Monday, 1 February 2016

Irish genealogy, history & heritage events, 1–13 Feb

Monday 1 February: The Flight of the Earls, with Deirdra Friel. Host: North of Ireland Family History Society, Foyle Branch. Venue: Derry City’s Central Library, 35 Foyle Street, Londonderry, BT48 6AL. 7pm. Free. All welcome.

Monday 1 February: The Strangford Islanders, with Beverly Brown. 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.

Monday 1 February: 1916 – When the dawn is come – Thomas MacDonagh and the Easter Rising, with Dr Shane Kenna. Venue: Dublin Castle, Dame Street, Dublin. 6:30pm. Free. All welcome but need to book a place. E: DublinCastleTickets@opw.ie, T: (0)1 645 8812.

Tuesday 2 February: Selfridges of London and Ardstraw, with Frank Collins. 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 2 February: Hidden pages from the 1916 Rising, an evening seminar exploring little known archival sources. Host: An Post and the Irish Society for Archives. Venue: St Thomas's Church, Cathal Brugha Street, Dublin 1 (beside Gresham Hotel). Five short illustrated lectures, followed by Q&A. Chaired by Patsy McGarry. A free public event. All welcome. Refreshments from 6pm. Lectures start 6:45pm.

Wednesday 3 February: Petty thieves and rebel volunteers; a shared history at Kilmainham Gaol, with Dr Lisa Marie Griffith. Host: Dublin City Council 1916-2016 Centenary Programme. Venue: Inchicore Library, 34 Emmet Road, Dublin 8. 6:30pm. Free. Booking required. E: inchicorelibrary@dublincity.ie T: (0)1 453 3793.

Thursday 4 February: Survivors of the Titanic, with Norman Graham. Host: 10th series of Julian Walton Winter Lectures series. Venue: Dunhill Multi-Education Centre, Dunhill Ecopark, Ballyphilip, Dunhill, Co Waterford. 8pm, followed by Q&A and light refreshments. €5. No need to book. Enquiries: T (0)51 396 934.

Thursday 4 February: A Tour tbrough Ulster's graveyards, with Dr William Roulston. Host: North of Ireland Family History Society, Belfast Branch. Venue: Holywood Arches Library, Holywood Road, Belfast, BT4 1NT. 7:30pm. All Welcome.

Thursday 4 February: Free at last: Irish records, so peculiar, so cheap, with John Grenham MAGI. Host: Family Search. Venue: RootsTech, Salt Palace Convention Center, 100 South West Temple St, Salt Lake City, Utah, USA.

Thursday 4 February: Using FindMyPast to unlock your Irish ancestry, with Brian Donovan. Venue: RootsTech, Salt Palace Convention Center, 100 South West Temple St, Salt Lake City, Utah, USA.

Thursday 4 February: The Belfast workhouse in the nineteenth century, with Dr Olwen Perdue. First of the Surviving the City: Lunchtime Lecture Series. Host and Venue: PRONI, Titanic Boulevard, Belfast. 1pm. Free. Booking recommended: E: proni@dcalni.gov.uk / T: 028 90534800.

Thursday 4 February: Wikimedia Edithon – This will comprise a number of talks on the Somme and Ireland 1916 as well as a workshop to show how to edit and upload information to Wikipedia articles. Host and Venue: PRONI, Titanic Boulevard, Belfast. 2:30pm to 5:30pm. Free. Booking recommended: E: proni@dcalni.gov.uk / T: 028 90534800.

Thursday 4 February: Abandoned mansions of Ireland, with Tarquin Blake. Host: Blarney & District Historical Society. Venue: Scoil Mhuire Gan Smál (Blarney Secondary School), Blarney, Co. Cork. 8pm. All welcome.

Friday 5 February: The Battle of Clonmult, with Tom O'Neill. Host: Carrigtwohill & District Historical Society. Venue: St David's Centre, Carrigtwohill, Co Cork. €5 at the door. 8pm. Details: (0)21 461 3222.

Friday 5 February: The Coast, The Copper, The Ancient East: County Waterford's archaeology, with Dave Pollock. Host and venue: The Copper Coast UNESCO Global Geopark Visitor Centre, Knockmahon, Bunmahon, Co. Waterford. 7:30pm. Tickets €5 (includes tea/coffee). See www.coppercoastgeopark or telephone (0)51 292828.

Friday 5 February: The Somme – What actually happened?, a HistoryIreland Hedge School. Venue: Ulster Canal Stores, Clones, Co Monaghan. Speakers: Jennifer Wellington, Lar Joye, Jason Burke, George Knight. 7pm. Free. All welecome.

Friday 5 & Saturday 6 February : Globalising the Rising – 1916 in context, an interdisciplinary conference. Venue: O’Reilly Hall, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin 4. Although free to attend, tickets need to be booked for each day. See full programme. 8:45am to 5:30pm on Friday; 9:30am to 5pm on Saturday. All welcome.

Saturday 6 February: Family history on the web, part of the library's Family Fun Day. Host and venue: Antrim Library, 10 Railway St, Antrim BT41 4AE. 11:30am to 1pm and 1:30pm to 3pm. Free. No need to book. Just drop in.

Monday 8 February: The Diary of a Farmer’s Wife (1796-97), with Jenny Cumming. North of Ireland Family History Society, Newtownabbey branch. Venue: Drama Theatre, Glengormley High School, 134 Ballyclare Road, Newtownabbey, Co Antrim BT36 5HP. 7pm. Free. All welcome.

Monday 8 February: Guided tour of Cork City and County Archives services, focussing on resources relating to the 1912–1922 revolutionary period. Venue: Seamus Murphy Building, 32 Great William O'Brien St, Cork City. Free. Contact for time and booking: Email archivist@corkcity.ie; Phone:+353 21 450 5886.

Tuesday 9 February: Unusual Sources for Family History, with Mary Bradley. Host: North of Ireland Family History Society, Lisburn Branch. Venue: The Bridge Community Centre, 50 Railway Street, Lisburn, BT 28 1XP. 7:30pm. All welcome.

Tuesday 9 February: Roger Casement, with John McGuiggan. Host: South Dublin Libraries. Venue: County Library, Library Square, Tallaght, Dublin 24. Free. 7pm. Al welcome.

Wednesday 10 February:Women of the County Cork gentry and aristocracy, 1860-1914: peripheral witnesses or powerful actors?’ with Dr Maeve O’Riordan. Host: Cork Historical and Archaeological Society. Venue: Crawford Art Gallery, Emmett Place, Cork City. 8pm. Free.

Thursday 11 February: Powers and Beresfords: Curraghmore lives on, 1690–1790, with Julian Walton. Host: 10th series of Julian Walton Winter Lectures series. Venue: Dunhill Multi-Education Centre, Dunhill Ecopark, Ballyphilip, Dunhill, Co Waterford. 8pm, followed by Q&A and light refreshments. €5. No need to book. Enquiries: T (0)51 396 934.

Thursday 11 February:A free public tour of the exhibition World War Ireland: Exploring the Irish Experience. Host and venue: National Library of Ireland, 2-3 Kildare Street, Dublin 2. Free. 2pm. Booking not required.

Saturday 13 February: Not all Irish were Catholic, with Audrey Leonard. Host: Irish Genealogical Society International. Venue: Minnesota Genealogical Society (MGS) Library, 1185 Concord St N, S St Paul, Minnesota, MN 55075. USA. $15 to members/$20 to non-members. 10:30am to Noon. Register.

Saturday 13 February: Using DNA for family history research. A workshop geared towards beginners. Also learn about the Maine Gaeltacht DNA Project. Host and Venue: Maine Irish Heritage Center, 34 Gray St, Portland, Maine 04102 USA. 1pm. $5 members/$10 non-members. Register by e mailing irishhc@maine.rr.com