Following on from my earlier blogpost, here's an example of how cowardly I've been.
Last Autumn, I don't recall exactly when, I was emailed a link to an Open Letter written by Sean J Murphy. Most people in the industry will know the name: Sean has been the Genealogy course tutor at University College Dublin since I don't know when. Yonks.
His letter is addressed to the Genealogical Society of Ireland* (GSI), the membership group based in Dun Laoghaire, Co Dublin.
It was not Sean who sent me the email but an ex-student of his who had come across it online.
To my shame, I didn't report it. I should have done because the behaviour of one of Ireland's membership groups is always going to be relevant to the wider Irish family history community.
But I sat on it because I didn't want to create a rumpus; I also didn't particularly want to draw attention to John Hamrock, the GSI's chairman at the time, with whom I have always had courteous and professional dealings; I also heeded the warnings of others that the bullies would start firing mud at me. Not only that, my mother was seriously ill in hospital at the time and I didn't want the extra hassle.
I'm ashamed to say it was easier to keep quiet than to give it air.
We can all learn from our mistakes.
Read Plagiarism: An Open Letter to the Genealogical Society of Ireland .
*For absolute clarity: the GSI is not in any way associated with the Irish Genealogical Research Society (IGRS).
