Monday 12 September 2016

Rockstar Genealogists 2016: Silver & Bronze medals

An email from blogger John D Reid of Anglo-Celtic-Connections arrived in my Inbox this morning telling me that I'd been voted into Bronze place in his annual RockStar Genealogist Awards. What a nice way to start the day!

While I'm genuinely chuffed to have received votes, I'm glad to have dropped down a couple of positions from last year's virtual podium because I didn't feel comfortable or deserving of the top spot. For a start, my natural inclination to the limelight is to run a mile in the opposite direction. But it's also because one of the primary reasons for John's poll is to help society and conference organisers chose highly-regarded speakers for their lecture programmes. I don't give lectures. I'm not even a professional genealogist! Despite feeling I don't really belong in this poll, I much appreciate the votes cast. A big thank you to everyone who voted for me.

A certain John Grenham came in at second place and he most certainly gives lectures... very informative, witty and well-presented lectures, too, as many researchers around the world will know (and weekend after next, he'll be doing just that at the Clare Roots Society's international conference in Ennis - see here). As well as being a professional genealogist and member of Accredited Genealogists Ireland, he presents webinars, publishes his incredibly useful Irish Ancestors website and blog at johngrenham.com, and is the author of the bestseller Tracing Your Irish Ancestors, now in its 4th edition. A Rockstar Genealogist poll will always see John in the band! Congratulations, John.

You can view all the RockStar Genealogists 2016 Silver and Bronze Medallists here.