Monday 29 September 2014

Irish genealogy and history events, 29 Sept – 11 Oct

Monday 29 September: Unionism, nationalism and the women's fight for the vote, with Dr Margaret Ward. Host: Craighavon Museum Services. Venue: Craighavon Civic Centre, Lakeview Road, Craighavon, Co Armagh BT64 1AL. 7:30-9pm. Free. Details: 028 3832 2205.

Tuesday 30 September: Ireland and the Great War, with Dr Fearghal McGarry. Part of the Lisburn Museum Lecture Series: Ireland during the Great War. Venue: Lisburn Museum, Market Square, Lisburn, BT28 1AG. 7pm. Free but must be booked in advance – tickets available from museum reception or, for more information call 028 9266 3377.

Tuesday 30 September: Introduction to family history research, with David Beck. Host: Coleraine Branch of North of Ireland Family History Society. Venue: Guide Hall, Terrace Row, Coleraine, Co Derry. All welcome. 8pm.

Wednesday 1 October: The Ordnance Survey 6" Mapping Project: political & cultural agendas, with Prof William Smith. Part of the Mapping City, Town and Country lecture series. Venue: Royal Irish Academy, 19 Dawson Street, Dublin 2. 1-2pm. Free. All welcome. No need to book.

Wednesday 1 October: Overview of The Londonderry Papers, with Lorraine Bourke of PRONI. Launch of exhibition highlighting the Londonderry family, political and estate papers. Venue: Ards Visitor Welcome Centre, Newtownards. 1pm. Free. Reserve a place by telephoning 44+ (0)2891 826846.

Thursday 2 October: Exploring family history – Industrialists and workers, with Dr Janice Holmes and Dr Barry Sheehan. First of the new Open University Lunchtime Lecture Series, examining the working lives of families in the past, with examples from PRONI's collections. Venue: PRONI, Titanic Boulevard, Belfast. 1pm. Booking recommended but not essential. Free.

Thursday 2 October: Visit to PRONI, talk and tour. Host: North Down and Ards Branch of North of Ireland Family History Society. All welcome. 7:30pm.

Thursday 2 October: Regulating the printed word and the tongue: Censorship in seventeenth century Ireland, with Dr Eamon Darcy. Part of the 'Censored' lecture series. Venue: National Print Museum, Beggars Bush, Haddington Road, Dublin 4. 6:30pm. Free, but booking is essential. Contact 01 6603770 to book your place.

Thursday 2 October: Land and Power in South Down 1600-1700, with Professor Raymond Gillespie. Host & Venue: Newry & Mourne Museum, Bagenal's Castle, Castle Street, Newry, Co. Down, BT34 2DA. 7:30pm.

Friday 3 October to Sunday 5 October: Practised in the Art of War: Limerick Sieges, 1642–1691. A conference hosted by Thomond Archaeological and Historical Society. Venue: Absolute Hotel, Limerick. Details.

Saturday 4 October: The role of women in the Irish country house, 1860–1914, with Dr Maeve O'Riordan. Venue: Tipperary County Museum, Mick Delahunty Square, Clonmel, Co Tipperary. 10am to Noon, with refreshments provided. €50 for the full series or €5 per session. Bookings by email or 076 106 5564.

Saturday 4 October: Family & local history fair, organised by the Fermanagh branch of the North of Ireland Family History Society. Three lectures: 1pm – Migration from Northern Ireland 1922–2013, with Dr Johanne Devlin; 2:15pm – Tracing your Jewish ancestors, with Stuart Rosenblatt; 3pm – Ireland and the WW1 ANZAC campaign, with Dr Jeff Kildea. Venue: Enniskillen Castle Museum. Wide range of genealogy exhibitors. 12noon to 4pm.  Free.

Monday 6 October:  Ireland and the Great War, with Dr Fearghal McGarry. Host: Craighavon Museum Services. Venue: Craighavon Civic Centre, Lakeview Road, Craighavon, Co Armagh BT64 1AL. 7:30-9pm. Free. Details: 028 3832 2205.

Monday 6 October: Dublin 1843: O'Connell's Repeal meetings, with Vincent Ruddy. Host: Old Dublin Society. Venue: Dublin City Library & Archive, 138–144, Pearse Street, Dublin. 6:30pm

Monday 6 October: How to undertake War grave research - War graves in Belfast, with Nigel Henderson. (See also 13 October for wider Northern Ireland focus.) Venue: PRONI, Titanic Boulevard, Belfast. All welcome. 1pm to 2pm. Free, but booking required. Email proni@dcalni.gov.uk or telephone 028 90  534800 to reserve your place.

Monday 6 October: The impact of WW1 on women in Ireland, with Fionnuala Walsh. Host: Celbridge Historical Society. Venue: Celbridge Library, St Patrick's Park, Celbridge, Co Kildare. 8pm.

Tuesday 7 October: Armagh and the Great War, with Dr Colin Cousins. Host and venue: Armagh City Library, 2 Market St, Armagh. Free. All welcome. 7pm. For details, tel 028 3752 7851.

Wednesday 8 October: Translations? The Ordnance Survey & Irish place-names, with Prof. Nollaig Ó Muraíle. Part of the Mapping City, Town and Country lecture series. Venue: Royal Irish Academy, 19 Dawson Street, Dublin 2. 1-2pm. Free. All welcome. No need to book.

Thursday 9 October: Exploring family history – Police, Lawyers and Criminals, with Dr Janice Holmes and Dr Barry Sheehan. Part of the Open University Lunchtime Lecture Series, examining the working lives of families in the past, with examples from PRONI's collections. Venue: PRONI, Titanic Boulevard, Belfast. 1pm. Booking recommended but not essential. Free.

Thursday 9 October:  Peers, Politicians and Polemicists: The People Within the Londonderry Papers at PRONI, with Lorraine Bourke and Brett Irwin. 1pm. Free. Venue: Ards Visitor Information Centre, Newtownards, Co Down.

Thursday 9 October: Militarism in Ireland, 1912-1918, with Professor David Fitzpatrick. Part of The Road to War Lecture Series. Hosted by PRONI and National Museums Northern Ireland. Venue: PRONI, Titanic Boulevard, Belfast. 7pm. Free but booking essential. Email proni@dcalni.gov.uk or phone 44+ 028 905 34800.

Thursday 9 October: Limerick at War 1914–18, a History Ireland Hedge School. Venue: Desmond Hall, The Square, Newcastle West, Co Limerick. 7:30pm.

Thursday 9 October: The war photographers and the photography of WW1, with Bryan Rutledge. Host: Craighavon Museum Services. Venue: Craighavon Civic Centre, Lakeview Road, Craighavon, Co Armagh BT64 1AL. 7:30-9pm. Free. Details: 028 3832 2205. 

Friday 10 October: Ireland’s entry into war, 1914: acceptance or refusal?, with Dr Catriona Pennell. Host: Military History Society of Ireland. Venue: Griffith College, South Circular Road, Dublin 8. 8pm. Non-members welcome.

Saturday 11 October: Hidden histories – the unfolding stories of Ireland in WW1, a joint North/South seminar. Host: Federation of Local History Societies. Venue: Plaza Hotel, Dundalk, Co Louth. Cost of full day seminar, lunch and refreshment: €25. See blogpost for programme.

Saturday 11 October: Assisted Emigration to Escape the Great Famine of Ireland, with Ann Burns. Host: BIFHSGO. Venue: Library and Archives Canada, 395 Wellington Street, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. 10am–11:30pm. Free.

Saturday 11 October: Open Day (tours, seminar, advice) at the National Archives of Ireland, Bishop Street, Dublin 8. 10:00am to 5:00pm. Free, but need to book. Download programme.

Saturday 11 October: Crowdsourcing your Irish family history, with Claire Bradley. Part of the Continuous Professional Development workshop series hosted by Eneclann and Ancestor Network. Venue: Trustees Room, National Library, Kildare Street, Dublin 2. Free, 2–3:30pm. Booking essential.


Thursday 25 September 2014

County Clare Library adds more useful records

If you have Church of Ireland ancestors from Clonlea parish in County Clare, you'll be keen to check out these latest additions to the ever-excellent County Clare Library website.
While these Protestant record sets are small in number, they will be very well received by those will family connections to the area, so a big thanks is due to Michael McNamara who transcribed and donated his work to the Library.

And there's more...

The Roll Books of Rockmount National School, Slievenalicka, Miltown Malbay, have also been made available on the website. These were transcribed by Brian Doyle and Peter Beirne of the Local Studies Centre.
  • Roll books for the Girl pupils 1908–1922
  • Roll Books for the Boy pupils 1910–1922
In both cases, the transcriptions are available by date and by surname.

DIPPAM's value analysed by Townland of Origin blog

http://www.dippam.ac.uk/
I've mentioned DIPPAM, the 'Documenting Ireland: People, Parliament and Migration' online archive a couple of times previously on Irish Genealogy News, but it remains relatively unknown. This is a huge shame. It's a fabulous resource and deserves to take a more prominent place in the genealogical line-up of must-visit sites.

Personally, I think part of the problem is its name. It's not snappy, it's a tad earnest, and the word 'parliament' is a turn-off for many family historians who imagine it to be aimed only at academic historians and political researchers.

In fact, when you venture into the site, you find a much more accessible description: 'DIPPAM is a virtual online archive of documents and sources relating to the history of Ireland, and its migration experience from the 18th to the late 20th centuries'.

Anyway, to get back to the purpose of this blogpost... I was pleased to see that Townland of Origin, one of the few blogs I follow, has recently published a series of articles about DIPPAM. The blog is written by Kilkenny man Joe Buggy, who now lives in the US, and is aimed at North-Americans of Irish heritage who are trying to unravel their roots. The most difficult task for many is locating the place their immigrant ancestors left behind.

Joe's four-part series about DIPPAM has concentrated on the Irish Emigration Database, one of the three constituent parts of the archive. He's provided some cracking examples of the gems inside it, gems that provide an individual's exact or close address in Ireland or details of relationships or passenger ships that could open up new doors of research.

The series can be found at Townland of Origin: Part 1,   Part II,   Part III, and   Part IV.

DIPPAM is being developed by Queen's University Belfast, the Mellon Centre for Migration Studies, University of Ulster, and Libraries Northern Ireland. Click the image to visit the site.





Wednesday 24 September 2014

RootsIreland introduces subscription-only access

The website of the Irish Family History Foundation, RootsIreland.ie, has introduced subscription options. The site is the largest online database of Irish family records, and is best known for its extensive holdings of parish registers (see individual genealogy centres for details).

Under the new regime, a one-month subscription costs €25/£20/$32; a six-month sub costs €125/£98/$161; and a one-year sub costs €225/£177/$289.

Subscribers must be individuals working on their own family history and a 'fair usage' policy has been established: 1,000 views in 1 month; 7,000 views in 6 months; 15,000 views in 12 months. These limits seem pretty generous from where I'm sitting.

The old Pay Per View service is being closed down and no further purchases of credits can be made from today. If you have unexpired credits, you should read the Terms & Conditions page to find out how RootsIreland will convert them against a new subscription.

New search restrictions also appear to have been introduced, and reaction to these changes appears mixed. See Boards.ie for chat on the subject. However, RootsIreland has told Irish Genealogy News that the new site is a work in progress and the Search facility will see some small changes in due course.


Book Launch – Vivid Faces: the revolutionary generation in Ireland, 1890–1923

A new book, Vivid Faces: the revolutionary generation of Ireland, 1890–1923, will be launched next week at the University of Liverpool.

The author, Waterford-born Professor R F Foster, has been described as the "most brilliant and courageous Irish historian of his generation" by Colm Tóibín. In this new 496-page book, published by Allen Lane, he traces the roots of the Easter Rising by focusing on the "vivid faces" ie the 'ordinary' people who sparked the rebellion, embracing the revolution in all areas of life, public and private. The radical temperament encompassed politics, sex, marriage, Catholicism, education, family, theatre, fiction and poetry.

Drawing on letters and diaries, Professor Foster gives personal voice to the soaring ideals of feminism, socialism and Irish nationalism. Vivid Faces shows how politics fused with the intimacies of love and belief, revealing the rising as an event not only of the streets but also of the hearts and minds of a generation.

He will launch the book at 6pm in Lecture Theatre 6 (Rendall Building), University of Liverpool. Admission is free and open to all. Refreshments will be served in the foyer after the launch.

For further details, or to book a seat, contact Dorothy Lynch at The Institute of Irish Studies by tel: 0151 794 3837 or email Dorothy@liv.ac.uk.

ISDN 978-1846144639



Tuesday 23 September 2014

Seminar: Hidden histories – Ireland in WW1

The Local History Federations of Ireland North and South are to hold a joint seminar on Saturday 11 October, on the theme: Hidden Histories – the unfolding story of Ireland in World War One.

Here's the programme:

09:00 – 10:00   Registration – Tea/coffee
10:00 – 10:10   Seminar Opening – John Dooher – FULS
10:15 – 11:15   WW1 in the decade of Centenary Commemorations, with Professor Brian Walker
11:15 – 12:00   Dublin, a city in wartime, with Padraig Yeates
12:00 – 12:45   Militant Irish Anti Home Rule Outside Ulster 1n 1914, with Quincy Dougan
13:00 – 14:30   Lunch
14:30 – 15:15   The unique experiences of wartime County Louth, with Dr Donal Hall
15:15 – 16:00   It’s a long way to Tipperary: the song and its impact on WW1, with Dr Des Marnane
16:00 – 17:00   Q&A. Plenary session on the role that local societies could play in researching
                      their own local area.

Venue: Crowne Plaza Hotel, Dundalk, Co Louth.
Cost:   inclusive of tea/coffee on registration and lunch: £20/€25.
Booking: Deadline Monday 6 October. Download booking form.
More details: tel +353 (0)59 863 8181.

Open Day at National Archives of Ireland: 11 October

The National Archives of Ireland (NAI) has announced details of its annual Open Day, which will be held on 11 October at its Bishops Street, Dublin 8 offices.

Seven 45-minute seminars will be presented on the hour throughout the day (see below), and a series of visits to the conservation studio, storage and preservation areas will be on offer.

In addition, the Reading Room will be open from 10am to 5pm, as will a book stall and exhition.

These days are always over-subscribed, so if you wish to attend, I'd strongly recommend that you book as soon as possible. Details of how to do so are in the brochure which you can download below.

Here's the seminar programme:

10.00 – Searchable resources on the website of the National Archives. What would you like to know about using the internet for research?

11.00 – Department of Education records in the National Archives. What would you like to know about their use for family / social and local history?

12.00 – The Decade of Centenaries: some reflections. What would you like to know about the period 1912-22?

13.00 – Archival treasures from the early 19th century. Introduction to the Chief Secretary’s Office Registered Papers

14.00 – Work in the Chief Secretary’s Office. 100 years ago today in the Chief Secretary’s Office.

15.00 – Introduction to will collections. What would you like to know about? What is available?

16.00 – Introduction to the work of the Business Records Survey. What would you like to know about their use for family / social and local history?

You can find full details in the Open Day programme.

You might also like to note that the NAI Reading Room will be opening late (at 10am rather than 9:15am) on a couple of Monday mornings in October and November: on 6 October and 10 November.




Monday 22 September 2014

Irish genealogy & history events, 22 Sept–3 Oct

Ending soon! The Dublin Lockout exhibition at the National Library of Ireland will be ending shortly, after a very successful run of more than a year. If you haven't visited yet, the clock is ticking down quickly. Admission is free. 2 Kildare Street, Dublin 2. Opening hours and details.

Thursday 25 September: Ireland's entry into WW1, 1914: Acceptance or refusal? with Dr Catriona Pennell. Part of The Road to War Lecture Series. Hosted by PRONI and National Museums Northern Ireland. Venue: Ulster Museum Lecture Theatre, Botanic Gardens, Belfast. 7pm. Free but booking essential. Email proni@dcalni.gov.uk or phone 44+ 028 905 34800.

Thursday 25 September: Introduction to the world of genealogy and registration. Host: Ballymena Branch of North of Ireland Family History Society. Venue: Michelin Arts Workshop, Braid Arts Centre 1-29 Bridge Street, Ballymena, BT43 5EJ. All welcome. 7:15pm.

Thursday 25 September: Remembering WW1, with Dr Eamon Phoenix. Part of the Lisburn Museum Lecture Series: Ireland during the Great War. Venue: Lisburn Museum, Market Square, Lisburn, BT28 1AG. 7pm. Free but must be booked in advance – tickets available from museum reception or, for more information call 028 9266 3377.

Thursday 25 September: Local families in WW1: The Pollocks, Earleys and Corbitts, with Adrian Beattie, Gavin Earley and others. Host: Strabane History Society. Venue: Room 5, Strabane Library, 1 Railway Street, Strabane, co Tyrone Tyrone BT82 8EF. 7:30pm.

Thursday 25 September: The Cootehill Riot of 1833, with Dr Darragh Curran. Venue: Cootehill Library, Bridge Street, Cootehil, Co Cavan. Admission free, booking advised, tel (0)49 555 9873.

Friday 26 September to 8 October:
Dublin Festival of History. Full programme of events taking place over the two weeks including Letters from the Great War, an exhibition at Dublin City Archives, Pearse Street; Military Archives showcase their collections, Saturday 27th, 2pm–7pm, Printworks, Dublin Castle; Members of the Irish Great War Society will wear uniforms and answer questions about equipment and uniforms of the troops, Saturday 27th and Sunday 28th, 1pm-4pm, Printworks, Dublin Castle. Programme.

Friday 26 September to Sunday 28 September: Street Stories Festival – talks, live music, walking tours, stalls, films and exhibitions. Host: Stoneybatter & Smithfield People's History Project. Dublin 7 venues. Download programme or see facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/StoneybatterSmithfieldPeoplesHistoryProject.

Monday 29 September: Unionism, nationalism and the women's fight for the vote, with Dr Margaret Ward. Host: Craighavon Museum Services. Venue: Craighavon Civic Centre, Lakeview Road, Craighavon, Co Armagh BT64 1AL. 7:30-9pm. Free. Details: 028 3832 2205.

Tuesday 30 September: Ireland and the Great War, with Dr Fearghal McGarry. Part of the Lisburn Museum Lecture Series: Ireland during the Great War. Venue: Lisburn Museum, Market Square, Lisburn, BT28 1AG. 7pm. Free but must be booked in advance – tickets available from museum reception or, for more information call 028 9266 3377.

Tuesday 30 September: Introduction to family history research, with David Beck. Host: Coleraine Branch of North of Ireland Family History Society. Venue: Guide Hall, Terrace Row, Coleraine, Co Derry. All welcome. 8pm.

Wednesday 1 October: The Ordnance Survey 6" Mapping Project: political & cultural agendas, with Prof William Smith. Part of the Mapping City, Town and Country lecture series. Venue: Royal Irish Academy, 19 Dawson Street, Dublin 2. 1-2pm. Free. All welcome. No need to book.

Thursday 2 October: Visit to PRONI, talk and tour. Host: North Down and Ards Branch of North of Ireland Family History Society. All welcome. 7:30pm.

Friday 3 October to Sunday 5 October: Practised in the Art of War: Limerick Sieges, 1642–1691. A conference hosted by Thomond Archaeological and Historical Society. Venue: Absolute Hotel, Limerick. Details.

Saturday 4 October: The role of women in the Irish country house, 1860–1914, with Dr Maeve O'Riordan. Venue: Tipperary County Museum, Mick Delahunty Square, Clonmel, Co Tipperary. 10am to Noon, with refreshments provided. €50 for the full series or €5 per session. Bookings: julia.walsh@tipperarycoco.ie or 076 106 5564.

Saturday 4 October: Fermanagh family and local history fair. Featuring Dr Jeff Kildea, Chair of Australian History at UCD, speaking on Fermanagh’s contribution to the ANZAC campaign in the First World War, and Dr Johanne Devlin Trew speaking about migration from Northern Ireland between the 1920s and 2000s. Part of the Fermanagh Live Festival. Venue: Enniskillen Castle Museum. Lectures and exhibitors. 12noon to 4pm.  Free. for further information email: fgc2012@btinternet.com

FindMyPast Ireland releases seven record sets

In the second instalment of FindMyPast Friday, the online database has released seven small and useful Irish parish and cemetery record sets, a total of more than 12,000 records.

The counties represented in this release are Donegal, Fermanagh, Tyrone and Wicklow, and each of the record sets is available through the Ireland and World collections. Here are the details:

Parish Registers
Cemetery
The records were compiled by genealogist, author and professor of history, Dr. David R. Elliott.

Sunday 21 September 2014

IGP Headstone Project hits 65,000 milestone

The Ireland Genealogy Projects team has been busy uploading details of headstones in the first half of September and has hit a new milestone of 65,000 headstones. All of them are available, free, on the dedicated IGP Archives Headstones section of their website. The following are the records added this month:

CAVAN genealogy records
Headstones – St Mary's, Ballynarry (updated)

DONEGAL genealogy records
Church Records – Ballyshannon Marriages (Kilbarron) C.of I. Pt 2, 1865-1899
Photos – William BARTLEY
Headstones – Buncrana Christ Church (CoI); Inch Presbyterian Burial Grd, Fahan Old Cemetery

DOWN genealogy records
Headstones – Killinchy Presbyterian and Non-Subscribing Presbyterian

DUBLIN genealogy records
Headstones – Mount Jerome Cemetery, PartS 84. 85 & 86

FERMANAGH genealogy records
Headstones – Roslea, St. Tierneys (R.C.) Cem. Pt. 1; Blackbog RC Cem, Edenclaw; Ederney; St. Joseph's R.C. Church Graveyard (Priests); Caldragh Graveyard, Boa Island; Devenish Island & Drummully St. Mary's Church (CoI) (updated)

KILKENNY genealogy records
Miscellaneous – Electors for the Polling Dist. of Callan, 1896

SLIGO genealogy records
Headstones – Aghanagh Graveyard (part)
Land Records – Rathdoony Beg, ca. 1860-63 (Revision Books)

TIPPERARY genealogy records
Headstones – Dromineer Church (ruins) Cemetery

WEXFORD genealogy records
Memorial Cards – (DOYLE & STEWART)


Friday 19 September 2014

Irish family history courses in Arizona & Melbourne

Last week I published a list of Irish genealogy courses starting in Ireland over the next couple of weeks.

Here are a couple more courses starting shortly, but these will be held a bit further afield: in Phoenix, Arizona, and Melbourne, Victoria, to be precise.

Irish Genealogy Research, a six-week course to be held at the McClelland Irish Library, 1106 N. Central Ave, Phoenix, Arizona, USA.
This course will be delivered by Robert M. Wilbanks and will focus on finding ancestors in Ireland. Held on Thursdays evenings (6:30pm–8:30pm), it will start on 2 October in the Library's Norton Room and will cover land divisions, census records, taxation and emigration documents, church records, and military records. It costs $70 for Library/ICC Members and $80 for Non-Members. More details and registration

Irish Family History, a four-week course hosted by the Genealogical Research Society of Victoria at the GSV Meeting Room, GSV Meeting Room, Level B1 / 257 Collins Street, Melbourne.
Four x 2-hour sessions will be held on Tuesdays from 7 October, 10:30am–12:30pm. The course will cover the recording and documenting of sources, land divisions, maps and gazeteers, church, civil registration, wills, census, and land records. The course costs $64.00 for GSV members, $128.00 for non-members. More details and registration.

Thursday 18 September 2014

More Irish titles join online British Newspaper Archive

The British Newspaper Archive (BNA) has added two more titles to its online Irish collection:

The Dublin Monitor was a three-times a week political and commercial journal published in the first half of the 19th century (as far as I'm aware it was published from 1838 to 1845, but I may be wrong). The 157 editions now available at BNA cover all of 1839 only.

The Drogheda Journal was also known as the Meath and Louth Advertiser. It was published on Wednesdays and Saturdays. The editions now at BNA are for the full years of 1828, 1833, 1836 and 1838.

In addition, all 1845 editions of the Belfast Mercantile Register and Weekly Advertiser have been uploaded. This paper made its first appearance in the archive just over a week ago with the 1848 and 1849 editions.

Don't forget: there's currently a 40% discount on offer for new annual subscriptions to the British Newspaper Archive.

New Irish Archives Resource site links 34 archives

Some of the newly-expanded IAR collection
have not had an online presence before
To mark its expansion, the Irish Archives Resource (IAR) has been relaunched at a reception at the National Archives in Dublin. The portal, which has been online since 2010, has doubled in size and now has 34 archive services from Ireland north and south contributing to it. As a result, the number of collections available has increased from 360 to more than 500.

It is important to note that the IAR is a free database of searchable archival descriptions held in Irish Archive Services. It does not hold any archives or records but provides a means to search archival descriptions from contributing institutions.

Among the contributors are the Public Record Office of Northern Ireland, the National Archives of Ireland, and many of the island's regional and county archives. Among the new contributors are Trinity College Dublin’s Manuscripts & Archives Research Department, RTÉ Stills Library, the National Museum of Ireland Archives, University College Cork Archives, Derry City Council Heritage and Museum Service, and the archives of St Patrick’s College, Maynooth.

Speaking at the reception, which was formally attended by Heather Humphries, TD, Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, the chairperson of IAR, Hazel Menton, said: “This portal now provides a user-friendly pathway for individuals interested in accessing Ireland’s archival heritage. [It] is unique in Ireland by facilitating web users in viewing a rich and diverse range of archival collections on a single website.

Natalie Milne (l) and Hazel Menton (r)
"We are thrilled to announce the expansion of the IAR website, in particular as some of these collections have never had an online presence before."

The site contains details of many collections valuable to family history, and it isn't difficult to navigate using key search terms relating to places, organisations, people or even specific periods of history.

It isn't, however, likely to be a first-stop for researchers. Most of its genealogically-interested users are likely to have already discovered some facts about their family history.

For example, if you know or believe your family may have entered the workhouse in Schull, Co Cork, in the post-Famine period, you can quickly find the detailed description of the relevant collection (Board of Guardians) held by Cork County Archives. Unfortunately, in this particular case you would learn that the Schull Board of Guardians' records were destroyed in 1921 (another fire!), and only those for 1920–1924 survive. Related material at neighbouring unions is suggested for further study.

The IAR is an ambitious project. With adequate funding, it aims to expand the current number of contributing archive services from 34 to up to 70. It is also hoped that collections from the IAR portal will eventually feed into similar major Europe-wide archival web initiatives such as Europeana and Apex. The IAR is currently funded by the Heritage Council, Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, and the Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure, Northern Ireland. The site is hosted by University College Dublin’s School of History and Archives.

I hope the relaunch will have the desired effect and encourage more people to study the holdings of our archives services. Irish genealogy research certainly doesn't begin and end online.


Wednesday 17 September 2014

Steven Smyrl: Ireland's gold medal Rockstar Genie

Following on from Monday's announcement that I'd won a silver medal in the Rockstar Genealogists of Ireland poll run by John D Reid on his Anglo Celtic Connections blog, the Gold Medal winner has been announced, and I'm absolutely thrilled to see Steven Smyrl step up to the podium.

He's a good friend, a great colleague in the Irish Genealogical Research Society (not to mention its chairman!) and an incredibly knowledgeable genealogist who has helped me on numerous occasions to unravel the complicated background to some stories I've covered on Irish Genealogy News.

He is also president of the Association of Professional Genealogists in Ireland (APGI), and a major force in the Council of Irish Genealogical Organisations (CIGO). He gives lectures, he writes books, he mentors budding family historians and he supports a good many causes/events in the field. When he's not doing any of these things, he runs his business, Massey & King, one of the longest-established and most renowned firms of probate genealogists in Ireland, with his brother, Kit. They starred together in the TV series Dead Money a couple of years ago.

As those who voted in the Rockstar Genealogists poll have clearly demonstrated, Steven is a popular and very well-respected genealogist in Ireland and I'm so pleased to see him receive this recognition as a Superstar.

The Gold Medalists in other regions/categories are: Shauna Hicks (Australia & New Zealand); Dick Eastman (Canada); Janet Few (England, Scotland, Wales), Judy Russell (USA); Roberta Estes (DNA). Well done to all of them.

You can find out more about the Rockstar Genealogists poll, the bronze, silver and gold medalists and, in the next few days, the non-medal results at Anglo-Celtic-Connections.

UPDATE: Full Ireland poll result announced:

1. Steven Smyrl
2. Claire Santry
3. John Grenham
4. Fiona Fitzsimons
5. Brian Donovan
6. William Roulston

Congrats to all.

Monday 15 September 2014

Irish genealogy & history events, 15–28 September

Monday 15 September: Hands of History – one Donegal: many pasts, one future. Monreach Heritage Centre's project focuses on the involvement of people from Donegal in WW1. Venue: Finn Valley Centre, Milbrae, Stranorlar, Co Donegal. 7:30pm–9:30pm. Free admission. Light refreshments provided free. For further details, tel (0)74 914 0708.

Monday 15 September: Family research for beginners and others, with Mike McKeag. Host: Larne Branch of North of Ireland Family History Society. Venue: Larne Bowling & Lawn Tennis Club, 112-120 Glenarm Road, Larne, BT40 1DZ. All welcome. 7:30pm.

Monday 15 September: A call to arms: Portadown and the Great War, with Richard Edgar. Host: Craighavon Museum Services. Venue: Portadown Town Hall, Edward Street, Portadown BT63 3LX. 7:45pm. Free. All welcome.

Wednesday 17 September: Surnames – their origins and meanings, with Rev Gareth Harron. Host: North of Ireland Family History Society, North Armagh Branch. Venue: Portadown Town Hall, Edward Street, Portadown BT63 3LX. 7:30pm. New members and guests very welcome.

Thursday 18 September: Back to school – Education in Co Wicklow, with Michael Seery. Host: Bray Cualann Historical Society. Venue: Bray Chamber of Commerce House, 10 Prince of Wales TCE, Quinsboro Road, Bray, Co Wicklow. €4. 8:00pm.

Thursday 18 September: Hands of History – one Donegal: many pasts, one future. Monreach Heritage Centre's project focuses on the involvement of people from Donegal in WW1. Venue: Ionad Teampaill Chroine, Chapel Road, Dungloe, Co Donegal. 7:30pm–9:30pm. Free admission. Light refreshments provided free. For further details, tel (0)74 914 0708.

Thursday 18 September: LDS Library & website; what is available?, with Marjo Reid. Host: North Down and Ards Branch of North of Ireland Family History Society. Venue: 1st Presbyterian Church Hall, Main Street, Bangor. All welcome. 7:30pm.

Friday 19 September: Culture Night. Across the island, a huge programme of free evening events takes place. It's a night when libraries, museums, galleries, archives, country houses, cinemas and theatres open their doors to the public for a feast of culture, and tours, walks and live performances are held in city streets and parks, and heritage buildings. Download your local programme here.

Friday 19 September: PRONI and the Home Front, PRONI’s contribution to Culture Night will have a war-time theme with music and poetry readings from war poets such as Wilfred Owen and Siegfried Sassoon. More details. 4:30pm to 7:30pm. Venue: PRONI, Titanic Boulevard, Belfast. All welcome. Free.

Friday 19 September: Free family history advice, from the library's Genealogy Service. Host: National Library of Ireland, Kildare Street, Dublin. 5pm-11pm. In addition, at 6pm and 6:30pm, paper conservators Gabrielle Vergnoux and Louise O'Connor will speak about the conservation of the Pearse Papers. All welcome and booking is not required. Details.

Friday 19 September to Sunday 21 September: A Gathering of Friends, a celebration of the history of the Quakers. Youghal's 12th annual 'Youghal Celebrates History' conference. The event includes entertainment in Tynte's Castle, a field trip, optional visits, and a busy lecture programme. Venue: Mall Arts Centre, Youghal, Co Cork. For more details and rates, download pdf programme. Bookings.

Saturday 20 September: Finding Your Ancestors in New York City, at 10am, and Advanced Irish genealogy, at 11am, both workshops with Joe Buggy. Host: Irish Family History Forum. Venue: Bethpage Public Library, 47 Powell Avenue, Bethpage, New York, 11714. Details: (516) 931-3907.

Saturday 20th September:
Beginners Guide to Family History, including recent updates. Host: Fermanagh Branch of North of Ireland Family History Society. Venue: Enniskillen Library (Seminar Room upstairs), Halls Lane, Enniskillen BT74 7DR. New members and guests very welcome. 2.15pm.

Saturday 20 September: The Great War Roadshow. Hosts: Roscommon County Council and Connaught Rangers. A day of talks and presentations on the Irish experience of WW1. Venue: King House, Main Street, Boyle, Co Roscommon. 10am to 4:30pm. Free but booking advised (via King House).

Saturday 20 September: Medieval Walking Tour of Dublin, with Fin Dwyer of Irishhistorypodcast.ie. Meet at 2pm at the Dublin Castle gate, off Dame Street. €10 per person. All funds raised go towards the Street Stories Festival taking place the following weekend.

Tuesday 23 September: Working towards accreditation, a workshop for those working towards a career as a professional genealogist. Host: The Association of Professional Genealogists in Ireland (APGI). Venue: Public Record Office of Northern Ireland (PRONI), Titanic Boulevard, Belfast. 12:30pm to 3:30pm. Free, but need to book by email to info@apgi.ie by 19 September. Details.

Thursday 25 September: Ireland's entry into WW1, 1914: Acceptance or refusal? with Dr Catriona Pennell. Part of The Road to War Lecture Series. Hosted by PRONI and National Museums Northern Ireland. Venue: Ulster Museum Lecture Theatre, Botanic Gardens, Belfast. 7pm. Free but booking essential. Email proni@dcalni.gov.uk or phone 44+ 028 905 34800.

Thursday 25 September: Introduction to the world of genealogy and registration. Host: Ballymena Branch of North of Ireland Family History Society. Venue: Michelin Arts Workshop, Braid Arts Centre 1-29 Bridge Street, Ballymena, BT43 5EJ. All welcome. 7:15pm.

Thursday 25 September: Remembering WW1, with Dr Eamon Phoenix. Part of the Lisburn Museum Lecture Series: Ireland during the Great War. Venue: Lisburn Museum, Market Square, Lisburn, BT28 1AG. 7pm. Free but must be booked in advance – tickets available from museum reception or, for more information call 028 9266 3377.

Thursday 25 September: Local families in WW1: The Pollocks, Earleys and Corbitts, with Adrian Beattie, Gavin Earley and others. Host: Strabane History Society. Venue: Room 5, Strabane Library, 1 Railway Street, Strabane, co Tyrone Tyrone BT82 8EF. 7:30pm.

Thursday 25 September: The Cootehill Riot of 1833, with Dr Darragh Curran. Venue: Cootehill Library, Bridge Street, Cootehill, Co Cavan. Admission free but booking advised by phone: (0)49 555 9873.

Friday 26 September to Sunday 28 September: Street Stories Festival in Smithfield and Stonybatter, telling the stories of Dublin life. Saturday sees a series of talks throughout the day on a wide range of subjects from the Mother and Baby homes, to Dublin in World War I, from Life in Medieval Smithfield to the Massacre in North King Street during the 1916 Rising and lots more. Sunday is a relaxed day of tours and walks and film screenings. Facebook page.

Friday 26 September to Sunday 28 September: A Festival of History Weekend and Great War Roadshow, Greystones, County Wicklow. Venue: Charlesland Golf & Country Club. Hosts: The La Touche Legacy in association with the Greystones Archaeological and Historical Society. Programme and details. To buy tickets, tel: 01 2878448.

FindMyPast to deliver that Friday Feeling every week

http://www.awin1.com/cread.php?awinmid=2114&awinaffid=123532&clickref=&p=http%3A%2F%2Fblog.findmypast.co.uk%2F2014%2Fintroducing-our-all-new-findmypast-fridays%2F
After the success of its '100in100' campaign earlier in the year, FindMyPast has launched Findmypast Fridays.

This will see all new record releases unveiled on Fridays, just in time for a weekend of research.

The first such Friday saw the following record sets released:
  • Northamptonshire Hearth Tax 1674
  • Archbishop Of York Marriage Licences Index, 1613-1839
  • Dorset Marriages 1538 – 1902
  • London Poor Law Records, 1581-1899
From an Irish perspective, the London Poor Law records probably holds the most potential. It is, however, a small collection, with just 22,344 records dating from 1581–1899 with details of those who fell on hard times and received help from parish officers. There are certainly a good number of Irish names to be found within, but most of the individual statements provide no detail of a connection to Ireland.

Of the 50-odd records I randomly selected to view, only one had any mention of Ireland, so it's probably fair to say that this collection isn't going to knock down too many brickwalls. Nonetheless, for the researchers who are lucky enough to make a certain link, the information returned could be pretty useful.

The records were compiled by genealogist Cliff Webb, who summarised the genealogically useful information from the Poor Law records of 66 London parishes. They can reveal name and age, the date the person received Poor Law relief, details of apprenticeships or other action taken, details of why they needed Poor Law relief (there are quite a lot of women left holding the baby, for example), and/or the names of dependents and other family members.

IrishGenealogy to upload abridged version of indexes

After the unceremonial and cruelly swift removal of the much-heralded 'enhanced' version of Ireland's civil registration indexes amid privacy concerns on 18 July, the state-managed IrishGenealogy.ie is preparing to upload an abridged version of the collection.

The eagle-eyed among you will have already noticed that the home page was updated a few days ago with the message: "Civil Indexes temporarily unavailable & it is hoped to restore certain indexes in the near future."

After querying this, Irish Genealogy News has been told by the Department for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht that it "is in the process of finalising a number of issues regarding the placing of the historic civil indexes on-line. The Department hopes to complete this process in the near future."

My understanding is that the civil servants are playing it safe this time round and will be uploading records according to the Data Commissioner's 'approved' definition of 'historical records'. What we will have, therefore, is access to the birth indexes up to 100 years ago, the marriage indexes up to 75 years ago, and the death records up to 50 years ago.

In this format, the indexes are already primed and good to go, and have been for a couple of weeks. I don't believe there's any technical reason for any further delay so let's hope they get on with it.

In summary, here's what I'm expecting to appear:

Births Index – all entries registered from 1864 to 1913. Entries up to 1899 record only the child's name, year of birth and registration district. From 1900 to 1913, the mother's maiden name and the child's actual birth date are additionally provided in the majority of cases (the early years are rather inconsistent). All entries from 1864 have a Group Registration Number.

Marriages Index – all entries registered from 1845/1864 to 1943. Up to 1912, the bride and groom are recorded separately by name, registration district, quarter/year of marriage, page and volume number, and a Group Registration Number. From 1913 onwards, the bride and groom are recorded as a couple, together with registration district and date of marriage. These later marriage records are identified only with a Group Registration Number. (In fact, some pre-1913 marriages are recorded in this 'couple' format, but it's not been done consistently.)

Deaths Index – all entries registered from 1864 to 1963. Up to 1923, the deceased is recorded in the index by name, calculated age and registration district. From 1924, the entry records the name, registration district and the deceased's age as stated on the death certificate. All entries from 1864 have a Group Registration Number.



What a great start to the week!

I'm rather chuffed to find myself placed in runner-up position in the 'Ireland – Rockstar Genealogists' Poll run by John Reid on his excellent Anglo-Celtic-Connections.com blog.

I wasn't expecting to figure because I don't give lectures or write books as most of the nominated characters do, but I won't deny that it's a lovely boost to see my name among such well-known and well-regarded genealogists. You'll see what I mean when you take a look at John's blogpost, announcing all the silver and bronze medallists in the various international categories. He'll be announcing the Gold medallists tomorrow.

Many, many thanks to everyone who voted for me. What a great way to start the week!



Ireland's Lost Babies to screen on BBC2 and RTÉ One

This week will see the broadcast of Ireland's Lost Babies. It is part of the This World series and follows Martin Sixsmith's investigation of the Irish Catholic Church's role in the country's adoption trade. This trade saw thousands of illegitimate babies taken from their mothers and sent abroad

Martin Sixsmith is the journalist who helped Philomena Lee on her journey to find her adopted son. That story was subsequently portrayed in the Oscar-nominated film Philomena. In the weeks and months after the film was released, Martin was contacted by other mothers who had their own stories to tell.

In Ireland's Lost Babies, he hears the moving stories of the parents and children on both sides of the Atlantic whose lives were changed forever. He discovers evidence that prospective parents were not properly vetted – sometimes with tragic consequences.

He also witnesses the struggle of mother and child in their attempts to find each other across continents before it is too late. With no one willing to help and information scarce, for some it feels that the Catholic Church is still trying to keep them apart.

The one-hour film will be broadcast on Wednesday 17 September on BBC2 at 9:30pm (repeated the following day at 11:20pm) and on Thursday 18 September on RTÉ One at 10:45pm.

Here's a short trailer of the National Archives of Ireland's senior archivist Catriona Crowe discussing with Martin the costs of transportation for the young children.

Friday 12 September 2014

The Genealogy Event in New York City, 17-19 October

http://www.thegenealogyevent.com/#!events/cwi
Now in its third year, The Genealogy Event will be taking place in New York from Friday 17 to Sunday 19 October. The first two days focus on traditional genealogy and are held in partnership with the National Archives of New York City, while the Sunday sees a dedicated DNA day at a separate venue.

The genealogy lecture programme shows there are two sessions directly geared to Irish family history: there's a session about the British and Irish collections on FindMyPast, and Joe Buggy of Townland of Origin fame will be delivering an in-depth presentation on Tracing Irish ancestors in New York City. These are both on the Saturday.

But I also spotted some more general sessions that will be relevant to all those with immigrant ancestors, wherever Irish or not. For example, What's in a name? Trouble, that is likely to be pertinent to Irish research even if not specifically aimed at it. In addition there are presentations aimed at helping beginners get their research moving along nicely as well as sessions that are geared towards more advanced researchers, for example, Reading old documents or Cartography for Genealogists.

The first two days of The Genealogy Event will be held at Alexander Hamilton US Custom House, 1 Bowling Green, NYC, where NARA's Welcome and Research Center will be open on both days to offer research support and guidance.

The DNA Day will be held at India House Club, 1 Hanover Square, New York (watch out, there's a dress code!), and offers sessions catering for beginners through to advanced.

Tickets are available for individual sessions, all-day passes, VIP all-day passes and social events.



Genealogy courses starting this Autumn in Ireland

It's that time of year when the brain starts yearning for learning, so it's just as well there's a host of genealogy classes ready for those who want to start researching their Irish ancestors or who want to brush up or improve their skills and knowledge.

Enrolment for most of the courses listed below takes place next week or by immediate application, so get your skates on.

Belfast
Genealogy/Trace your family history, with the Ulster Historical Foundation at Stranmillis College (Central Buildings). The 10-week course (code HY520) covers all the main records used in Irish genealogy and is ideal for beginners or for those who have already started to research their family tree. Includes trip to PRONI. runs on Tuesday evenings from 30 September to 9 December, 7pm to 9pm. £50. Download brochure (page 44). Telephone 028 9038 4345 to enrol or see enrolment form.

Cork
Genealogy: How to trace your family tree, with tutor Tony McCarthy. University College Cork ACE. Venue: Western Gateway Building, Room 301, UCC. Tuesdays 7pm–9pm from 30 September to 2 December. Focusses on genealogical sources, methodology and historical/social context. Fee €230. Enrol by Friday 19 September. Details, or tel: 021 490 2301.

Cork
NUI Diploma in Genealogy. University College Cork ACE. Modules include genealogy, fieldwork, collection care and portfolio building. Part time study on-campus at UCC, Western Road. Course co-ordinator Dr David Butler. Two-year course. 7pm–10pm. Details of course. €1,360 per academic year (€1,000 concessions). Application deadline 16 September.

Dublin – City Centre
ICM Diploma in Family History, delivered in conjunction with the Association of Professional Genealogists in Ireland (APGI) at Independent College, 60-63 Dawson Street, Dublin 2. Co-ordinator, Paul Gorry MAPGI. Eight lecturers, all APGI members. Tuesdays 6:30pm–9:30pm. 12-week course from 7 October to 14 January (no classes over Christmas). €895 (payment plans available). Details. Tel: 01-6725058.

Dublin – Malahide
How to research your family history, with Claire Bradley. Beginners class, covering how to start, where to go and how to record what you find. No prior knowledge is required but the ability to use a computer is desirable. Starts Tuesday 23 September in Malahide Community School. 10 weeks duration. €110. Enrolment online or at the school on Tuesday 16 September. Details (page 17).

Dublin – UCD Belfield
Introduction to Genealogy/Family history, with lecturer Sean Murphy. University College Dublin, Belfield campus. 10 sessions held on Thursday evenings 7:30pm–9:30pm, starting 2 October. €150. Details.

Dublin – Belfield

Certificate in Genealogy/Family history, Module 1: an introduction to the theory and practice of genealogy, with lecturer Sean Murphy. University College Dublin. Topics include principles of genealogy, computers/Internet, placenames and surnames, census, vital, valuation, church and other records. Tuesday evenings 7pm–9:30pm at Belfield, starting 30 September. €300. Details.

Dublin – Blackrock

Certificate in Genealogy/Family history, Module 1: an introduction to the theory and practice of genealogy, with lecturer Sean Murphy. University College Dublin. Topics include principles of genealogy, computers/Internet, placenames and surnames, census, vital, valuation, church and other records. Tuesday afternoons 2pm–4:30pm at Blackrock starting 30 September, €300. Details.

Dublin - Dundrum
Genealogy – family research for beginners, with tutor Máire Mac Conghail MAPGI, at Dundrum Adult Training and Education (D.A.T.E.), Dundrum town centre. 10-week course. Wednesdays 9.30-11am. Starts 1 October. Enrolment 17 September. Fee €105 (Concessions €50). Details. Telephone: 01 296 4322 (mornings only).

Dublin - Kilternan
Genealogy for beginners, with tutor Máire Mac Conghail MAPGI, at Kilternan Adult Education Centre, Ballybetagh Road, Kilternan, Dublin 18. A hands-on practical course on how to research family history. 10 week course. Wednesdays 12-2pm. Starts 17 September €143. Also, Genealogy continuation course for those who have completed a beginner's course. Thursdays 12-2pm. 10 weeks. Starts 18 September. €143. Details. Contact on 01 295 2050.

Limerick - ULL
Certificate in the History of Family and Genealogical Methods. Two-semester course held on-campus at University of Limerick on Thursday evenings 6.30-9.30pm, or online. Fee €750. Details. For further information, contact Irish Ancestry Research Centre on +353 61 207114.

Waterford
Tracing the family tree, a 10-week evening class with Tony Hennessey MAPGI, at Waterford College of Further Education. Suitable for all family history enthusiasts, both new and seasoned. Tuesdays 7-9pm.  Starts 7 October.  €150. Details. Contact WCFE at 051 874053

Thursday 11 September 2014

40% off annual sub to British Newspaper Archive

http://www.awin1.com/cread.php?awinmid=5895&awinaffid=123532&clickref=&p=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk%2Faccount%2Fsubscribe
Just when you though the summer of love from the British Newspaper Archive must surely be over, along comes another generous offer.

This one relates to an annual subscription and cuts the price from £79.95 to £47.97.

Hard to say no to a 40% discount, isn't it? Especially when it gives you access to 8.6million pages of historical British and Irish newspapers.

To take up the offer, click the link or image above to reach the subscription page, and type SEPTEMBER12 into the Promotion Code box. The discount will be automatically applied.

You need to apply by 23:59 GMT on Tuesday 30 September.

Festival of History in Greystones, 26–28 September

A Festival of History Weekend will be held in Greystones, County Wicklow, from Friday 26 to Sunday 28 September.

Organised by The La Touche Legacy in association with the Greystones Archaeological and Historical Society, the weekend will focus on the anniversary of WW1 with the Great War Roadshow making a visit.

The Roadshow has been put together by RTE broadcaster and historian Dr Myles Dungan. He will be joined by Turtle Bunbury, presenter of The Genealogy Roadshow on TV and author of forthcoming book on 40 Irishmen in WW1; Dr Ciaran Wallace, an academic and broadcaster; John O’Keeffe, a criminologist, broadcaster and journalist; and Brendan Flynn, a local Wicklow historian specialising in military history.

In addition to the Roadshow there will be talks from Rosemary Raughter, Cllr Chris Fox, Deputy Anne Ferris and Lord Meath. Here's the programme:

Friday 26 September:
4:00pm    A celebration of the Greystones/Ards connection: Stories of Wicklow - Ballads of Down,
               with Rosemary Raughter and Mark Thompson
5:00pm    The Great War – Personal reflections, with Lord Meath and Deputy Ann Ferris
6:00pm    The Great War Roadshow: Keynote address: "Lions, donkeys and paddies" – the Irish
               experience of the Great War

Saturday 27 September:
10:00am    The Great War – Personal reflections, with Cllr Christopher Fox
10:30am    The Great War Roadshow: County and the Great War, with Brendan Flynn
11:30am    Moral insanity and the Great War: bad men in good jobs, with John O'Keeffe
12:15pm    Women and children first: the home front in WW1, with Dr Ciaran Wallace
2:30pm      Reflections and Walking Tour of Historic Greystones. Leo Ireton's Shop.
8:00pm      Seminar dinner

Sunday 28 September:

11:00am     Jim Brennan Memorial Lecture: The Glorious Madness – Tales of the Irish in the
                 Great War, with Turtle Bunbury

The venue is the Charlesland Golf & Country Club. Weekend ticket to all lectures: €30. Lectures plus light lunch: €40. Lectures plus Seminar Dinner: €50. Lectures plus light lunch plus Seminar Dinner: € 60. To buy tickets, tel 01 2878448, see local shops or GAHS website.


Wednesday 10 September 2014

Developing a career as a professional genealogist?

The Association of Professional Genealogists in Ireland (APGI) is to hold an information afternoon at the Public Record Office of Northern Ireland, Belfast, on Tuesday 23 September.

The theme – Working Towards APGI Accreditation: How to gain accreditation from the Association of Professional Genealogists in Ireland – is aimed at professional researchers and those thinking of developing a career in genealogy.

Announcing the event, a spokesperson for APGI said that a similar event held in Dublin earlier this year attracted a surprisingly large number of participants.

"Many people who have gained experience through researching their own family history think of developing a career in genealogy. The transition towards professional research may seem daunting and solitary, and some people may even work in the field for a number of years without realising that there is an approachable organisation of professionals that can offer accreditation, as well as support and advice. This is APGI."

APGI was founded in 1986 at a meeting in Belfast and it is an organisation for professional genealogists throughout the entire island of Ireland. Its primary aims are to maintain high standards amongst its members and to protect the interests of clients. To those ends it provides an accreditation process, operated by an independent Board of Assessors.

The association actively encourages those pursuing professional research to develop their skills and work towards obtaining accreditation. Being an accredited member of APGI brings an entitlement to use the initials 'MAPGI' (Member of APGI) and is a guarantee to clients that a genealogist is ethical, knowledgeable and experienced.

In 2012, APGI introduced an Affiliate Programme that offers potential applicants access to existing members through mentorship, professional development events and social gatherings. Of course, the Affiliate Programme is not a necessary part of the application process.

The event will take place on Tuesday 23 September, 12:30pm–3:30pm at PRONI, 2 Titanic Boulevard, Belfast BT3 9HQ. Admission is free, but booking (by Friday 19 September) is required by email to info@apgi.ie.




European Heritage Open Days Weekend in N. Ireland

http://www.discovernorthernireland.com/downloads/2014_EHOD_Brochure.pdf
Download the brochure (pdf 1Mb)
More than 400 properties and events of cultural and historical interest will be on offer free of charge this coming weekend when Northern Ireland joins forces with the rest of Europe for European Heritage Open Days (EHOD).

Although EHOD is officially a weekend event, some organisers hold an Open Day in the preceding week, presumably due to staffing limitations. Others open only on the Saturday. Some, but not all, of the genealogy events fall into these categories and the list below is by no means exhaustive so be sure to check the brochure or use the dedicated search facility at Discover Northern Ireland.

  • Newry City Library Heritage Open Day will be held on Thursday 11th, from 9am to 9pm. Closed all weekend.
  • Royal Irish Fusiliers Museum, The Mall, Armagh. Research your military ancestry on Saturday 13th, 10am–12:30pm and 1:30pm–5pm. Free. Not open Sunday.
  • Irish Local Studies Library, Abbey St, Armagh. Open Friday 9:30 to 4pm, with drop in beginners' genealogy sessions from 10am–12Noon and 2pm–4pm. Also open Saturday 10am–2pm.
  • Ballymena Central Library, 5 Pat’s Brae, co Antrim. Thursday 11th, Family History on the web, 6pm–8pm. Friday 12th, Family history on the web 10am–12:30pm. Not open over the weekend.
  • Mellon Centre for Emigration Studies, Ulster American Folk Park, Omagah, co Tyrone. Open Thursday 11th 10.30am – 12noon for Family history on the web,
  • Omagh Library, Irishtown Road, Omagh, Co Tyrone. Thursday 11th, Family history workshop, 10.30am – 12noon.
  • PRONI, Titanic Boulevard, Belfast. Saturday 10am–5pm, tours and talks unlocking the secrets of the archives, plus full document ordering service. Sunday 14th, talks and tours of the archive. See PRONI schedule.
  • Downpatrick Library Heritage Day, Friday 12th, 10am–5pm. Closed the weekend.
  • Enniskillen Library, Halls Lane, Enniskillen, Co Fermanagh. EHOD on Thursday 11th 9am–8pm, with Family history workshop 10:30am–12noon. Open Friday and Saturday. Closed Sunday.
Also of particular interest to genealogists are the many graveyards opening for tours, some guided, some not. Look out for them in the brochure.

For the first time the EHOD programme will include talks about historic properties that are also film sets for productions such as 'Game of Thrones', 'The Fall' and 'Dracula Untold'.

Linking up with the special weekend, Craft NI and Food NI will be bringing a variety of bespoke craft and food heritage events to many of the historic buildings taking part. This year’s programme also reflects a Decade of Centenaries and has a sub-theme of Anniversaries such as events marking the First World War and Belfast Central Library’s 125th anniversary.

Although all events are free, it's necessary to book for some.

And here's a question for the EHOD NI press and marketing department... exactly what does 'pre-booking' convey that 'booking' does not?

Tuesday 9 September 2014

Belfast trade title added to online databases

The British Newspaper Archive and findmypast (IE) have added another Irish newspaper to their databases: The Belfast Mercantile Register and Weekly Advertiser. So far, just two years of editions – 1848 and 1849 – of the weekly title have been digitised and uploaded.

I don't really see too many genealogists getting overly excited about this particular publication. As its name suggests, it contains anorak-level detail about the movement of commodities and the state of trade. Nonetheless, those with merchant ancestors may enjoy plotting the imports, exports and sales of their mid-19th-century family.

The newspaper was published from 1807 to 1852, when the publishers decided it needed a snappier title and settled on the Mercantile Journal and Statistical Register. It continued in circulation until 1893.

Restoration of the Jesuits in Ireland – conference

Click for programme
To mark the bi-centenary of the restoration of the Jesuits in Ireland (1814), the Catholic Historical Society of Ireland and the Irish Jesuit Province are hosting a two-day conference in Belvedere College, Dublin 1, on Friday 19 and Saturday 20 September.

Under the Influence: the Jesuits in Ireland includes a programme of presentations on the Jesuits involvement and position on political violence, the Irish language, the Easter Rising, World War I, the labour movement, the sciences, and art and architecture.

The conference gets underway at 2pm on the Friday with a keynote speech at 7:15pm by Roisin Duffy, RTÉ Producer of 'Fr Browne’s Forgotten War'. This will be followed by the launch of a book based on research in the Irish Jesuit Archives, Irish Jesuit Chaplains in the First World War.

The second day of the conference sees a full day of lectures from 9.30am to 5pm.

Both the conference and the book launch are free to attend and open to all, but you need to register in advance by emailing jcc@jesuit.ie.

Monday 8 September 2014

Irish Lives Remembered, Sept-Oct issue published

https://flipflashpages.uniflip.com/3/71043/337139/pub/html5.html
The September-October edition of Irish Lives Remembered magazine has been published and is now available for free download (click image).

County Offaly is the main research focus of this issue, but there are also features on tracing the Irish in Illinois and in Australia, the latter looking specifically at post-1901 immigration, naturalisation and citizenship records.

Other features include articles on the Murphy family's Louth heritage; the past of the eccentric artist Sir Robert Ponsonby Staples, aka the Barefoot Baronet; the commemmoration of Ireland's WW1 soldiers; and research on the County Laois roots of Stephen Colbert, an Irish-American comedian.

There's also a preview of Back To Our Past, Ireland's major genealogy bash, which returns to the RDS in Dublin next month for its fifth annual outing.

Back To Our Past: lectures schedule announced

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B5-KQnqDiArgcnBxaXBCQzlINmM/edit?usp=sharing
Click to download pdf of lecture programme
It's just over five weeks until Ireland's major genealogy fair, Back To Our Past, throws open its doors at the RDS in Dublin (17-19 October). Setting off the countdown, the schedule of lectures has been finalised.

Organised once again by APGI, the Association of Professional Genealogists in Ireland, the programme of 34 lectures broadly follows the successful formula of previous years. While BTOP’s main supporters are family historian, APGI always includes topics to appeal to a wider audience: topics such as military history, emigration and local history.

Oral tradition, graveyards, school records and newspapers feature as sources, while there are several lectures on emigration.Online research, London record repositories and tracing ancestors in British India also feature. Among the speakers will be familiar faces such as Else Churchill, John Grenham and Nicola Morris. Making his first appearance at BTOP will be the highly respected Sean Murphy, who in 1989 pioneered the first third-level course in genealogy in Ireland at the UCD Adult Education Centre.

Also lecturing at BTOP for the first time are the Detroit genealogist Richard M. Doherty, a frequent visitor to Kerry, Patrick Fitzgerald of the Mellon Centre for Migration Studies and the graveyard expert Jane Lyons. There will also be presentations on behalf of the major online databases Ancestry and Findmypast.ie.

Lectures start shortly after the doors open (show hours are 12Noon to 7pm on Friday, and 11am to 7pm on Saturday and Sunday) with two lectures starting on the half hour and running concurrently. The final two lectures of each day start at 4:30pm.

Running alongside BTOP is Genetic Genealogy Ireland, a conference organised by the International Society of Genetic Genealogists [ISOGG] and sponsored by FamilyTreeDNA. It consists of a stream of lectures on genetic genealogy running throughout the weekend and the programme can be viewed at http://ggi2013.blogspot.ie

Although the exhibitor list is not yet published, BTOP 2014 will see around 50 exhibitors representing Irish and overseas genealogical societies, data providers, record repositories, heritage magazines and heritage sites. This is a  a chance for family, military and local history buffs to put questions to the likes of the General Register Office of Northern Ireland, the National Archives, APGI, FamilyTreeDNA, the main online database providers and Irish genealogical research societies. Visitors can also wander through the Over 50s Show in the main RDS Hall and into the neighbouring Coin & Stamp Fair.

Day tickets for BTOP are €10 on the door, but they may be purchased in advance for €7 (details on the BTOP website).

Exhibition explores women's role in 1912–1922 events

The Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, Heather Humphreys TD, has launched a new exhibition at the Jackie Clarke Collection in Ballina, Co Mayo commemorating the foundation of Cumann na mBan.

Speaking at the event, Minister Humphreys said: "I am delighted to be here on my first visit to the Jackie Clarke Collection, which is a great example of what can be achieved at local level. I would like to commend the work of Niamh O'Sullivan, the author and historian who was commissioned by Mayo County Library and the local committee of the Decade of Centenaries to produce this work.

“This exhibition focuses on the too-often overlooked role that women had to play in the Decade of Centenaries. It is impossible not to be inspired by the leadership and the determination of these women. I view the formation of Cumann na mBan as an absolutely vital step in the empowerment of women.

“Cumann na mBan showed that the women of Ireland were a force to be reckoned with in public life. It is important for us to look back and learn from their courage.”

Venue: The Jackie Clarke Collection, Pearse Street, Ballina, Co. Mayo. 
Open: Tuesday to Saturday: 10am to 5pm.

CentenaryMayo.ie tells the story of Mayo 100 years ago

CentenaryMayo is looking for more stories, photographs etc
Mayo Library and Heritage Office has developed a new website, CentenaryMayo.ie, to commemorate the Decade of Centenaries (1913 to 1923) and provide a glimpse into life in Mayo 100 years ago.

In the People and Places section it has details of Mayo's many memorials and plaques which commemorate the troubled history of the county, and short biographies of some of its leading figures from the period.

Within the other sections you can find an article about social conditions in 1913, a newspaper report of a riot at a wedding in 1914, details of the Cumann na mBan in Mayo and its 13 local brigades, and a look at the county's involvement in WW1 and how to research the soldiers who died.

There's quite a lot of information provided here; it's worth investigation. You can contribute, too. The site is looking for more stories, information, documents, photographs etc relating to the period.