Atlases released online, free, for Early Modern, Gaelic and Plantation towns

https://www.ria.ie/early-modern-gaelic-and-plantation-towns
The latest release in the online Irish Historic Town Atlas (IHTA) series is for towns founded as new Plantation towns or as redeveloped Gaelic/medieval towns. These early modern, Gaelic and Plantation towns include Bandon, Belfast, LondonDerry, Longford and Ennis (the Belfast book extendsd to 1840).

The IHTA research project is run by the Royal Irish Academy and aims to examine the topographical development of a selection of Irish towns both large and small during key periods in their history.

In each volume, clues to the town's past religious life, defence and security, local and national government, industry, trade, transport, education and leisure habits are explored within the accompanying maps. Dense and accurate, these atlases reveal fascinating details about the physical environment and communities our ancestors lived in.

Included with each online atlas are:
  • The cover, general abbreviations, introduction and select bibliography
  • Word searchable essay, text maps and topographical gazetteer
  • Map 1 (Cmid-19th, 1:50,000), Map 2 (Cmid-19th, 1:2500), Map 3 (modern C20th, 1:5000), growth maps, historical compilation maps and legend sheet.
With this latest release of titles is the chapter on Early modern, Gaelic and Plantation towns from Reading the maps: a guide to the Irish Historic Towns Atlas (Dublin, 2011) to help the reader contextualise the town type, see different samples from different towns and case studies.

The library of online atlases now looks like this:

Towns of Early Modern, Gaelic & Plantation: Bandon, Belfast, LondonDerry, Longford and Ennis
Towns of Viking origin: Dublin, Limerick
Towns of Monastic Origins: Kildare, Kells, Downpatrick, Armagh and Tuam
Towns of Anglo-Norman origin: Athlone, Carlingford, Carrickfergus, Fethard, Kilkenny, Mullingar, Sligo and Trim

The IHTA volumes in this latest release are no. 3 Bandon by Patrick O'Flanagn (1988); no. 12 Belfast, part I, to 1840 by Raymond Gillespie and Stephen A. Royle (2003); no. 15 Derry~Londonderry by Avril Thomas (2005); no. 22 Longford by Sarah Gearty, Martin Morris and Fergus O'Ferrall (2010); and no. 25 Ennis by Brian Ó Dálaigh (2012).

Monday 13 February 2017

Irish genealogy, history & heritage events, 13–26 Feb

Monday 13 February: Book Sale at Cork County Library HQ, Carrigrohane Road, Cork. 10am-5pm. All welcome.

Monday 13 February: 1916 What Happened Next - Compensation Claims, with Cathy Scuffil. Host: Clontarf Historical Society. Venue: Resource Centre, St. John the Baptist Church, Seafield Road. Clontarf, Dublin 3. 8pm.

Monday 13 February: Smuggled Goods and Illicit Commerce in West Cork and the Bantry area in the 17th Century, with Dr Connie Kelleher. Host: Bantry Historical Society. Venue: Christian Fellowship Church, Tower Street, Bantry, Co. Cork. All welcome. 8pm.

Monday 13 February: Old Carnmoney, with Wesley Bonar. Host: North of Ireland Family History Society, Newtownabbey Branch. Venue: Drama Theatre, Glengormley High School, 134 Ballyclare Road, Newtownabbey, BT36 5HP. 7pm. All welcome.

Monday 13 February: A History of Irish Presbyterianism & the resources of the Presbyterian Historical Society, with Valerie Adams. Host: Carryduff Historical Society. Venue: Lough Moss Leisure Centre, Hillsborough Road, Carryduff, Co Down. 8pm. All welcome.

Tuesday 14 February: Defence Forces: Developments at the Military Archives in 2017, with Capt. Daniel Ayiotis. Host: Genealogical Society of Ireland (GSI). Venue: DFEi, Cumberland St, Dún Laoghaire, Co Dublin. 8pm. All welcome. A donation of €3 is requested.

Tuesday 14 February: Stories of Belfast Poor House, with Louise Cavana. Host: North of Ireland Family History Society, Lisburn Branch. Venue: The Bridge Community Centre, 50 Railway Street, Lisburn, BT28 1XP. 7:30pm. All welcome.

Wednesday 15 February: Fairs and livestock markets, with Jimmy Walsh. Host: Carlow History and Archaeological Society. Venue: Seven Oaks Hotel, Carlow. 8pm. All welcome. Free.

Wednesday 15 February: Patrick Pearse: Reality and Myth, with Dr Roisin Higgins. Host and venue: Tyneside Irish Centre, 41 Gallowgate, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK NE1 4SG. 7:30pm - 9pm. Free. All welcome. Details.

Thursday 16 February: Aquila Non Captat Museas: a voyage of discovery of the William Graves & Sons Shipping Company papers at WIT Libraries, with Kieran Cronin. Host: Dunhill History Lecture Series XI, 2017. Venue: Dunhill Multi-Education Centre, Dunhill, Co Waterford. 8pm. €5. Lecture is followed by Q&A and light refreshments. All welcome.

Thursday 16 February: 19th-century agrarian violence in the Slievemargy area of County Laois, with Terry Dunne. Host: Laois Heritage Society. Venue: Heritage Hotel, Portlaoise, Co Laois. Members free; non-members €3. All welcome. 8pm.

Thursday 16 February: Ireland and the Russian revolution, 1917-23, with Conor Kostick. Part of the 'Ireland and the World after the Rising’ Winter Lecture Series 2017. Host: Glasnevin Trust & Trinity College Dublin. Venue: Museum’s Milestone Gallery, Glasnevin Cemetery. Dublin 11. 7pm. Tickets for each lecture are €10. Details and booking.

Friday 17 – Saturday 18 February: The Royal Munster Fusiliers and the Kerry Connection, an exhibiton. Hosts: The Royal Munster Fusiliers Association, the Great War Society, and the Cork. Venue: Tralee Library, Moyderwell, Tralee, Co. Kerry. Friday at 2pm-5:30; Saturday 10am to 5:30pm. Researchers are attending on Saturday to assist the public locate information on WW1 ancestors. Free.

Sunday 19 October: On Opposite Sides: Constance & Casimir Markievicz in 1917, with Patrick Quigley. Host and venue: Irish Polish Society, 20 Fitzwilliam Place, Dublin. 4:30pm-6:30pm. Free. All welcome. Reserve your seat.

Monday 20 February: Genealogy information sessions, with Margaret Bonar and Elizabeth Craven. Morning venue: Raheny Library, Howth Rd, Dublin 5 from 10:30am to 11:45am. Afternoon venue: Donaghmede library, Donaghmede Shopping Centre, Dublin 13 from 2:30pm to 4pm. Free. Bookings to 087 6491605 or impossibleancestors@gmail.com.

Monday 20 February: Ordinary women in extraordinary times: Cork women in the revolutionary years, with Anne Twomey. Host: Muskerry Local History Society. Venue: Rugby Club, Ballincollig, Co. Cork. All welcome. Members free. Non-members €3. 8pm.

Monday 20 February: Fermanagh and the Boer War, WW1 and the Dublin Rising, with Seamus MacAddaidh. Host: Old Lisnaskea Past & Present. Venue: Castle Park Leisure Centre, Lishnaskea, Co Fermanagh. 8pm to 9:30pm. All welcome. £4 on the door.

Monday 20 February: On the Brink, with Brian McKay. Host: North of Ireland Family History Society, Larne Branch. Venue: Larne Bowling & Lawn Tennis Club, 112-120 Glenarm Road, Larne, BT40 1DZ. 7:30pm. All welcome.

Tuesday 21 February: Last letters home: revealing Irish-American correspondence, culture & community in American Civil War pension files, with Damian Shiels. Part of the Modern Irish History - Culture, Place and Identity seminar series. Host: University of Edinburgh, School of History, Classics and Archaeology. Venue: Room G13, Old Medical School, William Robertson Wing, Teviot Place, Edinburgh, UK. 6pm. No booking required. All welcome.

Tuesday 21 February: Medieval Cloyne, with Paul MacCotter MAGI; lecture marking the 40th Anniversary of Cloyne Literary & Historical Society. Venue: St Colman's Cathedral, Cloyne, Co. Cork. 7:30pm. After lecture at Harty's Restaurant for light buffet. Lecture free. Harty's €5 charge at the door.

Tuesday 21 February: Traditional hamlets in Ireland, with Dr Barry O’Reilly. Host: Tipperary Libraries. Venue: Tipperary Studies, The Source, Cathedral Street, Thurles, Co Tipperary. Lecture starts 7:30pm. All welcome. Free. Tea, coffee and refreshments serves before lecture. Enquiries +353 (0)504 29278.

Wednesday 22 February: Francis Smyth & Sons, umbrella manufacturers, with Gregory Young. The Old Dublin Society. Venue: Dublin City Library & Archive Conference Room, 138–144 Pearse Street, Dublin 2. 6pm. Free. All welcome.

Wednesday 22 February: Open Genealogy Consultation, with Lisa Dougherty. Host and venue: Paul O'Dwyer Library, Irish American Heritage Museum, 370 Broadway, Albany, NY 12207 USA. 11am-2pm. Free. Book a consultation.

23 February: The Hales brothers and the Irish Revolution, 1916-23, with Liz Gillis. Part of the 'Ireland and the World after the Rising’ Winter Lecture Series 2017. Host: Glasnevin Trust & Trinity College Dublin. Venue: Museum’s Milestone Gallery, Glasnevin Cemetery. Dublin 11. 7pm. Tickets €10. Details and booking.

Thursday 23 February: 'The past is another country': the boycott at Fethard-on-sea, 1957, with Eugene Broderick. Host: Dunhill History Lecture Series XI, 2017. Venue: Dunhill Multi-Education Centre (opp GAA grounds), Dunhill, Co Waterford. 8pm. €5. Lecture is followed by Q&A and light refreshments. All welcome.

Thursday 23 February: 1798 ‘Faithful to the Last’, with John Craig Lyttle. 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. All welcome.

Saturday 25 February: Family history book sale. Host: North of Ireland Family History Society. Surplus maps as well as books of interest to family and local historians will be available at reduced prices. Venue: NIFHS Library and Research Centre, Unit C4, Valley Business Centre, 67 Church Road, Newtownabbey, Co Antrim, BT36 7LS. 11am to 2pm. Free parking. All welcome.

Friday 10 February 2017

Call for nautical-themed artefacts for Cork exhibition

http://stpeterscork.ie/a-hoy-there-cork/
St Peters Cork is on North Main Street, Cork.
It is open, free of charge, every day except Monday.
Good cafe and secret garden, too!
St Peters Cork, a cultural and community facility in one of Cork's oldest buildings, is planning a new exhibition exploring the maritime history of the City. It will explore the important roles that both Cork Harbour and the River Lee have played in shaping the character of the Republic of Ireland's second city.

A feature wall of the exhibition will be dedicated to the People of Cork, and the organisers are looking for help from people with connections to Cork or to its nautical history. They've put out a call for donations of items that tie in with the theme.

"Whether it’s a letter from a sailor to his sweetheart, an old map or photograph, an advertisement for one of the Merchant Princes, a menu from the Titanic or Lusitania, a telegram, a ticket or a straight-up maritime oddity … if it connects Cork and the sea we would love to hear from you."

The clock is ticking down, so please get in touch with the team if you have suitable documents or artefacts: corkexpo@gmail.com or (021) 427 8187.

British Newspaper Archive offers 20% discount

The offer runs until 15 February
The offer runs until 15 February
The British Newspaper Archive is offering a 20% discount on an annual subscription to its database. The online archive holds a total of 727 newspapers (136 of them Irish) and regularly adds titles.

In recent weeks, as well as breaking through the 18million-pages milestone, the BNA has made a number of user-friendly improvements. These include the updating of the 'My Research' tool, which now goes under the name of 'Saved', where you can organise and save your viewed articles into bookmarked folders, resume previous searches, and download your research at your own convenience.

In addition, a new featured called 'In Pictures' means you can search for pictures in newspapers, and you can now find all the Irish titles listed on one page.

The current discount, which expires on Wednesday 15 February is for annual subscriptions only. To take advantage of the offer, go to the BNA subscription page. Make sure the reduced price is showing, and then sign up.

Thursday 9 February 2017

FindMyPast launches Catholic Heritage Archive

http://www.awin1.com/cread.php?awinmid=5927&awinaffid=123532&clickref=&p=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.findmypast.com%2Fcatholicrecords
FindMyPast has launched the Catholic Heritage Archive, a collection consisting mainly of baptism, marriage and burial records. The intention is to create a collection of some 100 million records from the sacramental registers of Ireland, England, Scotland and the US.

Ireland's RC registers up to 1880/81, which were added to FindMyPast last year, automatically gained a place within this new collection.

They are joined by 3million records from the Registers for the Archdiocese of Philadelphia in the USA and the Archdioceses of Birmingham and Westminster in England.

These will be followed in due course by records from two more American Archdioceses: New York and Baltimore.

The announcment goes on to say that many of the records are free to access ie you don't need a subscription. Trouble is, there's no explanation of which records are free and which are not. Nor can I find a list of the records or collections or parishes included in this Catholic Heritage Archive. I've searched the A-Z and got a big fat zilch. Let's hope they improve the detail going forward because this lack of clarity/transparency is becoming a real issue with FindMyPast.


FindMyPast Ireland
FindMyPast USA/Canada
FindMyPast UK
FindMyPast Australia/NZ



RootsIreland.ie adds transcriptions of Rathganan RC baptism and marriage registers, 1803-1890s

RootsIreland.ie has added transcripts of the registers of the Roman Catholic parish of Rathangan, Co Wexford, as follows:

Baptisms: 1803 – 1892
Marriages: 1803 – 1806 and 1813 – 1890

The registers have been transcribed via Wexford Genealogy and the resulting records of pre-1881 baptisms and marriages link to images, where available, on the National Library of Ireland's RC Registers collection.

It should be noted, however, that the NLI's image collection does not include post-1881 baptisms or post-1880 marriages; these new transcriptions on RootsIreland are, as far as I'm aware, the only online records of the post 1880/1 events.

Tuesday 7 February 2017

British Newspaper Archive reaches 18million pages

Seven Irish titles were added last month alone
The online British Newspaper Archive (BNA) has reached another important milestone having clocked up a new total of more than 18 million pages (18,025,021, to be precise) in its online archive. That's two million pages added in just over two months, which is a pretty impressive rate of digitisation.

There are now 721 titles in the archive; 102 of them were published in the Republic of Ireland, 34 of them in Northern Ireland. As well as being available for search and view on the dedicated BNA site via subscription, the Irish titles are included in FindMyPast's Ireland subscription.

The entire collection is accessible via FindMyPast's World subscription.

Monday 6 February 2017

The Nationalist 1883–2017 joins Irish News Archive

The Nationalist has joined the Irish News Archive (INA). The paper, known as The Carlow Nationalist and Leinster Times when it first appeared on Browne Street in Carlow Town, has been published since 22 September 1883 and its entire archive from that day right through to the present is now accessible online through the INA database.

All three Nationalist papers are accessible: The Nationalist, The Laois Nationalist and the Kildare Nationalist.

To mark this latest addition to the online archive, the Dublin-based INA is offering a 20% discount to its database. All you have to do is select either a monthly or annual subscription and quote the promotion Code NTL0001. The offer will run until 24 February.

You can find out more about the establishment of the newspaper and download a free copy of its first (1883|) edition here.


Irish genealogy, history and heritage, 6–18 February

Monday 6 February: The McKees of Ulster, with John McKee. Host: North of Ireland Family History Society, Killyleagh Branch. Venue: Masonic Hall, 50 High Street, Killyleagh, Co Down, BT30 9QF. 8pm to 9:30pm. All welcome.

Monday 6 February: Tracing your military and revolutionary ancestors, with Nicola Morris MAGI. Host: 'Mondays at the Mess lecture series. Venue: Richmond Barracks, off Bulfin Road, Inchicore, Dublin 8. 11am. All welcome. Entry €5 includes tea/coffee and a scone in the cafe. Tickets.

Monday 6 February: “We own the Laurentic” – story of the sinking and exploration of the White Star liner Laurentic, with Jack Scoltock. Host: North of Ireland Family History Society, Foyle Branch. Venue: Lecture Room of Derry City’s Central Library, 35 Foyle Street, Derry, BT48 6AL. 7pm. Free. All welcome.

Tuesday 7 February: Magnificence and misery: Philanthropy, identity, and city image in Dublin and Edinburgh, c.1815-c.1845, with Joe Curran. Part of the 'Modern Irish History - Culture, Place and Identity' seminar series. Host: University of Edinburgh, School of History, Classics and Archaeology. Venue: Room G13, Old Medical School, William Robertson Wing, Teviot Place, Edinburgh, UK. 6pm. No booking required. All welcome.

Tuesday 7 February: Dublin's sporting heritage and the development of Dublin City Sports Archive, with Ellen Murphy. Host: The Old Dublin Society. Venue: Dublin City Library & Archive Conference Room, 138–144 Pearse Street, Dublin 2. 6pm. Free. All welcome.

Thursday 9 February: Poets of the black chair: Francis Ledwidge and Hedd Wynn 1887-1917, with Myles Dungan and Nerys Williams. Part of the 'Ireland and the World after the Rising’ Winter Lecture Series 2017. Host: Glasnevin Trust & Trinity College Dublin. Venue: Museum’s Milestone Gallery, Glasnevin Cemetery. Dublin 11. 7pm. Tickets for each lecture are €10. Details and booking.

Thursday 9 February Military Traditions Conference and book launch. Joint hosts: PRONI and Antrim and Down Western Front Association. Venue: Public Record Office of Northern Ireland, 2 Titanic Blvd, Titanic Quarter, Belfast BT3 9HQ. 2pm to 5:30pm. Free, but need to register.

Friday 10 February: New Discoveries At Glendalough, a talk from UCD School of Archaeology. Host: Glendalough Heritage Forum. Venue: Brockagh Centre, Laragh, County Wicklow. 7pm. Details. All welcome.

Saturday 11 February:
Beginning Irish Research, with Audrey Leonard. Host: Irish Genealogical Society Intl (IGSI). Venue: Minnesota Genealogical Society Library, 1185 North Concord, South St Paul, MN. USA. 10:30am–12 noon. The cost is $15 for IGSI members and $20 for non-members. Need to book.

Saturday 11 February: Getting Started with Irish Genealogy Research, a beginner level workshop, with Miles Davenport. Host and venue: McClelland Irish Library (Norton Room) 1106 North Central Avenue, Phoenix, Arizona, USA. 10:30am – 12:30pm. Costs: $15 for Library/ICC members and $20 for the general public. Details. Fully booked.

Saturday 11 February: The Evolution of Surnames, with Vincent Brogan. Host: North of Ireland Family History Society, Omagh Branch. Venue: Seminar Room, Omagh Library, Dublin Road, Omagh, BT78 1HL. 10am. Free. All welcome.

Saturday 11 February: No more on the docks, an evening of entertainment (celebrating the history and stories of the docklands) with songwriter Paul O’Brien. Hosts: Dublin Dock Workers Preservation Society and the East Wall History Group. Venue: The Ferryman, 35 Sir John Rogerson's Quay, Dublin. From 8:30pm. Free. All welcome.

Monday 13 February: Book Sale at Cork County Library HQ, Carrigrohane Road, Cork. 10am-5pm. All welcome.

Monday 13 February: 1916 What Happened Next - Compensation Claims, with Cathy Scuffil. Host: Clontarf Historical Society. Venue: Resource Centre, St. John the Baptist Church, Seafield Road. Clontarf Dublin 3. 8pm.

Monday 13 February: Smuggled Goods and Illicit Commerce in West Cork and the Bantry area in the 17th Century, with Dr Connie Kelleher. Host: Bantry Historical Society. Venue: Christian Fellowship Church, Tower Street, Bantry, Co. Cork. All welcome. 8pm.

Monday 13 February: Old Carnmoney, with Wesley Bonar. Host: North of Ireland Family History Society, Newtownabbey Branch. Venue: Drama Theatre, Glengormley High School, 134 Ballyclare Road, Newtownabbey, BT36 5HP. 7pm. All welcome.

Monday 13 February: A History of Irish Presbyterianism & the resources of the Presbyterian Historical Society, with Valerie Adams. Host: Carryduff Historical Society. Venue: Lough Moss Leisure Centre, Hillsborough Road, Carryduff, Co Down. 8pm. All welcome.

Tuesday 14 February: Defence Forces: Developments at the Military Archives in 2017, with Capt. Daniel Ayiotis. Host: Genealogical Society of Ireland (GSI). Venue: DFEi, Cumberland St, Dún Laoghaire, Co Dublin. 8pm. All welcome. A donation of €3 is requested.

Tuesday 14 February: Stories of Belfast Poor House, with Louise Cavana. Host: North of Ireland Family History Society, Lisburn Branch. Venue: The Bridge Community Centre, 50 Railway Street, Lisburn, BT28 1XP. 7:30pm. All welcome.

Wednesday 15 February: Fairs and livestock markets, with Jimmy Walsh. Host: Carlow History and Archaeological Society. Venue: Seven Oaks Hotel, Carlow. 8pm. All welcome. Free.

Wednesday 15 February: Patrick Pearse: Reality and Myth, with Dr Roisin Higgins. Host and venue: Tyneside Irish Centre, 41 Gallowgate, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK NE1 4SG. 7:30pm - 9pm. Free. All welcome. Details.

Thursday 16 February: Aquila Non Captat Museas: a voyage of discovery of the William Graves & Sons Shipping Company papers at WIT Libraries, with Kieran Cronin. Host: Dunhill History Lecture Series XI, 2017. Venue: Dunhill Multi-Education Centre (opp GAA grounds), Dunhill, Co Waterford. 8pm. €5. Lecture is followed by Q&A and light refreshments. All welcome. Details of lecture series.

Thursday 16 February: Ireland and the Russian revolution, 1917-23, with Conor Kostick. Part of the 'Ireland and the World after the Rising’ Winter Lecture Series 2017. Host: Glasnevin Trust & Trinity College Dublin. Venue: Museum’s Milestone Gallery, Glasnevin Cemetery. Dublin 11. 7pm. Tickets for each lecture are €10. Details and booking.

Friday 17 – Saturday 18 February: The Royal Munster Fusiliers and the Kerry Connection, an exhibiton. Hosts: The Royal Munster Fusiliers Association, the Great War Society, and the Cork. Venue: Tralee Library, Moyderwell, Tralee, Co. Kerry. Friday at 2pm-5:30; Saturday 10am to 5:30pm. Researchers are attending on Saturday to assist the public locate information on WW1 ancestors. Free.

Friday 3 February 2017

The Northern Muse: Celebrate the work of the Ulster Historical Foundation

https://www.ancestryireland.com/anniversary-event/
To celebrate its diamond anniversary, the Ulster Historical Foundation is hosting an evening of beautiful music and memories from the nine counties of Ulster. It will be held tomorrow, Saturday 4 February, at the 1st Presbyterian Church in Belfast.

A tuneful and entertaining survey of northern music-making and writing across the years will be performed by Dan Gordon, Carolyn Dobbin; Nigel Boullier and friends; Philip Hammond; and the Arco String Quartet. Refreshments will be served afterwards in the Central Hall.

This is a fundraising event for the Ulster Historical Foundation's work in genealogical and historical research services, publishing, hosting history events and delivering community education programmes. A suggested minimum donation of £25 per person is requested.

This event will be held in the First Presbyterian Church, 41 Rosemary Street, Belfast, BT1 1QB, and starts at 7:30pm. Tickets.

Implementation of new national management system may cause temporary closures of some local libraries

Local libraries across Ireland are in the process of implementing a new national computer system for borrowing and returning books and other items. To facilitate this, some libraries are having to temporarily close their doors to the public. In County Cork, for example, 21 libraries outside the City will be closed for staff training for half days or full days (see details), while the seven City libraries will be closed from 5:30pm on Friday 10 February until 2pm on Wednesday 15 February.

The excellent Cork Local Studies Library, and the Reference Library, both at Grand Parade, will not be affected by this closure and will open for normal hours. (It's worth noting here that the Local Studies Library, which has recently seen closures due to essential roof repairs, is still unable to provide access to all its holdings. Newspapers and historial maps are still off limits, but the full book collection, microfilms and online access are fully available.)

As far as I'm aware, the roll out of the new computer management system will continue until the end of March (it may be later). As it is likely to cause some disruption at many libraries, I'd recommend that researchers ring ahead to be sure of access on their intended visiting day.

Thursday 2 February 2017

Return to the Causeway – a September conference

http://colerainefhs.org.uk/
The Causeway Coast and Glens Family History Society – a branch of the North of Ireland Family History Society – is planning a September conference aimed at researchers with ancestors from the Causeway Coast and nearby.

Called Return to the Causeway – A journey into the past, the conference offers a full and busy schedule, with lectures, walking and coach tours to places of historic relevance, research assistance from local genealogists, a Conference Dinner, and much more. The base location for the event is the Atlantic Hotel in Portrush, and the dates are 25 to 29 September. You can view the programme here.

There's an Early Bird discount available for those who book by the end of March.


Wednesday 1 February 2017

Back to our Past returns to the RDS, Dublin, in October

Back To Our Past, one of Ireland's major genealogy/social history events, will return for its seventh outing this Autumn.

The exhibition and traditional family history lecture programme, plus the Genetic Genealogy Ireland conference which runs as a distinct element of the event, will be held from Friday, October 20 to Sunday October 22, 2017. As previously, it will be held at the RDS in Ballsbridge, Dublin 4.

Stick it in your diary.

2016 Family History website formally launched

Minister Humphreys (centre) at Muckross College
today, viewing the students' family history projects
The Minister for Arts, Heritage, Regional, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs, Heather Humphreys TD, has formally launched 2016 Family History, an online genealogy website for schools, aimed at encouraging students to trace their roots and explore their family tree. (It's been online for a few weeks, see my blogpost.)

The website has been created by the National Archives of Ireland as a legacy project under the Ireland 2016 Centenary Programme. Minister Humphreys met with students in Muckross College in Donnybrook, who have been trialling the website, to launch the new resource.

“Encouraging students to explore their family history can give them a greater appreciation of the seismic events which were happening in this country a century ago," she said. "It is now possible to explore records from the major conflicts which feature in the Decade of Centenaries, such at War World 1 and the 1916 Easter Rising. I hope this new website will serve as a valuable tool to help students reconnect with the past.”

National Archives of Ireland's Director, John Mc Donagh, said: “The site contains case studies on Sean Mac Diarmada and Sean Lemass as examples of how to research and contextualise family history, with poignant accounts of Mac Diarmada’s relationship with Min Ryan, who visited him on the night before his execution, and Sean Lemass’s accidental shooting of his baby brother, Herbert, in 1916.”

A Roof Over Clerical Heads - Archive of the Month from the RCB Library

Front elevation of Ballysakeery Glebe House,drawn c. 1815,
from the portfolio of Glebe House and Rectory Drawings,
RCB Library GH/1.
A Roof Over Clerical Heads is the working title of a new online exhibition (and Archive of the Month) from the Church of Ireland’s RCB Library, showcasing the Library’s small but significant collection of architectural drawings of glebe houses from various parts of the country. Many former glebe houses are now in private ownership so the exhibition should be of particular interest to those who live in such houses, or whose ancestors lived in them.

The collection consists of some 70 sets of drawings – 280 drawings in all, some with related specifications. Some 28 of these sets are C20th, mainly from the 1960s, while most of the remainder date from the early C19th.

These drawings forms one component of the Library’s extensive collection of architectural drawings of churches, cathedrals and clergy residences which are being catalogued, imaged, and web-published as part of the Church of Ireland's Architectural Drawings Project. This project is being carried out by the architectural historian Dr Michael O'Neill.

A glebe house is a residence provided in each parish (or parish union) for the clergy man or woman and his or her family. In the past, glebe land (farm land) was also provided for the rector, vicar or curate of rural parishes; the clergyman up to the late 19th century was often also a farmer or leased out farmland.

By 1832, some 829 glebe houses had been built across Ireland. It is likely that most of their architectural maps, plans and drawings were lodged in the local diocesan registry when the building was completed; these diocesan registry collection were subsequently moved to the Public Record Office of Ireland and lost the in the 1922 Fire. What survives prior to 1922 is therefore all the more precious.

The online exhibition brings these and other examples of glebe houses and rectories to light, adding 280 drawings to the viewable online catalogue, and demonstrating their unique visual impact on the Irish landscape. A standalone list of the glebe house drawings is available for download.

Irish Genealogical Research Society elects two Honorary Life Members

Marking the end of its busy 80th anniversary year, the Irish Genealogical Research Society (IGRS) has elected two of its members to be Honorary Life Members. Candidates had to be long-standing members who had made a significant contribution not only to the Society over a very long period, but to Irish genealogy at large.

The recipients of this honour are Dr Terrence Punch of Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, and Zita Kelly of London, United Kingdom.

Dr Terrence Punch, CM, is well-known as a teacher, writer and speaker on genealogy and history. He joined the IGRS in 1959 and has always been a regular contributor to the Society’s journal, The Irish Genealogist. He holds masters and doctoral degrees from Saint Mary’s University in Halifax, Canada. His thesis at Dalhousie University discussed the Irish adaptation to Halifax from 1815 to 1871. He has held the chair of the Royal Nova Scotia Historical Society, the Genealogical Association of Nova Scotia, the Genealogical Institute of the Maritimes, and the Charitable Irish Society, is a Life Fellow of the Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland and a former trustee of the Public Archives of Nova Scotia. He is resident genealogist for CBC Maritime Noon, a live radio phone-in.

Among Terry’s numerous publications are: Irish Halifax: The Immigrant Generation, 1815-1859, Sons of Erin in Nova Scotia, Genealogical Research in Nova Scotia (4 editions), and four volumes of Erin’s Sons: Irish Arrivals in Atlantic Canada, 1761-1853. He edited the Genealogist’s Handbook for Atlantic Canada Research, and is a regular columnist in the Canadian History Magazine, Saltscapes and the Seniors’ Advocate, and has twice won awards for historical writing from the Canadian Authors Association. His latest book, Some Early Scots in Maritime Canada, was published in May 2011.

He was elected a Fellow of the IGRS in 2009. In the 2011 New Year’s Honours List, Terrence was appointed to the Order of Canada, the country’s highest civilian honour. The citation accompanying the award particularly notes “his contributions to the development and popularization of genealogy in the Atlantic provinces” of Canada.

Zita Kelly joined the Society in 1979 and has achieved a lifetime of contribution to the promotion and study of Irish genealogy. She is widely known as a most methodical, conscientious and extremely knowledgeable Irish genealogist, one with an enormous depth of understanding of the available resources, particularly those held by the National Archives of Ireland, National Library of Ireland and the Registry of Deeds. Without doubt, the Society recognises her as a genealogist who not only wears her knowledge lightly, but one who has always been ready and willing to assist others.

She was the Honorary Secretary of the Society from 1986 until 1991. She very efficiently looked after library users and dealt with library visitor enquiries over a period of many years. In addition, she undertook voluntary work for members in the Registry of Deeds in Dublin, as well as in the National Library, Dublin, and in the British Library’s Newspaper Library, London. She was elected a Fellow of the Society in 1991.

Announcing these two Honorary Life Memberships, the Society’s chairman, Steven Smyrl, said: “2016 was a terrific year for the IGRS. The 80th anniversary milestone was marked with a number of high profile events and launches held over the year. Given this, it seemed so fitting that we should complete these celebrations by recognising the work of two of our stalwart members; two people who have generously given so much of their time and expertise to Irish genealogy and genealogists over so many years."