Monday 2 March 2015

Irish genealogy, history & heritage events, 2–14 March

Monday 2 March: The men who built the Olympic Class ships, with Alison Murphy. Host: North of Ireland Family History Society, Killyleagh Branch. Venue: Killyleagh Masonic Hall, 50 High Street, Killyleagh, Co Down, BT30 9QF. 8pm. Free. All welcome.

Tuesday 3 March: Presentation of family history research carried out during the year by individual members. Host: North of Ireland Family History Society, Omagh Branch. Venue: Omagh Library, Dublin Road, Omagh, Co Tyrone BT78 1HL. 7:15pm. Free. All welcome.

Tuesday 3 March: Finding your Irish ancestors online, with John Grenham MAPGI. Host and venue: Lurgan Library, 1 Carnegie Street, Lurgan, Co. Armagh BT66 6AS. Free. 6:30pm. Details: 028 3832 3912 or email: lurgan.library@librariesni.org.uk

Tuesday 3 March: PRONI's online records, with Janet Hancock. Host and venue: Newry City Library, Hill St, Newry, Co Down BT34 1DG. Free. 12:30pm. Booking advised by email to newrycity.library@librariesni.org.uk or by telephone to 028 3026 4683.

Wednesday 4 March: Religious Art of Cork Graveyards, launch of an exhibition running until 10 April. Venue: Library HQ Gallery, County Library, Carrigrohane Road, Cork City. (To attend formal launch at 1:15pm, RSVP to corkcountylibrary@corkcoco.ie by Monday 2 March. Exhibition consists of gravestone rubbings collected as part of the HistoryGraves.com project. Exhibition open 9am–5pm, Monday to Friday. Free.

Wednesday 4 March until Friday 20 March: Irish Volunteers 1913-1918, an exhibition. Venue: Cork Archives, Seamus Murphy Building, 32 Great William O'Brien St, Cork. Free. 10am–5pm Monday to Friday.

Thursday 5 March: Famine in Ulster – Who says it didn't happen here? with Trevor Parkhill. Host and venue: Bangor Carnegie Library, Hamilton Road, Bangor, Co Down BT20 4AJ. Free. 6:30pm. Booking essential, by email to bangorcarnegie.library@librairiesni.org.uk or telephone 028 912 70591.

Thursday 5 March: Belfast, Co Down – Fact or Fiction? and Making more sense of the Census. Host: North of Ireland Family History Society. Venue: Holywood Arches Library, Holywood Road, Belfast, BT4 1NT. 7:30pm. Free. All welcome.

Thursday 5 March: The Genealogy of the Anglo-Norman Lynches who Settled in Galway, with Paul B McNulty. Venue: Lynch Theatre, O’Brien Centre for Science, UCD, Belfield, Dublin 4. 7:30pm. Free, but reserve your place by email.

Thursday 5 March: The story of Blarney Castle Gardens, with Adam Whitbourn. Host: Blarney & District Historical Society. Venue: Scoil Mhuire Gan Smal, Blarney, Co Cork. 8pm. Everone welcome.

Thursday 5 March: Stories of Women in Folklore and Legend, with Nuala Hayes, accompanied by Harpist Anne Marie O'Farrell. Marking International Women's Day, this is a programme of music and stories, based on the Cailleach, the old woman of Irish and Scottish Mythology. Venue: Dublin Central Library, Ilac Centre, Henry Street, Dublin 1, at 1pm and at Cabra Library, Navan Road, Dublin 7, at 6:30pm. Free. All welcome.

Friday 6 March: Nicholas Wiseman, the first English Cardinal since the Reformation - South Kilkenny connections, with Julian Walton. Host: South Kilkenny Historical Society. Venue: Mullinavat Parish Hall (opposite church), Mullinavat, Co Kilkenny. Non-members €5. All welcome.

Friday 6 March: Coachford & District: The World War I Experience, with Anthony Greene. Host: ACR Heritage. Venue: Coachford National School, Coachford, Co. Cork. All welcome. 7:30pm. Email for more details: acrheritage@gmail.com.

Saturday 7 March: Paradise Lost – the demise and dispersal of the Irish Country House Interior, with Kerry Mullaly. Venue: Tipperary County Museum, Mick Delahunty Square, Clonmel, Co Tipperary. 10am to Noon, with refreshments provided. €5 per session. Bookings: julia.walsh@tipperarycoco.ie or 076 106 5564.

Saturday 7 March: The history of women's education – Day seminar, to mark International Women's Day. Host: Women's History Association of Ireland. Venue: Boston College Dublin, 43 St. Stephen’s Green, Dublin 2. 11:30am to 7pm. Lunch, refreshments and wine reception included. All welcome. Free, but need to book. Details.

Saturday 7 March: Strategies for Finding Your Irish Ancestors, with Donna Moughty. Host: Virtual Institute of Genealogical Research. Venue: Online. Two lectures, one at 11am, the other at 1pm (USA/EST). Cost:  From US$69.99. Details of lectures and registration.

Saturday, 7 March: Finding Your Irish Townland of Origin: Research in the U.S. and Ireland, with Joe Buggy. Host: Sachem Public Library. Venue: Sachem Public Library, 150 Holbrook Road, Holbrook, NY 11741, USA. 1-3pm, free to all. For more details, email AnneMarie.Tognella@sachemlibrary.org.

Saturday 7 March: Walking Tour of an Irish neighborhood in West Baltimore, with Tom Ward. Host: The Irish Railroad Workers Museum, 901 West Pratt Street, Baltimore, MD 21223, USA. 10:30am to 12pm (EST). Details and booking.

Saturday 7 March: Fermoy's War - World War I, an exhibition and lecture day. Venue: Palace Theatre, Fermoy Community Youth Centre, Fermoy. Co Cork. The Western Front Association will conduct research into military records, and there will be experts available to discuss war memorabilia. In addition, talks will be presented by military historians. 11am to 5pm. For more information, contact Kieran Barry at (025) 32042.

Saturday 7 March:
Discover your Irish family history, with Maggie Loughran. Host: National Trust. Venue: Birmingham Back to Backs, 55-63 Hurst Street/50-54 Inge Street, Birmingham, West Midlands, B5 4TE, UK. 10am–11:30am and again at 1:30pm–3pm. Tickets £10. Light refreshments included. Booking essential. SOLD OUT.

Monday 9 March: Finding your Irish ancestors online, with John Grenham MAPGI. Host and venue: Derry Central Library, 35 Foyle Street, Derry, LondonDerry BT48 6AL. Free. 12.30pm–2pm. For details, telephone 028 7122 9990 or email derrycentral.library@librariesni.org.uk.

Monday 9 March: Galway and the Gaeltacht Commission, 1925/6, with Gearoid O Tuathaig. Host: Galway Archaeological and Historical Society. Venue: Harbour Hotel, Dock Road, Galway. 8pm.

Monday 9 March: The history of the Dublin Fruit & Vegetable Market, with John Conroy. Host: Clontarf Historical Society. Venue: Parish Resource Centre, St John the Baptist Church, Clontarf Road, Dublin 3. 8:15pm. Non-members, €5. All welcome.

Monday 9 March: School Days and School Records, with branch members. Host: North of Ireland Family History Society, Newtownabbey Branch. Venue: Drama Theatre, Glengormley High School, 134 Ballyclare Road, Newtownabbey, BT36 5HP. 7pm. All welcome.

Monday 9 March: How DNA testing can assist you in your family tree research, with Dr Maurice Gleeson. Venue: The Eagle's Nest, Dolla, near Brindleys Bridge, Co. Tipperary. 8pm. Discounted DNA testing kits available to purchase from 6:30pm. Details.

Tuesday 10 March: Workhouse records at PRONI, with Janet Hancock. Host and venue: Newry City Library, Hill St, Newry, Co Down BT34 1DG. Free. 12:30pm. Booking advised by email to newrycity.library@librariesni.org.uk or by telephone to 028 3026 4683.

Tuesday 10 March: Finding your Irish ancestors online, with John Grenham MAPGI. Host and venue: Lisburn City Library, 23 Linenhall Street, Lisburn, Co. Antrim BT28 1FJ. Free. 12.30pm–2pm. Details: 028 9263 3350; lisburncity.library@librariesni.org.uk.

Tuesday 10 March: Finding your Irish ancestors online, with John Grenham MAPGI. Host and venue: Omagh Library, 1 Spillars Place, Irishtown Road, Omagh, Co. Tyrone BT78 1HL. Free. 6.30pm –7:45pm. Details: 028 8224 4821 or omagh.library@librariesni.org.uk.

Tuesday 10 March: The Squares of Belfast, with Norman Weatherall. Host: North of Ireland Family History Society, Lisburn Branch. Venue: The Bridge Community Centre, 50 Railway Street, Lisburn. 7:30pm. All welcome.

Tuesday 10 March: The Burning of the Custom House, with Michael Ó Dóibhlín and Liz Gillis. Host: Tallaght Historical Society. Venue: County Library, Tallaght, Co Dublin. 7pm.

Tuesday 10 March: Researching Irish emigrants to the United States, with Maura Flood. Host: Genealogical Society of Ireland. Venue: Dún Laoghaire FE Institute, Cumberland Street, Dún Laoghaire, Co Dublin. 8pm. Admission: €3.

Wednesday 11 March: Getting Started, with Janet Hancock. First of PRONI's Your Family Tree lunchtime lecture series. Venue: PRONI, Titanic Boulevard, Belfast. 1pm. Free but need to book at proni@dcalni.gov.uk or (+44) 028 90 534800. Details.

Wednesday 11 March: 'Too Many Bags in the Boat': the 1876 Kingstown Lifeboat Accident, with James Scannell. Host: The Old Dublin Society. Venue: The Conference Room, Dublin City Library & Archive, 138-144 Pearse Street, Dublin 2. 6.30pm. Admission is free and all are welcome.

Wednesday 11 March: The nature of Irish monasticism c.1050, with Edel Bhreathnach. First part of the Monastic Ireland AD 1100-1700: landscape and settlement lectures. Venue: Helen Roe Theatre, Royal Society of Antiquaries Ireland, 63 Merrion Square, Dublin. 5:30pm. Free. All welcome. Second lecture on 27 March.

Saturday 14 March: Drop-in Genealogy workshop, with Mayo Genealogy Group. Venue: NMI, Country Life, Turlough Park, Castlebar, Co Mayo. Free. No booking required and new researchers welcome. 11:30–1pm. Followed at 2pm by a talk for adults: 101 Mayo People: Who Do You Think They Are?, an online project researched and presented by the Group. See OurIrishHeritage.org to find out more.

Saturday 14 March: Strategies for Finding Your Irish Ancestors, with Donna Moughty. Host: Virtual Institute of Genealogical Research. Venue: Online. Two lectures, one at 11am, the other at 1pm (USA/EST). Cost:  From US$69.99. Details of lectures and registration.