Friday 3 April 2015

Road to the Rising: Dublin, Easter Monday

See www.rte.ie/1916 for detailed online
version of the day's programme
The countdown to the Centenary of the 1916 Rising starts on Easter Monday with the Road to the Rising event in Dublin.

It's centred on O'Connell Street, which will be pedestrianised for 12 hours and transformed into a 1915 thoroughfare, but includes several other nearby venues. The programme is widely available in paper format and also available online at www.rte.ie/1916.

Such an event obviously has loads of interest to family historians whose ancestors lived through the early 1900s, and the day's schedule is seriously packed with talks exploring social and political issues of the time. There is also a dedicated genealogy stream, with genealogists from Timeline and Eneclann based at the GPO all day to answer the public's research questions.

Nicola Morris, a member of the Association of Professional Genealogists in Ireland and director of Timeline, told Irish Genealogy News that she will be at the GPO from 10am. "I'll be giving advice to people searching for their ancestors, with specific focus on Dublin in 1915 and 1916.

"The service is offered on a first come first served basis and if it is anything like the World War One event held in Trinity College last summer, which was very, very busy, it would be best to turn up early."

During the afternoon, she'll also be giving at mid-afternoon talk – Researching your 1916 relatives – at Connolly Hall, Liberty Hall. "I'm really looking forward to meeting people who are looking for a family connection to the Rising, although proving those connections can be a challenge!" she said.

NOTE: The National Library of Ireland's Register your Treasures sessions at the GPO are fully booked. So, too, are all performances of Yellow, the ANU theatre production.

For those who can't make it to Dublin, RTE Radio 1 will be broadcasting a live edition of the History Show from 1:30pm to 3pm. Myles Dungan and guests will be discussing life, personalities and events in 1915.