Friday, 30 September 2011

October dates

Saturday 1 October: The Rosscarbery Steam Engine aka Timothy Jerome O'Mahany. A plaque to honour West Cork's forgotten world champion runner, who defeated America's finest athletes, will be unveiled at his birthplace at 3pm.

Monday 3 October: Songs of Irish Emigration, an illlustrated lecture with Fred Freeman. Music Library, Central Library, ILAC Centre, Henry St, Dublin. Free. Booking essential. 01 8734333 or musiclibrary@dublincity.ie.

Tuesday 4 October: A visit to Victorian Dublin, with Dr Seamus O'Maitiu. Council Chamber, City Hall. 1.10 to 1.50. Free. All welcome.

Tuesday 4 October: Healthy or Wealthy? The third in a series of four lectures examining whether it was better to be healthy or wealthy in the 18th and 19th centuries, with archivist Joanne Rothwell. Cappoquin Community Centre, co Waterford. 7pm-8-30pm. Cost €5. Contact Name: Cathy McGrath, tel: 058 52746

Saturday 8 October: Irish Resources Online, with Chris Paton, at Dumfries & Galloway Family History Society. www.dgfhs.org.uk.

Tuesday 11 October
: Court and Prison Records, with Brian Donovan. Genealogical Society of Ireland. Dun Laoghaire College of Further Education.

Tuesday 11 October: Healthy or Wealthy? The final lecture (in a series of four) examining whether it was better to be healthy or wealthy in the 18th and 19th centuries, with archivist Joanne Rothwell. Cappoquin Community Centre, co Waterford. 7pm-8-30pm. Cost €5. Contact Name: Cathy McGrath, tel: 058 52746

Wednesday 12 October: Post-famine perceptions of Irish landlords, with American historian L Perry Curtis, Professor Emeritus of History, Brown University. National Library of Ireland. 7pm. Free. No booking required.

Thursday 13 October
: Irish Resources Online, with Chris Paton, at EastAyrshire Family History Society. www.eastayrshirefhs.co.uk.

Thursday 13 October: More historical houses in the Dunmanway area, with Maisie Culbert. Dunmanway Historical Society. 8.00p.m. Cox's Hall.

Thursday 20 October: The Irish Divisions at the Somme & Messines, with Noel Kane from the Somme Heritage Centre. Talk commemmorates the involvement of the 36th (Ulster) Divisions and the 16th (Irish) Divisions in the Battle of the Somme. Lisburn City Library. 7.30pm. Booking essential. 028 9263 3350.

Friday 21 - Sunday 23 October: Back to our Past. Ireland's very own genealogy exhibition. RDS. Advance booking tickets 5euros, on the day 10euros. www.backtoourpast.com.

Thursday 27 October: Murder at Crebilly, with Brian O'Hara. Ballymena Branch of the Northern Ireland FHS. Michelin Arts Workshop, Braid Arts Centre. 7.15pm. Details Ballymena 0565 6854.

Thursday 27 October
: Church & Other Religious Sources for Irish Genealogy, NLI, Kildare St, Dublin. 10am-4.30pm. Fee. See following post.

Religious sources seminar

The Library Association of Ireland, Genealogy and Local Studies Group is holding a seminar dedicated to church and other religious sources for Irish genealogists.

Speakers include:

James Ryan, author of Irish Church Records, Sources for Family & Local History
Noelle Dowling, Dublin Diocesan Archivist
Susan Hood, Representative Church Body Library
Robin Roddie, Archivist of the Wesley Historical Society
Karel Kiely, Secretary of the Irish Family History Foundation
Christopher Moriarty, Quaker Library and Archive
Valerie Adams, Presbyterian Historical Society.

The full programme has yet to be confirmed but it promises to be a highly educational day.

Location: NLI, Kildare St, Dublin. 10am-4.30pm.
Date: Thursday 27 October
Cost: 30euros for LAI members; 40euros for non-members; 20euros non-waged. Lunch not included. Booking essential, at 01 6030351 or ifletcher@nli.ie

Wednesday, 28 September 2011

Titanic 2012 conference

A full-day conference will be held at the National Archives (TNA) in Kew, London on Saturday 14 April next year. Yes, that's a long way off, and you haven't even thought of buying a diary for the new year, but this will be one of many events planned on both sides of the Irish Sea to mark the centenary of the Titanic disaster, and it's likely to sell-out well in advance.

Lectures will look at the story of Titanic from all angles: from construction to launch, from the early 20th century's class divide to its great strides in technological development, and from the hopes that sailed with her to the the aftermath of the tragedy. A special Titanic exhibition in TNA's museum will also be open to delegates.

Speakers include specialist staff from TNA, academics and authors.

Places are limited and will be allocated on a first come, first served basis. The cost, which includes tea, coffee, a buffet lunch and an evening wine reception, is £60 but bookings made before the end of October will be charged at an early bird rate of £50. Details: www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/conferences/default.aspx?eventId=9&departmentId=8

Tuesday, 27 September 2011

Two major genealogy conferences: last few spaces

This weekend sees two major genealogy conferences taking place – one in Ennis, co Clare, the other in London. There's still time to book, and both of them promise to be highly informative.

Clare Roots Society Genealogy & Family History Conference

The theme of this conference is The Future of our Past. It will be held at the Templegate Hotel, Ennis on Saturday 1st October, 8.45-5.15, but there are also a number of pre-event meetings and sessions. The main programme is as follows:

Liam Curran: The Irish soldier in the British Army in the First World War
Gregory O'Connor: Legal and Court Documents in Genealogy Research
Jim Herlihy: The Black & Tans and the Auxiliaries
Dr Jane Lyons: The Importance of Graveyards in Genealogical Research
Antoinette O'Brien: Clare Heritage Centre, Corofin and its records
Dr Nick Barratt: Family History and the Media
John Grenham: Jam Tomorrow: what's online and what's coming?

Tickets to the conference only are €30, with lunch €50, with conference dinner €80.
www.eventelephant.com/clarerootssocietyconference2011 for full details and bookings.

The Irish Genealogical Research Society Symposium

This symposium is part of the Society's 75th anniversary celebrations. It's theme is Some Irish Comings and Goings – Aspects of Irish Migration. It will be held on Saturday 1 October, 9.30-4.30, at the Society of Antiquities, Burlington House, Piccadilly, London W1. The main programme is as follows:

Dr Declan Downey and Dr Thomas O'Connor: The Wild Geese and the Flight of the Earls
Dr William Roulston: Scots planters in 17th-century Ulster
Dr Breandán Mac Suibhne: Irish Presbyterians who emigrated to America in the 18th century.

Registration fees, including refreshments and lunch: members £27; non-members £32.
Full details and bookings.

Monday, 26 September 2011

Certificate of Irish Heritage is live


If you're planning to apply for a Certificate of Irish Heritage, you should get yourself over to the official website – www.heritagecertificate.ie – to start your preparations. Applications will be accepted from Friday 30th September.

Full details of eligibility and how to apply can be read or downloaded from the site, but here they are, in brief:

Eligibility: All those not born on the island of Ireland who can show an ancestral connection to a specific Irish ancestor.

Documentation required: Scanned image of your ID document; copy of an historical document which shows a direct link to Ireland ie bmd certs, land or census records, wills, ships manifest or immigration records; and the names of people in the line of descent between you and your ancestor. (You can have two ancestors named on the certificate, if you wish, but you need to provide supporting documents for only one of them.)

Certificates cost €40, payable by MasterCard or Visa. If you choose to have your certificate framed, the additional cost is €54 (there's a good choice of frames and certificate designs).

When the idea for a Certificate of Irish Heritage was first mooted, it was suggested that some kind of tourist discounts or incentives would be part of the deal, so as to encourage travel to Ireland. As far as I can tell from the website, there are no such incentives in the package.

Friday, 23 September 2011

Malahide Irish genealogy course starts on Monday

There are still a couple of spaces left on the Irish Genealogy - How to research your family history course starting at Malahide Community School on Monday 26th.

While no prior knowledge of genealogy research is needed, familiarity with a computer is desirable for this 10-week adult education course. Classes are held 7.30pm to 9.30pm.

For further details phone 01 8460949 or email adulted@malahidecs.ie.


Posted by 'that woman'.

Don't pay over the odds for Northern Ireland certificates

The General Register Office Northern Ireland (GRONI) has warned that some companies are overcharging family historians for birth, marriage and death certificates ordered online.

It urged researchers to order certificates only from the official online source: www.nidirect.gov.uk/index/do-it-online/government-citizens-and-rights-online/order-a-birth-adoption-death-marriage-or-civil-partnership-certificate.htm.

Among the overcharges noted by GRONI was a fee of up to £74.99 for an unofficial 'express' online service.

GRONI's priority service costs £32 (standard service is £14), which, let's face it, is already exhorbitant enough, so it seems worthwhile to heed the advice.

National Archives building in a 'woeful state'

TD Olivia Mitchell said yesterday that material held at the National Archives and National Library was degrading as a result of poor storage conditions.

Speaking at the second reading of The National Tourism Bill 2011, she said that little investment was made in the buildings that housed these cultural institutions during the Celtic Tiger years and they were now in desperate need.

'The National Archives is an important area for genealogical tourism, which is a major growth area,' she said. 'It is particularly significant in a country that has had wave after wave of emigration, but the National Archives building is in a woeful state.

'It is a tribute to the dedicated specialist staff there that they are able to maintain access to so many of our archives. That access has been increased enormously by the digitisation of records and I understand that the process of digitisation, which will make things more available to people, is continuing.

'If the Minister of State does find the money, or the NAMA building that was mentioned that could house the archives, I would recommend it be considered as a priority for the Government.'

She added that the National Library was a second priorty.

'I mention these two institutions because their material is degrading as a result of not having the proper conditions for storage. Whatever about the tourists, let us ensure we do not let it degrade any further.'

See the full debate.

Thursday, 22 September 2011

NLI challenges Ancestry

THE NATIONAL Library of Ireland says it had no prior knowledge of Ancestry's intention to release transcriptions of records which form part of the Library's collection of parish registers and is questioning the genealogy giant's legal right to have done so.

The subscription site yesterday launched a major update to its Irish records offer, including some 450,000 Roman Catholic register entries dating from 1742 to 1884. These were microfilmed back in the 1980s by the NLI.

Full story.

230 years of Derry City life revealed in minutes.

Historic records of Derry Corporation dating back more than 300 years can now be viewed online, thanks to the successful completion of a partnership project between the Public Record Office of Northern Ireland (PRONI) and Derry City Council Heritage and Museums Service.

The project, which started in December 2009, has involved the digitisation of the entire collection of twenty-three original volumes of Derry Corporation minute books. These volumes date from 1673-1901. The volumes record discussions in the Council Chamber on a vast array of subjects relating to local government of the City.

Each minute book begins with the date of the meeting of the Common Council and a list of those members in attendance.

You can find out about the Plantation of the City, the Royal Charter of King James 1, the city's Industrial Linen Heritage, its thriving port, the arrival of the railways, and much more.

The digitised images are held in pdfs which can be downloaded from www.proni.gov.uk/index/search_the_archives/derrycorporationarchive-3.htm.

Wednesday, 21 September 2011

Ancestry launches twin Family Search records

Subscription and pay-as-you-go site Ancestry.co.uk has today added the following databases to it's Irish Collection:

  • Civil Registration Births, Marriages and Deaths Indexes 1864-1858 (it's incorrectly billed as 1864-1978).
  • Roman Catholic birth registers 1742-1881
  • Roman Catholic marriages and banns 1742-1884
  • Roman Catholic deaths 1756-1881
  • Marriages 1771-1812, as published in Walker's Hibernian magazine.
  • Ireland births and baptism 1620-1911.
Eagle-eyed researchers will recognise that this pretty much mirrors what is available – free – on FamilySearch. On the plus side – and it's quite a big plus if you've been having difficulty locating a specific marriage – Ancestry's search allows you to see the names of up to four couples who appear on any one page of the original marriage register. For example, if you were looking for Great Aunt Nellie Doyle's marriage to that fly-by-night Tom Daly, you'll know you've hit on the right entry when his name and hers appear together (plus those of up to six others), on the search return. (Thanks to Chris Paton of Scottish Genes fame for pointing out this significant improvement.)

On the negative – the database descriptions provided by Ancestry are not very helpful. For example, there is no explanation that the civil registration indexes for Antrim, Armagh, Derry, Down, Fermanagh and Tyrone end at 1921. Nor is the limited coverage of the RC records described.

All in all, Ancestry's search system makes a welcome change to the lumpy Family Search one, so I'm pleased to see the launch of this alternative. Take a free trial to give it a go.

Tuesday, 20 September 2011

First Certificate of Irish Heritage issued

The first Certificate of Irish Heritage was today presented by Tánaiste Eamon Gilmore to the family of a New York fireman who lost his life in the 9/11 attacks.

I will post further details of the application process and its costs as soon as they are available, but I understand that the website for online applications for the Certificate – www.heritagecertificate.ie – will go live at the end of this month. It is not online yet.

Monday, 19 September 2011

More Dublin BMDs online at FMP Ireland

Some 12,000 records from the Registers of St Patrick's Cathedral in Dublin, 1677-1800, have been added to Find My Past Ireland.

Most of the entries in the registers are burial records. This is because, in the late 17th century and the 18th century, the area around St Patrick's was poor and considered unfashionable so it would not have been considered a great place to celebrate a wedding or christening. However, the registers include some of Dublin's most eminent citizens, including Jonathan Swift, numerous Archbishops and many honourable clergymen.

The Cathedral also catered for the French Huguenot Congregation in Dublin, who worshipped in the Lady Chapel and were buried in the French Churchyard.

Published in 1907, these records were transcribed by the then Dean's Vicar of the Cathedral, C. H. P. Price, and edited by J. H. Bernard, the Dean of St. Patrick.

NUI Maynooth uncovers Ireland's population story

The story of Ireland’s emmigration and population through 160 years of famine, economic hardship, partition, Land Commission, emigration and Celtic Tiger boom is now available at Electoral Division level thanks to two digitised online atlases published by the National Centre for Geocomputation (NCG) based at NUI Maynooth.

The Population Change Atlas 1841-2002 charts changes in population throughout this turbulent period while The Atlas of Irish Famine Data 1841-1851 takes a detailed look at local data during the famine years, with particular reference to population decline and agricultural practices.

Director of the NCG, NUI Maynooth’s Professor Stewart Fotheringham, said that while there was a lot written on where Irish emigrants went and what became of them, the impact of mass emigration at local level has not until now been explored.

'Previously we have had only broad brushstrokes, and commonly accepted perceptions, such as the West has been hit harder than the East. What this work tells us is that the impacts of population decline are much more complex. There has been a genuinely uneven spatial imprint left behind by these population changes,' he said.

Some observations made by the NUI Maynooth team:
  • The average population loss during famine times was 20%. All Connacht counties lost 27-30% of their populations, while in Leinster there was greater variation. Westmeath, Laois and Offaly lost more than average while the fertile regions of Kildare, Meath and Wexford lost less.
  • Many local areas in the West of Ireland lost between 40% and 60% of their populations during the famine, while Carlow and south Wicklow, which have received less attention from famine scholars, also suffered higher than average population loss.
  • Areas along the Roscommon-Mayo border suffered far less population decline than the eastern side of the county which lost more than 60% of its population – perhaps linked to the actions of Major Dennis Mahon who gave assisted passage to 4,500 impoverished tenants to North America.
  • In the years following the famine, many parts of the West of Ireland (Galway, Mayo and Donegal) actually experienced population growth – perhaps linked to the continuance of labour intensive mixed farming rather than the more typical pastoral activity.
  • From the early 20th century, significant increases are seen in regions around Dublin City (including the modern commuter counties) and Belfast, Cork and Limerick. Galway City and its environs remain in decline.
  • The heavy emigration of the 1950s is evident, with Connacht and Munster counties most affected.
  • The population growth that started in the 1960s was focused on the cities, when agriculture was becoming less labour-intensive. West Cork and Kerry were particularly affected in the early part of this period while Dublin and the cities continued to grow.
The atlases also compare the current populations of counties to their maximum of 1841. Leitrim is lowest at 17%, while Dublin is greatest at 303%. It is areas of the Border Midlands West (BMW) region which have never recovered the populations once seen, with Cavan (23%), Roscommon (25%) and Mayo (29%) particular examples.

 The NCG team compiled data from the 16 censuses taken on the island of Ireland between 1841 and 2001/2, based on the relatively stable Electoral Divisions that have existed over these years, but making allowances for variations caused around the major cities and some differences to how areas are managed in Northern Ireland.
The atlases can be explored at http://ncg.nuim.ie/historical-atlas.

Friday, 16 September 2011

New date for IrishGenealogy's long overdue update

Now, I got myself into a bit of hot water last time I commented on IrishGenealogy's ever-shifting deadlines for the next upload of records. Couldn't hide my irritation.

So today, since I'm in a very serene here-comes-the-weekend state of mind, I'm just going to say that IrishGenealogy.ie are planning to upload more Roman Catholic records of Baptism, Marriage and Burial for Dublin City and County Cork (Diocese of Cork and Ross) on Tuesday 4th October.

Records for County Monaghan (Diocese of Clogher), which were promised for uploading before the end of September, have been reclassified in the 'near future' category.

(See also my earlier post about new records on RootsIreland.)

Changing colours on RootsIreland

The map of counties covered by RootsIreland.ie looked a bit different when I called in on the site today: Waterford has gone green and Wexford has turned orange.

The orange indicates that some kind of agreement has been reached to upload Wexford records to the pay-as-you-go site in the near future. Exactly which records and when they'll be available remains to be seen. There's no explanation on the site (or if there is, I couldn't find it).

But there's better and more certain news over at Waterford. The green colour on the map indicates that Waterford has joined the merry band of counties across the island whose records are indexed, available for searching and downloading.

Only they aren't! It seems the wearing of the green is just a little premature here because the Waterford data isn't going to be live until the tail end of September.

Update, from Roots Ireland: The Waterford records are baptisms. They'll be followed by 20,000 records from Monaghan and then, by mid-October, the first Wexford records will start to appear, as will some Northern Ireland gravestone inscriptions. Wonderful!

GRO digitisation still four years from completion

The digitisation of Ireland's civil registration records, which seems to have been in an 'on-off' state of slow progress for many years, will take another four years to complete, according to TD Joan Burton, Minister for Social Protection.

In a written response to questions from TD Catherine Murphy, she explained that the project is 'an extremely labour-intensive task, requiring a high level of skill, great attention to detail and extensive quality control', adding 'resources are very limited.'

The project, which is continuing at the General Register Office's Head Office in Roscommon, has cost about €10million so far, and a further €1.5million is needed to complete it.

There is still no certainty that the historic records will be made available online for public consumption, nor is there any decision yet as to whether charges for copy bmd certificates or online images of them would increase.

The issue of charging for historical records is, of course, a hot potato at the moment. See CIGO's report of last week's Meeting on Genealogy Records at the National Library.

Time to start planning your Culture Night

The countdown has begun. This time next Friday will see arts and cultural organisations all over the island opening their doors – free of charge – to an impressive showcase of local and visiting arts acts. It's a great chance to celebrate Irish culture at absolutely no cost.

Now in its sixth year (it started in Temple Bar in 2006), Culture Night has been embraced by 30 towns, cities and islands and there are hundreds of options for a great night out. Here are a few that caught my eye:

Dublin: Renowned tenor Noel O'Grady will be performing musical classics at the James Joyce Centre at 6.30pm and 8pm. There's also a late night opening of the Old Library and Books of Kells Exhibition at Trinity College.

Belfast: The first ever Cathedral Quarter Parade (6.30-10.00pm) will take place up and down Donegall Street every 30 minutes, with each parade having a different theme. Leading the celebration is the newly elected (and totally unofficial) Mayor of the Cultural Quarter, Terri Hooley. Meanwhile, Lower Garfield Street will be turned into the Spanish Quarter, with sangria, oranges, flemenco guitar and dance, and carnival.

Carlow: Launching its own Cultural Quarter, Carlow's many historic buildings will be offering guided tours.

Donegal: here's a double-helping - Away with the Fairies Storytelling at Letterkenny's Central Library 6-7.30pm, followed by the illuminated Loinnir sculpture trail in the town park.

Kerry: Master crafters will be working under the fairy lights at the Goose Island workshop in Castlegregory but there's a more noisy affair at the Malton Hotel in Killarney where the Big Open Drum Circle, staged by Drum Dance Ireland, will be an attempt to get the biggest and longest lasting drum circle going that Kerry has ever seen.

Wexford: Opera singers taking part in the 60th anniversary of Wexford Festival Opera will perform some of their favourite arias for one night only in the foyer of Wexford Opera House. Selskar Abbey is also reopening and can be visited by guided walks.

For the full programme, see www.culturenight.ie.

Yet more diary dates

Seems an exceptionally busy month, and I've just picked up on a few more happenings scheduled for the next couple of weeks. See separate entry for Culture Night events.

Tuesday 20 September: Foxrock Local History Club. Is Dev. turning in his grave? a lecture with Diarmuid Ferriter. Foxrock Parish Pastoral Centre. 8pm. €4.

Friday 23 September: Central Library, Waterford, Local Studies Room. Tracing your Irish Ancestors, a talk by John Grenham. 6pm. Free.

Friday 23 September: Launch of An Irish Village: Dunlavin, co Wicklow by Chris Lawlor at Rathsallagh Golf Club. 8pm.

Saturday 1 October
: Full day seminar on local history. Dublin City Library & Archive, Pearse Street. 9.45-3.30. Free but booking essential. 01 674 4806.

Saturday 1 October
: Irish Genealogical Research Society's 75th anniversary symposium. Full day seminar: Some Irish comings and goings - Aspects of Irish Migration. Society of Antiquaries, Burlington House, Piccadilly, London W1J 0BE. 10.00-4.30. £27 for members £32 non-members.

Thursday, 15 September 2011

Mid-month update from IGP Archives

Ireland Genealogy Projects Archives have been hard at work this month, as usual. Here are the new records uploaded in the first two weeks of September.

ARMAGH Genealogy Archives - Cemetery
Newtownhamilton; St. Michael's RC Cemetery

ARMAGH Genealogy Archives - Military & Constabulary
1845 Royal Irish Constabulary

CARLOW Genealogy Archives - Military & Constabulary
1845 Royal Irish Constabulary

CAVAN
Genealogy Archives - Military & Constabulary
1845 Royal Irish Constabulary

CLARE Genealogy Archives
Military & Constabulary - 1845 Royal Irish Constabulary  
Headstone Photos:
  • Kilquane Cemetery 
  • Kilvoydane Cemetery 
  • Dysart Cemetery

CORK Genealogy Archives - Military & Constabulary
1845 Royal Irish Constabulary

DOWN Genealogy Archives - Cemetery
Belfast, Knockbreda Parish Church of Ireland (Walled) Cemetery Pt 2  

DUBLIN Genealogy Archives - Glasnevin Cemetery (partial only)
Headstones:
  • Glasnevin, Dublin
  • St Fintan's, Sutton
  • Glasnevin Headstone Photos, Part 6
    FERMANAGH Genealogy Archives
    Headstones:
    • Drummully St. Mary's Church (CoI)
    • Aghalurcher Cemetery (partial)
    Church:
    • Ballyshannon Methodist Circuit.Churches Births recorded at Ballyshannon,
    • Pettigoe, Bundoran & Ballintra 1835-1932
    • Ballyshannon Methodist Circuit.Churches Marriages recorded at Ballyshannon,
    • Pettigoe, Bundoran & Ballintra 1872-1930
    • Derryvullen North (CoI) Births 1803-1839 Part 1
    • Derryvullan North (CoI) Births 1840-1871 Part 2
      GALWAY Genealogy Archives - Photos
      Davis, Margaret  

      LEITRIM Genealogy Archives - Headstones
      Fenagh Church of Ireland (partial)  

      LONGFORD Genealogy Archives - Church Records
      Deaths in the Parishes of Templemichael and Ballymacormick 1812  

      WEXFORD Genealogy Archives - Headstones
      Hollyfort near Gorey; St. John's Church of Ireland

      Irish Genealogy Toolkit is the Research Help partner of IGP-Archives.

      Tuesday, 13 September 2011

      More Huguenot registers released

      Containing more than 1500 names, the registers of the French Church of Portarlington, co Laois, have been released on FindMyPastIreland. They date from 1694 to 1816.

      Portarlington started out as a small settlement and grew to become not only a centre for education in Ireland (it had 16 schools by the mid-18th century, including some that taught only in French and Latin) but also a distinctly French village.

      Evidence of this Gallic history can still be seen in the style of architecture and the name of streets such as French Church Street.

      The record collection now available on FindMyPastIreland was published by the Huguenot Society of Great Britain and Ireland in 1908. This volume was edited by Thomas Philip Le Fanu who describes how and why the Huguenots came to settle in Portarlington, and the influence they had on the town.

      The registers recorded in this collection date to September 1816 when the last entry in French was made.

      This release is the second this month to concentrate on Irish-Huguenots. FindMyPast have also released the registers of the French Non-Conformist Churches of Dublin 1701-1831.

      Wednesday, 7 September 2011

      Three more for the diary

      Here's a trio of events that somehow escaped my earlier diary listing for September.

      Tuesday 13 September: One thousand years of East Cork Surnames, with APGI member Rosaleen Underwood. Cork Genealogical Society at the Cork Family History Centre, Sarsfield Road, Cork.

      Thursday 15 September
      : On the Edge of Darkness. The Presbyterian Community of the Laggan, East Donegal,1880-1973, with Rev Dr Brian Brown at Cregagh Presbyterian Church, Belfast at 8pm. Everyone welcome. Refreshments provided. www.presbyterianhistoryireland.com.

      Wednesday 21 September: Tracing Northern Ireland Ancestors for Beginners, with Michael Gandy. Society of Genealogists, 14 Charterhouse Buildings, Goswell Road, London, EC1. Admission £6 (£4.80 for members). Details: 020 7553 3290.

      Friday, 2 September 2011

      Seamen, Huguenots and Kerrymen – new releases

      1. A new site from Kerry Local Authorities – www.kerrylaburials.ie – launched last month and news of its arrival seems to have got lost in the holiday rush. It holds a database of some 70,000 burial records from 140 cemeteries. All the cemeteries are controlled or owned by Kerry County Council – no church or privately owned cemeteries are included. The oldest entry is from 1898.
      In total, 168 burial registers have been scanned and indexed. Researchers can search for by name in a specific cemetery or they can opt to browse through the entire register of a specific cemetery.

      Entries contain the name, age and occupation of the deceased, together with marital status and cause of death.

      Unfortunately, it isn't possible to search by name across the entire database, only cemetery by cemetery. This is fine if the researcher knows where his ancestors are likely to have been buried, but rather laborious if you don't. Even so, this is an excellent additional resource for genealogists with Kerry links, and there are plans to add to it in the future.

      2. If you've got Huguenot heritage you'll be interested in FindMyPast Ireland's latest addition: The Registers of the French Non-Conformist Churches in Dublin from 1701 to 1831.

      The Huguenots were French protestants who settled in Ireland after their eviction from France in the late 17th century. This is one of the few Huguenot parish registers for Ireland. It contains 1500 names and covers Baptisms (1701-1731), Marriages (1702-1731), Deaths (1702-1731) and Burials (1771-1831).

      3. Hot off the press today, and third in this merry trio of new releases, is a collection of Merchant Navy records from the UK version of FindMyPast. The records are index cards which the Registrar General of Shipping and Seaman used between the two world wars (1918 to 1941) to produce a centralised index of merchant seamen serving on British merchant navy vessels.

      To be honest, I wasn't overly excited when I received the announcement today, but on further examination I'd urge anyone with Irish heritage to take a look.

      Much to my surprise, 26 of my ancestors were lurking in the collection. Admittedly, my maternal ancestors all seem to have had webbed feet, so I wasn't exactly shocked when their names showed up in the search results, but there were also a few paternal ancestors in the records who I'd always thought were committed landlubbers and had probably never left Cork.

      This new resource (it's never been online before) is an interesting specialist collection in its own right, but it carries an added bonus: a good proportion of the records containing photos of the seamen in their working attire. Definitely worth taking a look.



      Latest updates from Ireland Genealogy Projects

      Ireland Genealogy Projects Archives have been hard at work during the summer. Here's a list of the records uploaded during the last two weeks of August.

      ANTRIM Genealogy Archives
      Belfast, City Cemetery (partial)

      CLARE Genealogy Archives
      Killaloe, St. Flannan's (Church of Ireland) Cathedral, Graveyard
      Killaloe, St. Flannan's (CoI) Cathedral Memorials

      DOWN Genealogy Archives
      Dundonald, Belfast, part 2 & 3
      Dundonald, St. Elizabeth's Parish Church (CoI) Graveyard, Pt 1 & 2

      DUBLIN Genealogy Archives
      Deansgrange Cemetery, South West Section Part 4
      Mount Jerome, Part 30
      Glasnevin Cemetery, parts 4 & 5

      FERMANAGH Genealogy Archives - Church
      Derryvullen North -Deaths Recorded at (CoI) 1804-1866
      Derryvullen North (CoI) -Marriages Recorded 1803-1844
      Irvinestown Presbyterian Church Marriages 1848-1934
      Pettigo Presbyterian Church Marriages 1846-1871

      GALWAY Genealogy Archives - Military & Constabulary
      1843 Royal Irish Constabulary

      LEITRIM Genealogy Archives - Military & Constabulary
      1843 Royal Irish Constabulary

      MAYO Genealogy Archives - Land & Military and Constabulary
      Encumbered Estate property of Robert Jones, Esq. (House and premises in Ballina Town) 1854
      1843 & 1844 Royal Irish Constabulary

      MONAGHAN Genealogy Archives - Military & Constabulary
      1843 Royal Irish Constabulary

      ROSCOMMON Genealogy Archives - Land
      Encumbered Estate property of Garrett O'Moore, Esq., Lots 13-17, (Bellfield, Gortanabla, Togher, Carrowreagh & Carrownure) 1852

      SLIGO Genealogy Archives - Military & Constabulary
      1843 & 1844 Royal Irish Constabulary

      WATERFORD Genealogy Archives - Military & Constabulary
      Waterford 1843-1844 Royal Irish Constabulary

      Irish Genealogy Toolkit is the Research Help partner of IGP Archives.

      Thursday, 1 September 2011

      Lectures, workshops and events in September

      Thursday 1 September: 'Public Sinners - Morals of young people in the 1850s, a report by parish priests of Dublin to the Archbishop', with Peader Bates. Donaghmede Library, 6.30pm. Free. Booking recommended.

      Sunday 4 September: French 1760. French and British soldiers will be showing off their drills, equipment and flags, and telling the story of French invasion at Carrickfergus. 10.30-5pm Carrickfergus Castle. Normal admission prices apply. Details: 028 9335 1273.

      Sunday 4 September: The Genealogy Roadshow. The Carton House edition. RTE1 6.30pm.

      Thursday 8 September: Field Trip to Garranes Ring Fort and Cashel Hill Fort, with Skibberreen Historical Society. €10. Details: Brendan McCarthy 028 21094.

      Thursday 8 September: Catholic Police Officers in Northern Ireland, with Dr Mary Gethins. Free. Booking recommended. Linen Hall Library, Belfast. Details: 028 9032 1707.

      Saturday 10 September: Irish soldiers who fought in the First World War, a lecture with Tom Burke from the Royal Dublin Fusiliers Association. Thurles Library, co Tipperary. 3pm. Free. Details: 0504 21555.

      Saturday 10 September: Trip to Banbridge, Bronte Country and Linen Trail, from Dublin, with the Federation of Local History Societies. €25 + €14 lunch. Booking essential. Details: Dermot Ryan 021 477 2729.

      Sunday 11 September: The Genealogy Roadshow. The Slane Castle edition. RTE1 6.30pm.

      Monday 12 September Next Stop New York: Stories of Emigration and Loss, part of the Great Writing, Great Places series. Held on board the Jeanie Johnston moored at Custom House Quay, Dublin at 6pm. Admission is free but booking is essential. Sensible shoes recommended. Details: 01 674 4862.

      Tuesday 13 September Unbounded Charity and Unfortunate Females: Lady Arbella Denny and the early years of the Leeson St. Magdalen Asylum, with Rosemary Raughter. Genealogical Society of Ireland. Dún Laoghaire College of Further Education. 8pm.

      Wednesday 14 September Memories into Memoir, an interactive lecture and discussion on Memoir Writing with author Irene Graham. 1.45-4pm. Free. National Library, Kildare St, Dublin. To book: memoir@nli.ie

      Thursday 15 September: Titanic Port and Thompson Dry Dock, with Alf McCreary. 6.30pm. Free. Booking Recommended. Linen Hall Library, Belfast. Details: 028 9032 1707.

      Saturday 17 September: The Paddy McGill Memorial Lecture - Gaelic Games, Association Football and Society in Ardara 1891-1923, with Conor Curran. Donegal Historical Society. Heritage Centre, Ardara. 8.30pm.

      Tuesday 20 September: Rev W Richardson (1740-1812) The Northwest Connection,a talk with Alan Blackstock. Coleraine Historical Society. 8pm. Guide Hall, behind Terrace Row Presbyterian Church.

      Tuesday 20 September: The Archdeacon's Tale, with Margaret Murphy. Part of the Tales of Medieval Dublin lunchtime lecture series held at Wood Quay Venue. 1.05-1.45pm. Details: www.fmd.ie

      Friday 23 September: To coincide with Culture Night, the Genealogical Society of Ireland, Guild of One Name Studies and Clans of Ireland are hosting an event at the Dublin City Library and Archive in Pearse Street. 6-9pm. Talk to experts, try out resources and get new ideas for your research. Details: cityarchive@dublincity.ie

      Friday 23 September: Discover Theobald Wolfe Tone, from a Sallins perspective. An evening of presentations, an exhibition, a visit to the tone family graves and music. Details: www.sallins4U.com

      Saturday 24 September: Full day Family History Seminar, organised by the Irish Family History Society. Dublin City Library and Archive, Pearse Street. 10am-5pm. Free. No booking necessary.

      Thursday 29 September: What is local history?, the first lecture of a new local history series, with PRONI and OUI. 6.30-8pm. Booking essential. PRONI, Belfast. proni@dcalni.gov.uk.