Monday 31 July 2017

Emerald Ancestors relaunches with new records

https://www.emeraldancestors.com/
Check out the new-look site
After two or three years without any updates, the Emerald Ancestors website has been relaunched with a modern design, a new pricing structure, and plans for the release of new records to its database.

Getting the ball rolling is the upload of transcribed baptismal records for Faughanvale or St Canice’s Parish Church in the village of Eglinton, Co. Londonderry, which forms part of the Church of Ireland Diocese of Derry & Raphoe.

Dating from 1805 to 1885, records from the Baptismal Registers include the child’s name, date of birth and baptism; the father’s name and mother’s forename; and the townload in which the family lived. Occasional annotations in the registers about the family are also included.

Marriage records 1845–1935 for the same church are already included in Emerald Ancestor's marriage collection from 1845 to 1935.

In addition to new records, the refreshed site has a number of free resources available to family historians, as well as a tree builder.

It's good to see the site back!

Ancestry adds RAF Servicemen, 1918-1940 collection

Ancestry has added the UK RAF Airmen records 1918-1940 collection to its database.

More than 616,000 servicemen are included in these records, and nearly 4,000 of them are Irish-born.

The original records, which are held in AIR 79 by The National Archives in Kew, London, have been partially transcribed by Ancestry. Typically, a search delivers name, gender, age, birth date and place, service number and start date, next of kin and relationship to the airman. Sometimes the mother's name is also provided. See examples (right) of the search results for Bernard Trayner (sic) and William Carroll.

For additional details of the serviceman's record, you need to shift over to Fold 3, Ancestry's specialist military database. (A US$30 discount offer expires tonight, by the way.)

So what extra information is held in the full record? Here's the additional details discovered by viewing the images for these two randomly selected servicemen:

Bernard Traynor
Bernard was born in Tullow, not Tollon as the transcription would have it (no such place exists). The transcription of his surname is incorrect, too. His religion was Church of Ireland and he was an insurance agent when he joined the RAF. A physical description is provided but there are no details regarding his service because it lasted no longer than three and a half months; he deserted on 12 January 1919. His brother James was noted as living at 1 McGowen Terrace, Ranelagh, Dublin.

William Carroll
William's birthplace was noted as Kilcormac (again, the transcription is not correct), a town in King's County, now County Offaly. He was a Roman Catholic and a shop assistant when he enlisted for a two-year engagement as a Rigger. His character was good and his trade proficiency fair or satisfactory. He required treatment for a gum condition and spent part of his service in Egypt. A personal description is provided of William, while the address of Peter, his father, is written as Ballinacorry, which is probably Ballynacarrig, a townland about 4km outside Kilcormac. William was discharged in May 1921 with a total service towards a pension of 2 years and 220 days.

Irish Genealogy Essentials course: Belfast, October

Ulster Historical Foundation logo
The Ulster Historical Foundation (UHF) will be repeating its popular Irish Genealogy Essentials: A Family History course in October.

The course delivers a week of intensive learning, with practical demonstrations using relevant websites and other electronic resources, and a day and a half of guided research in the Public Record Office of Northern Ireland. Participants will have full access to the Foundation’s research and newspaper library, electronic resources, and the expertise of its staff and researchers. Course materials are included, and so is morning coffee! It is held in central Belfast.

This taught course is designed for those who are relatively new to Irish family history and wish to get to grips with research techniques, archives and genealogical sources in Ireland. It will also be useful to those with more genealogical experience who wish to learn more about lesser-known sources, many of which are not yet online and are available only in the archives.

Course fees are £399.99 for non-Guild members (£374.99 for Guild members). Delegates need to make their own arrangements for accommodation and lunches during the course.

More information and online booking form.

Irish genealogy & heritage events, 31 July-13 August

Monday 31 July to end of year: Out of the Doctor's Bag. Hosts: RCPI in collaboration with the Retired GPs Group of the Irish College of General Practitioners. Venue: RCPI Heritage Centre, 6 Kildare Street, Dublin 2.  Open 10am-4pm, Monday-Friday. Free. All welcome. No booking required.

Thursday 3 August: An Introduction to Irish Genealogy Online, with PJ Smith, Kathy Robins and Lynne Puckett. Host and venue: Billings Public Library, 510 North 28th Street, Billings, Montana, USA. Free. All welcome. 6:30 pm. For more information, T: (406) 657-8258.

Friday 4 August: Thomas Ashe—martyr, musician, sportsman and Gaeilgóir, a History Ireland Hedge School. Venue: Lispole Community Hall, Garrynadur, Lispole, Co. Kerry. Panel includes Mary McAuliffe, Richard McElligott, Joe Higgins and Micheál Ó Moráin. 7:30pm. All welcome.

Saturday 5 August: Irish Names Through History,  with Jacquie Ziegler.  Host and venue: Billings Public Library, 510 North 28th Street, Billings, Montana, USA. Free. From 2:30 to 4 p.m. All welcome.  For more information, call the library on  (406) 657-8258.

Saturday 5 August: Militaria and Medal Fair. Host: Medal Society of Ireland. Venue: Knox Memorial Hall, Monkstown, Co. Dublin. 1pm-5pm. All welcome. Admission: €4/members €2.

Saturday 5 August: Roger Casement and the Irish in Islington, a historical walking tour. Hosts: Wolfe Tone Society London and London Easter 1916-1924 Centenary Committee. Meet at Tube Station, Caledonian Rd, London N7, then walking to HMP Pentonville prison and other areas of interest around South Islington associated with Irish History. Noon to 2pm, approx. Free. Details.

Monday 7 August: Public Holiday in Republic of Ireland. All repositories, archives, libraries etc closed. Free Genealogy Advisory Services at National Archives of Ireland and National Library of Ireland will not be operating.

Tuesday 8 August: Irish Genealogy Hour – hands-on research in the computer classroom. Host and venue: Billings Public Library, 510 North 28th Street, Billings, Montana, USA. Free. All welcome. Noon to 1pm. For more information, T: (406) 657-8258.

Tuesday 8 August: British & Irish newspapers, and Irish Family History Resources Online, two lectures with Chris Paton as part of the Researching Abroad, British Isles & European Ancestors conference taking place 8 and 9 August at Kedron Wavell Services Club, 21 Kittyhawk Drive, Chermside South, Queensland 4032, Australia. 9:00am-4:50pm each day. Day fees apply. Details and registration.

Tuesday 8 August: Genealogical evening, with Dr Paul MacCotter. Host and venue: Franciscan Well Brewery pub, North Mall, Cork City. Introduction to Irish genealogy for beginners; family history and surname origins advice for the more advanced. 8:30pm. Free. No booking required.

Wednesday 9 August: The Big Houses of East Belfast, with Roger Dixon. Part of the Eastside Arts Festival 2017. Host: PRONI. Venue: PRONI, Titanic Boulevard, Belfast. 1pm. Free. Advance registration necessary.

Thursday 10 August: Irish nurses in the First World War, with Dr Phylomena Badsey. Hosts: Western Front Association and PRONI. Venue: Public Record Office of Northern Ireland, Titanic Boulevard, Belfast, BT3 9HQ. All welcome. £4 donation requested. 6:30pm to 8:45pm. Details.

Thursday 10 August: Delayed opening at National Library of Ireland. All areas/locations of the National Library in Dublin will remain closed until 11am to facilitate a staff development meeting.

Thursday 10 August: Public tour of WWIreland Exhibition, Exploring the Irish Experience at home and abroad. Host and Venue: National Library of Ireland, 2/3 Kildare Street (next door to main building), Dublin 2. Free. 2pm. No booking required.

Thursday 10 August: Waterford's medieval walls, an evening fieldtrip. Host: Waterford Archaeological & Historical Society. Venue: Meet in the Applemarket, Waterford City at 7pm. All welcome. Members free. Non-members €5.

Friday 11 August: Behind-the-Scenes Tour of PRONI, with archival staff. Covers the research areas, the sorting, listing and cataloguing of new materials, the secure stores, the Conservation Suite and the Photography Studio. Host and Venue: Hosts: The Public Record Office of Northern Ireland and the Belfast Titanic Society. Venue: PRONI, 2 Titanic Blvd, Titanic Quarter, Belfast, BT3 9HQ. Free. Two identical two-hour tours: choose 10am or 2pm. Register.

Friday 11 August to Sunday 13 August: The Irish Fair of Minnesota. The largest free Irish fair in the USA takes place this weekend, with entertainment, Celtic Kitchen, a cultural area, vendors. Family history help will be on offer from the Irish Genealogical Society International stand. Venue: Harriet Island, St. Paul, Minnesota, USA. Open Friday, Noon to 7pm; Saturday & Sunday, 10am to 6pm. More details.

Thursday 27 July 2017

25% discount on DNA kits from Ancestry IE/UK

Ancestry.ie - pay in euros
Ancestry UK is offering a 25% discount on the cost of its DNA testing kits for customers in the UK and Ireland.

This reduces the basic price as follows:

Pay in Euros: Price reduces from €95 to €70. Postage and packing costs are additional.

Pay in Sterling
: Price reduces from £79 to £59. Postage and packing costs are additional.
http://www.anrdoezrs.net/click-5737308-10819001?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ancestry.co.uk

The discount will be available until Thursday 3 August

I'm not sure if similar savings apply in Ancestry's other geographical territories. I shall endeavour to find out. Ancestry make this difficult, thanks to their wretched geo locator.




Tuesday 25 July 2017

New user-guides from Registry of Deeds Index Project

The Registry of Deeds Index Project has been updated with the latest entries submitted by its growing volunteer team. It now holds 247,262 entries from 27,664 memorials of deeds. They're all free to search.

Starting page for the Townland Index for townlands
starting with the letter C in County Cork, 1810-1819.
Additionally, Index Project manager Nick Reddan FIGRS and one of the stalwart volunteers, Roz McCutcheon, have added more guides to finding townlands in the Townland Index.

Follow this Find Townland Letter link and use the drop down menu to select the county and time period you are researching.

The next page allows you to search for a townland using the first letter of its name. Your selection will take you to either the first page or the end page of the appropriate imaged films now available free of charge at FamilySearch.org.

Similar Guides to the Grantor Index Films are also available on the site.

FamilySearch's ongoing upload of images of the Registry of Deeds Indexes has brought renewed vitality to this important volunteer project, and there are now several guides to help researchers become better acquainted with the huge record collection in Dublin, the online Index Project, and the FamilySearch images. The selection can be found here.


The Church of Ireland and the Irish Convention, 1917

On this day, 100 years ago, the Irish Convention opened in Trinity College Dublin. Taking place just over a year since the Easter Rising, the Convention was an attempt by the British Government to keep nationalist and unionist Ireland together as a single political entity; the objective was to bring Irishmen together to resolve the problem of Home Rule and to draft a political settlement satisfactory to a broad spectrum of interests.

The Church of Ireland Gazette's
“The Week” column, 27th July 1917.
It was a vain hope and ended in failure, and it was the last time that all of Ireland participated in political negotiations to find a solution to the Irish question before Partitition in 1921.

The Government invited the two Church of Ireland archbishops of Armagh and Dublin to attend and engage in the discussions. Additionally the Roman Catholic hierarchy was represented by the Archbishop of Cashel and the bishops of Down, Raphoe and Ross, and the Presbyterian Church in Ireland by its Moderator.

Previously hidden aspects of the Church of Ireland’s input and influence on the Irish Convention have been brought to light in a new online exhibition (link below) from the RCB Library – the Church’s record repository and reference library.

The exhibition draws on the rich resources of the weekly Church of Ireland Gazette for insight to what could be considered as the moderate and middle-ground opinion of the period. Editions of the Gazette published between 1890 and 1923 are freely searchable online.

View the new online exhibition, “Good Wishes for the Great Adventure”: The Church of Ireland & the Irish Convention, 1917.

Monday 24 July 2017

Irish genealogy, heritage & history, 24 July to 6 August

Tuesday 25 July: Researching your Church of Ireland ancestors with Sandra Doble MAGI. Host: National Archives of Ireland's 2017 Lecture Programme. Venue: Reading Room, National Archives, Bishop Street, Dublin 8. Free. All welcome. 6pm. No booking required.

Tuesday 25 July: Genealogical evening, with Dr Paul MacCotter. Host & venue: Franciscan Well Brewery pub, North Mall, Cork City. Introduction to Irish genealogy for beginners; family history and surname origins advice for the more advanced. 8:30pm. Free. No booking. Just turn up.

Wednesday 26 July: ‘Poet of the blackbirds’ — the life and death of Francis Ledwidge, a History Ireland Hedge School, with editor Tommy Graham, Michael O’Flanagan, Eunan O’Halpin, Miriam O’Flanagan, Robert Ballagh, Liam O’Meara. Venue: Richmond Barracks gymnasium, Inchicore, Dublin 8. Free. No booking required. 7pm.

Wednesday 26 July: Irish genealogy help session, with Lisa Walsh Dougherty. Host and venue: Paul O'Dwyer Library, Irish American Heritage Museum, 370 Broadway, Albany, New York, USA. 11am to 2pm. Free. No booking required.

Wednesday 26 July: Genealogy for beginners, with Lisa Walsh Dougherty. Host and venue: Pember Library, 33 West Main Street, Granville, NY, USA. 6:30pm.

Friday 28 and Saturday 29 July: The Markievicz-Patridge Centenary Seminar. Host: Irish Labour History Society. Venues in Ballaghaderreen, Gurteen and Sligo. Full details.

Friday 28 to Sunday 30 July: West Cork History Festival. Venue: In the grounds of Rosebank, the former dower house of the Liss Ard estate, Russagh, Castletownshend Road, Skibbereen. Co Cork. Lectures, panel discussions, screening. Programme. Tickets required for individual events. Day and Weekend passes also available.

Thursday 3 August: An Introduction to Irish Genealogy Online, with PJ Smith, Kathy Robins and Lynne Puckett. Host and venue: Billings Public Library, 510 North 28th Street, Billings, Montana, USA. Free. All welcome. 6:30 pm. For more information, T: (406) 657-8258.

Friday 4 August: Thomas Ashe—martyr, musician, sportsman and Gaeilgóir, a History Ireland Hedge School. Venue: Lispole Community Hall, Garrynadur, Lispole, Co. Kerry. Panel includes Mary McAuliffe, Richard McElligott, Joe Higgins and Micheál Ó Moráin. 7:30pm. All welcome.

Saturday 5 August: Irish Names Through History,  with Jacquie Ziegler.  Host and venue: Billings Public Library, 510 North 28th Street, Billings, Montana, USA. Free. From 2:30 to 4 p.m. All welcome.  For more information, call the library on  (406) 657-8258.

Saturday 5 August: Militaria and Medal Fair. Host: Medal Society of Ireland. Venue: Knox Memorial Hall, Monkstown, Co. Dublin. 1pm-5pm. All welcome. Admission: €4/members €2.

Saturday 5 August: Roger Casement and the Irish in Islington, a historical walking tour. Hosts: Wolfe Tone Society London and London Easter 1916-1924 Centenary Committee. Meet at Tube Station, Caledonian Rd, London N7, then walking to HMP Pentonville prison and other areas of interest around South Islington associated with Irish History. Noon to 2pm, approx. Free. Details.

Friday 21 July 2017

Free access to Ancestry UK's military collection

Ancestry UK has opened up its UK Military Collection this weekend. It's a BIG collection of records, giving researchers access to millions of records covering more than 300 years of military service and conflict. Included are several datasets from Ireland, Canada, Australia & New Zealand, and South Africa.
http://www.kqzyfj.com/click-5737308-10819001?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ancestry.co.uk%2Fcs%2Ffree-access

Among the 100 datasets included in this free access weekend are:

UK, British Prisoners of War, 1939-1945UK, WWI Service Medal and Award Rolls, 1914-1920
UK, Army Registers of Soldiers' Effects, 1901-1929
UK, Military Campaign Medal and Award Rolls, 1793-1949
UK, Naval Officer and Rating Service Records, 1802-1919
Web: UK, WWII Medals Issued to Merchant Seamen, 1939-1945
British Army WWI Medal Rolls Index Cards, 1914-1920

You can view the full list of databases included in the free weekend here.

To take advantage of this four-day free access weekend, you'll need a free registered account with Ancestry UK. If you don't already have one, you'll find it's quick and easy to set up. Start searching for your ancestor on the free access search page and provide your name and email address when prompted. Ancestry will then send you a username and password; once signed in, you'll have access to all the records.

The free access period will end at 11:59pm (BST) on Monday 24 July.

National Library updates Online Order Form

The National Library of Ireland has introduced a new and improved Online Order Form for researchers wanting to order books and other materials in advance.

The old form has been withdrawn with immediate effect, so if you've bookmarked its url, you'll need to update it to the new one, which is http://www.nli.ie/en/online-orders.aspx.

All terms and conditions related to the order and use of research materials remain unchanged.

If you get stuck, Reading Room staff will be able to help you, or you can contact info@nli.ie.

http://www.nli.ie/en/online-orders.aspx

Limerick Chronicle joins British Newspaper Archive

Yet another Irish title has made its way into the British Newspaper Archive (BNA) this week (three in five days!). This time, it's the turn of the Limerick Chronicle, a paper with a long history that is still being published in the City.

http://www.awin1.com/cread.php?awinmid=5895&awinaffid=123532&clickref=&p=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk%2Ftitles%2Flimerick-chronicleThe newspaper was launched in August 1768 by John Ferrar, a prominent printer based on Quay Lane, and also the man responsible for publishing the very first trade directory outside Dublin only a year later. He edited the twice-weekly paper until 1781 when he sold his business to Andrew Watson.

The British Newspaper Archive's digital holding won't be stretching back that far but will comprise a useful online collection of digitised editions published from 1825 to 1868.

So far, editions published in 1833–1868 are available to search.

The addition of this title means there are now 148 Irish newspapers in the British Newspaper Archive, which is also available on FindMyPast.

(See yesterday's blogpost for details of a 30% discount on a one-month sub to BNA.)

Thursday 20 July 2017

Book launch: The Civil War in Dublin - The fight for the Irish capital, 1922-1924

A new book - The Civil War in Dublin – The Fight for the Irish Capital 1922-1924 - has been published by Merrion Press, the history imprint of  Irish Academic Press.

http://irishacademicpress.ie/product/the-civil-war-in-dublin-the-fight-for-the-irish-capital-1922-1924/Written by John Dorney, historian and editor of The Irish Story website, the book reveals the complete, shocking story of Ireland's capital during and after the shelling of the Four Courts, the latter an event that will forever be lamented by Irish genealogists as it destroyed centuries of records about our ancestors.

As well as the gutting of the Four Courts, the book explores in detail the ten-month guerrilla war that followed – a ruthless and bitter cycle of execution, outrage and revenge.

In its 300 pages, The Civil War in Dublin provides an insight into how the city of Dublin operated under conditions of disorder and bloodshed and, through meticulous detail, brings the chaos of these years to life, revealing unsettling truths about the extreme actions taken by a burgeoning Irish Free State and its anti-Treaty opponents.

The book is available in hardback (€39.99) and paperback(€19.99).

To read a free adapted extract from the book on the author's website, see:
Today in Irish History, 28 June 1922, the First Day of the Irish Civil War

25% discount on subs to Irish Newspaper Archive

The Archive holds more than 6 million pages of newspaper
content from titles North and South of the Irish border
The Dublin-based Irish Newspaper Archive has added a first tranche of editions published by the Derry Journal.

This paper was first published in 1772 as the London Derry Journal and Donegal & Tyrone Advertiser, and is second only to the Belfast NewsLetter as the oldest Irish newspaper still in existence. It started out as a Conservative Protestant title but adopted the Nationalist Catholic cause from 1829. There's more about this paper's history here.

The editions now searchable in the INA database include all those published 1844–1852 and 1914–1924.

To mark the addition of this important title to the Irish Newspaper Archive, a 25% discount is available on all monthly and annual memberships taken out before 24 July. This reduces the cost of these subscriptions from (monthly) €30 to €22.50, and from (yearly) €178 to €133.50.

To take advantage of the discount, click the image or link above and use the promotion/coupon code Derry25 when prompted during the sign-up process.

BNA: another Irish newspaper addition and 30% off

http://www.awin1.com/cread.php?awinmid=5895&awinaffid=123532&clickref=&p=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk%2Ftitles%2Fmid-ulster-mail
Step forward the Mid-Ulster Mail as the third new Irish title to join the online British Newspaper Archive this month.

This paper, which is now owned by Johnston Press, was first published in Cookstown, Co Tyrone, in 1891 and the BNA's new holding starts from that date. The planned archive will run to 1962. Available so far are editions published in 1891-1892, 1894-1898, and 1900-1909.

This latest addition means there are now 147 Irish titles available to search in the BNA database (and FindMyPast's Irish newspaper collection), 39 of them published in Northern Ireland.

30% discount on BNA subscription


http://www.awin1.com/cread.php?awinmid=5895&awinaffid=123532&clickref=&p=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk%2Faccount%2Fsubscribe%3FPromotionCode%3DBNAJULY30The British Newspaper Archive is running a discount promotion giving researchers a 30% discount on a one-month subscription. This sub provides access to 700+ British and Irish newspapers, so could be extremely useful to your family history research.

To take advantage of the offer, click the promo image to the right and sign up for the one-month sub. You'll find the discount has been applied, and the cost reduced to £9.07.

The discount will be available until Sunday 23 June, so be sure to sign up before it expires.

(The discount was originally set at 10%. It was updated during the course of the day, and the text and link above have been amended accordingly.)



Wednesday 19 July 2017

10% discount on selected FindMyPast subscriptions

Findmypast is offering a 10% discount on three of its subscription packages. They all start today, and will run until 11:59pm GMT on Sunday 30 July.

Choose from the following (in each case, if you follow the link provided, the discount code will have been applied):

10% off 12-month Britain subscription
The 12-month Britain package provides access to more than one billion records including census records for England, Scotland and Wales; birth, marriage and death records dating from 1761; parish records dating from the 1500s; passenger records of ships leaving the UK and Ireland for Australia, Canada and the US; key military collections from the early 1600s onwards; and more than 550 titles in the British newspaper collection. The 1939 Register is also included. The discount reduces the price to £107.96.

10% off 12-month World subscription
This discounted 12-month World package is available through FindMyPast.co.uk. The subscription provides access to more than eight billion records including all those mentioned above in the Britain sub; plus Irish census, bmd records, directories, land, prison and court records and about 150 Irish newspaper titles; key US and Canada military collections, the full US federal census 1790-1940, immigration and naturalisation records, a growing collection of bmd records from every state and an extensive newspaper collection; and, from Australia and New Zealand, a collection that includes millions of immigration and naturalisation records, convict records, electoral rolls 1853-1959 and a growing collection of bmds dating from 1788 to 1985. The discount reduces the price to £140.36.

10% off 12-month Premium subscription
This 12-month Premium package is available only through FindMyPast.com. As well as giving access to FindMyPast's online family tree builder, this subscription provides access to more than 8billion billion records including US immigration & travel records, US bmd records; CA births and marriages; US Newspapers; UK parish records; UK & Irish Censuses, including the 1939 Register; nearly 700 British and Irish newspaper titles; and access to FindMyPast's free collections of US census records and Irish Parish Catholic Registers. To purchase this subscription, follow the link and select the 12-month Premium subscription. The discount reduces the price to $215.55.



Monday 17 July 2017

Irish Independent joins British Newspaper Archive

The online British Newspaper Archive has added historical editions of the Irish Independent to its database.

Initially, the available editions are those published from January to December 1905, 1907 and 1908.

In due course, the BNA intends its online holding to run from 1891 to 1911. Across this period, the publication was also known as the Irish Daily Independent and the Irish Daily Independent and Daily Nation.

The addition of this newspaper means there are now 146 titles in the BNA's Irish collection database, which is shared with FindMyPast.

Irish genealogy and heritage events, 17–30 July

Monday 17 July: Genealogy and family history advice service, with Margaret Bonar and Betty Craven. Host: Donaghmede Library, Donaghmede Shopping Centre, Grange Road, Dublin 13 or Raheny Library, if preferred. All welcome but you need to book by phone: 087 6491605. Free.

Tuesday 18 July: Tracing an Irish military ancestors: an examination of C19th and C20th records documenting the Irish in the British Army, as well as service in Republican forces during the Revolutionary period from 1913 to 1922, with Nicola Morris MAGI. Host: National Archives of Ireland's 2017 Lecture Programme. Venue: Reading Room, National Archives, Bishop Street, Dublin 8. Free. All welcome. 6pm. No booking required.

Tuesday 18 July: Using sources abroad to identify your ancestors’ county of origin, with Mike Bridwell. Host: St. Louis Genealogical Society Irish Special Interest Group. Venue: St. Louis County Library Headquarters, 1640 S. Lindbergh Blvd. St. Louis, MO 63141, USA. 7pm–8:40pm. All welcome.

Tuesday 18 July: Genealogical evening, with Dr Paul MacCotter. Host & venue: Franciscan Well Brewery pub, North Mall, Cork City. Introduction to Irish genealogy for beginners; family history and surname origins advice for the more advanced. 8:30pm. Free. No booking. Just turn up.

Wednesday 19 July: Galway Centenary Conversations: War and Revolution Roadshow. Host: Galway County Council, NUI Galway, The Moore Institute and others. Venue: Community Centre, Gorteenacra, Athenry, Co. Galway. 8pm. Free. Details. All welcome.

Friday 21 July and Saturday 22 July: Southern Irish Loyalism in Context, an international conference. Host and venue: Maynooth University. Free. Lunch and refreshments provided. See full programme and register here.

Sunday 23 July: Wild Irish Women in History, with Marian Broderick. Part of an Irish Literary Day event. Hosts: London Irish Centre and Books Ireland. Venue: London Irish Centre, 52 Camden Square, London NW1, UK. 2pm. £7. Details and tickets.

Tuesday 25 July: Researching your Church of Ireland ancestors with Sandra Doble MAGI. Host: National Archives of Ireland's 2017 Lecture Programme. Venue: Reading Room, National Archives, Bishop Street, Dublin 8. Free. All welcome. 6pm. No booking required.

Tuesday 25 July: Genealogical evening, with Dr Paul MacCotter. Host & venue: Franciscan Well Brewery pub, North Mall, Cork City. Introduction to Irish genealogy for beginners; family history and surname origins advice for the more advanced. 8:30pm. Free. No booking. Just turn up.

Wednesday 26 July: ‘Poet of the blackbirds’ — the life and death of Francis Ledwidge, a History Ireland Hedge School, with editor Tommy Graham, Michael O’Flanagan, Eunan O’Halpin, Miriam O’Flanagan, Robert Ballagh, Liam O’Meara. Venue: Richmond Barracks gymnasium, Inchicore, Dublin 8. Free. No booking required. 7pm.

Wednesday 26 July: Irish genealogy help session, with Lisa Walsh Dougherty. Host and venue: Paul O'Dwyer Library, Irish American Heritage Museum, 370 Broadway, Albany, New York, USA. 11am to 2pm. Free. No booking required.

Wednesday 26 July: Genealogy for beginners, with Lisa Walsh Dougherty. Host and venue: Pember Library, 33 West Main Street, Granville, NY, USA. 6:30pm.

Friday 28 and Saturday 29 July: The Markievicz-Patridge Centenary Seminar. Host: Irish Labour History Society. Venues in Ballaghaderreen, Gurteen and Sligo. Full details.

Friday 28 to Sunday 30 July: West Cork History Festival. Venue: In the grounds of Rosebank, the former dower house of the Liss Ard estate, Russagh, Castletownshend Road, Skibbereen. Co Cork. Lectures, panel discussions, screening. Programme. Tickets required for individual events. Day and Weekend passes also available.


Saturday 15 July 2017

Latest additions to Ireland Genealogy Projects Archives

http://www.igp-web.com/IGPArchives/ire/mayo/photos/tombstones/burrishoole1/target103.html
Headstone to McNulty, O'Malley and Hughes,
Burrishoole Abbey Graveyard, Co. Mayo
Photo courtesy of Bernie McCafferty and IGP Archives
CAVAN Genealogy Archives - Headstones
Maghera Cemetery, Kells Rd, Virginia (Updated)

DUBLIN Genealogy Archives - Headstones
Mt Jerome Cem., Pts 167-171

LIMERICK Genealogy Archives - Wills
Wills from The National Archives (Kew, London)

MAYO Genealogy Archives - Headstones
Burrishoole Abbey, Part 1

MONAGHAN & FERMANAGH Genealogy Archives Church Records
Clones Parish, Baptisms  1764-1767
Clones Parish Marriages 1817-1819 (E. Division)
Clones Parish Marriages 1819-1822 (W. Division)

TYRONE Genealogy Archives - Headstones
St. Patrick's (RC), Gortin (Updated)

WEXFORD Genealogy Archives
NewspapersWexford Independent - Poorhouse Entries & Deaths, 20 Feb 1867
Headstones – Duncannon, New Cemetery (RC); Duncannon, Old Cemetery (RC)- (separate files)

WATERFORD Genealogy Archives - Headstones
Waterford City, St. Otteran's - Pt 5

Friday 14 July 2017

Four Members of Accredited Genealogists Ireland appointed to positions of influence

Four members of Accredited Genealogists Ireland (AGI) have recently been appointed to positions of influence. One has been appointed a member of the National Archives Advisory Council; another elected a vice-president of the Irish Genealogical Research Society; and two appointed members of the Irish Manuscripts Commission.

Accredited Genealogists Ireland
John Grenham is one of the 12 members of the National Archives Advisory Council (NAAC), recently appointed by Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, Heather Humphreys TD. The NAAC is a statutory body with remit to advise the Director of the National Archives of Ireland on policy and practical matters. John is a longstanding member of AGI and is known internationally as the author of Tracing Your Irish Ancestors, now in its fourth edition.

Paul Gorry has been elected a vice-president of the Irish Genealogical Research Society (IGRS). Founded in 1936, the IGRS is a learned society and the world’s oldest organisation dedicated to the study and pursuit of Irish genealogy. Paul is a past president of AGI, and with his AGI colleague Máire Mac Conghail is co-author of Tracing Irish Ancestors, published in 1997.

Nicola Morris and Máire Mac Conghail have both been appointed to the board of the Irish Manuscripts Commission (IMC). The IMC was established in 1928 by the warrant of the Irish government. Its remit is the dissemination, preservation and promotion of original source materials for the history of Irish culture and heritage. Nicola works closely with the production company for the BBC TV programme Who Do You Think You Are?, appearing in a number of the shows, as well as being one of the onscreen genealogy experts on the TV series, the Genealogy Roadshow. Máire, current president of AGI, has served on the both the NAAC and IMC previously and was a member of the Board of the National Library of Ireland from 2005 to 2010. She has practised as a professional genealogist for over 40 years.

"All four are most deserving of the recognition these appointments give them and their work," said AGI Vice-President Joan Sharkey. "Over many years, each has made a serious and committed contribution to the promotion of Irish genealogy and to the setting of high standards among professional genealogists in Ireland.

“Without doubt, in their new roles each will make a constructive and professional contribution to the work of these three bodies and to the wider world of Irish genealogy, history, archives and heritage.”

Clockwise from top left: John Grenham MAGI, Máire Mac Conghail MAGI,
Paul Gorry MAGI, and Nicola Morris MAGI.

Thursday 13 July 2017

The Coleraine/Northern Constitution joins BNA

The Coleraine Constitution changed its name
to Northern Constitution in 1908.
The online British Newspaper Archive (BNA) has added the Coleraine/Northern Constitution to its database.

The paper is still published in Coleraine, County LondonDerry, but historical editions will be joining the digital archive as follows:

1877–1908 The Coleraine Constitution and Northern Counties Advertiser.
1908–1912 Northern Constitution.

So far, editions published between 1877 and 1887 are fully digitised and available to search.

This addition to the online BNA means there are now 38 papers from Northern Ireland (plus a further 107 from the Republic) in the Irish Newspaper Collection via both the BNA website and FindMyPast database.

Wednesday 12 July 2017

Joe Buggy reviews my new Irish Genealogy Guide

My huge thanks are due to ProGenealogist, author and blogger Joe Buggy for his detailed and positive review of my newly-released book The Family Tree Irish Genealogy Guide – How to Trace Your Ancestors In Ireland.

http://www.townlandoforigin.com/2017/07/book-review-family-tree-irish-genealogy.html
Click to read Joe's review
Below are a few snippets to give you a flavour, but you can also read the full review on his TownlandOfOrigin.com blog by clicking the screenshot right.

"Santry's publication aims to give the reader 'a thorough grounding in genealogical techniques and point you [the reader] towards records you need to search, both in the United States and in Ireland.' It does not disappoint."

"Online research is now the starting point for many, so I was delighted to see Key Genealogy Principles in Chapter 2, where the differences between primary vs. secondary sources and original vs. derived sources are discussed. This chapter also stresses the importance of citations and research logs - concepts that many only discover after initial efforts turn into keeping track of hundreds of ancestors."

"[The] book has few peers when it comes to providing an in-depth discussion of [civil registration, church records, census records, and land/property] record collections and pointing out the various merits of each website that houses those records. This is an important feature for a genealogy research guide to have in the age of the researcher also being a consumer of subscriptions and pay as you go credits."

'Reimagining the National Library': plans unveiled

Plans for a major €10m capital investment plan for the National Library of Ireland’s historic Kildare Street premises in Dublin have been unveiled this morning.  The redevelopment will be the first major investment in the historic wing of the building since the 1890s and will address the following key areas:

  • Refurbishment of the 1890s building to meet modern standards for universal access, fire prevention, health and safety, circulation, security, mechanical and electrical services, and environmental sustainability;
  • Upgrading and enhancement of visitor and reader facilities;
  • Upgrading the conditions in which heritage collections are kept;
  • Improvement of both access and security;
  • Upgrading and rationalisation of operational areas; and
  • Provision of better linkages throughout the Library’s extended buildings complex.

Making the announcement Minister Humphreys said: “The National Library currently holds a significant amount of its collection in an historic Victorian era building, which is badly in need of upgrading and modernisation. I was therefore delighted in October 2015 to allocate €10m in funding to invest in this vital cultural institution.

"Appropriately this investment programme is called Reimagining the National Library, and will help transform the Library into a world class facility for the storage and display of our national collection, as well as enabling the Library to develop its capacity as a centre for research, culture, learning and tourism.”

Plans have now been finalised and the first phase of works, which will be carried out in partnership with the Office of Public Works, will get underway shortly. The space in need of redevelopment in the historic building is substantial: approximately 3,000 square metres.

The main disruption for visiting researchers will be the closure of the Main and Manuscript Reading Rooms on Mondays from 14 August. The Genealogy Advisory Service will continue to operate as normal. Further details of NLI service restrictions here.

Ulster Historical Foundation seeks genealogical researchers

The Belfast-based Ulster Historical Foundation (UHF) would like to broaden its pool of genealogical researchers and is compiling a register of individuals interested in part-time research work.

https://www.ancestryireland.com/about-us/
Ulster Historical Foundation logo
Applications are invited from people with a genuine interest in family history who possess a working knowledge of Irish genealogical research sources and both strong analytical and writing skills.

Applicants should forward a CV with a covering letter outlining their experience and demonstrating how they meet the essential criteria for the position to: Ulster Historical Foundation, The Corn Exchange, 31 Gordon Street, Belfast, BT1 2LG, or enquiry@uhf.org.uk, by 5pm (BST) on Friday 4 August.

The UHF is a long-established and highly-regarded educational non-profit organisation, and one of the principal genealogical research agencies in Ireland.

A full job specification and other details about this employed status ie not-freelance position can be found on the UHF's website AncestryIreland.com.

London's Met Police pensions registers worth checking for Irish-born officers

A couple of month's ago, Ancestry added a debut collection of Metropolitan Police registers detailing the force's pension provision between 1852 and 1932.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B5-KQnqDiArga0ZVQjF2U1kySWM/view?usp=sharing
Click to view details of Kilkenny-born
Sergeant Thomas Carroll's service
I didn't blog about the launch because I assumed, given its dates, that it wouldn't have much to offer Irish genealogists. But I was drawn into it this last weekend when looking at my husband's family history, and in the process found that of the nearly 70,000 men recorded, about 800 are Irish-born. There will, I'm sure, be a good many more who were second generation Irish living in London.

For those lucky enough to find an ancestor in these registers, some useful detail awaits. The records include personal information about the officer and you may find a place of birth, marital status, names and addresses of parents and next of kin, service details; from 1923, details of the police officer's spouse – date of birth and place of marriage – are also included.

Here are a couple of examples:

William Reilly was born 24 June 1843 at Finner (sic), Drumcree, County Westmeath, the son of John and Elizabeth Reilly. He joined the Metropolitan Police as a Constable at Scotland Yard aged 22, on 14 August 1865 and worked in three Divisions (Kings Cross, Greenwich and Southwark) during his 23 years of service. He was a tall man, standing just over 6ft 3inches tall, with a ruddy complexion and blue eyes. His brown hair was turning grey by the time he retired, aged 44, in May 1888. He was married to Maria and they lived at 12 Jamaica Road, Bermondsey, and he was entitled to an annual pension of £32.15s.3d.

Thomas Reilly was born on 1 April 1855 at Paulstown, County Kilkenny. Twenty-three years later he joined the Metropolitan Police as a Constable at Scotland Yard on 26 August 1878. He was posted to Portsmouth in 1892 having been promoted to Sergeant, and spent 18 months as a Station Sergeant before, at his request, returning to Section Sergeant in Highgate Division. When he retired from the force on 30 August 1903 on a pension of £67.18s 9d, he was 48 years old, had grey eyes and grey hair and was 5ft 10inches tall. He had been injured while in service; whether this injury relates to the noted burn scar on his left cheek is not clarified. He was married and lived at 76 Grove Road, Holloway. He selected his son, Bernard Thomas Carroll as his next of kin, rather than his un-named wife.

The original records are held by The National Archives, Kew, London.



Monday 10 July 2017

July public holiday closures in Northern Ireland

Wednesday 12th and Thursday 13th July are public holidays in Northern Ireland but normal working days in the Republic of Ireland.

The following repositories/institutions will be closed on at least these two days.
  • The Public Record Office of Northern Ireland (PRONI) – Normal timetable resumes Thursday 14 July
  • The General Register Office of Northern Ireland (GRONI) – Normal timetable resumes Thursday 14 July
  • All Libraries NI branches and central libraries – Normal opening hours from Thursday 14 July
  • Linen Hall Library – Normal timetable resumes Thursday 14 July
  • Presbyterian Historical Society Library & Archive – Normal timetable resumes Tuesday 18 July
  • Ulster Historical Foundation – Returns to normal opening hours on Monday 17 July

Irish genealogy and history events, 10–23 July

Tuesday 11 July: Newspapers as a source for genealogical research with Georgine Scally MAGI. Host: National Archives of Ireland's 2017 Lecture Programme. Venue: Reading Room, National Archives, Bishop Street, Dublin 8. Free. All welcome. 6pm. No booking required.

Tuesday 11 July: Irish Family History Group, monthly meeting. Host and venue: The Core Library, Theatre Square, Homer Road, Solihull, UK, B91 3RG. 10am to Noon. All welcome, for genealogy help and support.

Tuesday 11 July: Tracing the roots of Irish emigration to Argentina, from the discovery of the Americas to the Great Famine, with Tim Fanning. Part of the Latin American Irish Diaspora Festival. Venue: County Library, Library Square, Tallaght, Dublin 24. Register here. Free. 6:30pm. All welcome.

Tuesday 11 July: Genealogical evening, with Dr Paul MacCotter. Host & venue: Franciscan Well Brewery pub, North Mall, Cork City. Introduction to Irish genealogy for beginners; family history and surname origins advice for the more advanced. 8:30pm. Free. No booking. Just turn up.

Wednesday 12 July: Galway Centenary Conversations: War and Revolution Roadshow. Host: Galway County Council, NUI Galway, The Moore Institute and others. Venue: Screene's Bar, Gilkagh, Co. Galway. 8pm. Free. Details. All welcome.

Wednesday 12 July: Swift's Dublin, with Professor David Dickson MRIA. Host and venue: Royal Irish Academy, 19 Dawson Street, Dublin 2. Lunchtime lecture series accompanies ongoing free exhibition commemorating Jonathan Swift's birth in 1667. Lecture 1pm. Free. No need to book.

Wednesday 12 July: Reopening of An Daonchartlann, the Genealogical Society of Ireland's Archives & Research Centre. The computer room at the new premises within the grounds of Loughlinstown Leisure Centre (Loughlinstown Drive, Dun Laoghaire, Co Dublin) will open to members and visitors from 10am. Other parts of the centre will open as soon as practical in coming weeks. Details.

Thursday 13 July: Delayed opening at National Library of Ireland to facilitate staff development meeting. All venues will open at 11am.

Saturday 15 July: The 1st Leinsters – who they were and what became of them, with John Goodman. Host: Western Front Association (Dublin Branch). Venue: National Museum of Ireland, Collins Barracks, Benburb Street, Dublin 7. Admission: €3. All welcome. 2:30pm.

Saturday 15 July: Genealogy Workshop, with Lynn Brady. Host and venue: Glasnevin Cemetery Museum, Finglas Road, Dublin 11. All participants receive €10 genealogy vouchers giving access to Glasnevin Cemetery's unique records. 2pm to 3pm. Free. Booking essential: email  lbrady@glasnevintrust.ie or telephone 0(1) 882 6536.

Tuesday 18 July: Tracing an Irish military ancestors: an examination of C19th and C20th records documenting the Irish in the British Army, as well as service in Republican forces during the Revolutionary period from 1913 to 1922, with Nicola Morris MAGI. Host: National Archives of Ireland's 2017 Lecture Programme. Venue: Reading Room, National Archives, Bishop Street, Dublin 8. Free. All welcome. 6pm. No booking required.

Tuesday 18 July: Using sources abroad to identify your ancestors’s county of origin, with Mike Bridwell. Host: St. Louis Genealogical Society Irish Special Interest Group. Venue: St. Louis County Library Headquarters, 1640 S. Lindbergh Blvd. St. Louis, MO 63141, USA. 7pm–8:40pm. All welcome.

Tuesday 18 July: Genealogical evening, with Dr Paul MacCotter. Host & venue: Franciscan Well Brewery pub, North Mall, Cork City. Introduction to Irish genealogy for beginners; family history and surname origins advice for the more advanced. 8:30pm. Free. No booking. Just turn up.

Wednesday 19 July: Galway Centenary Conversations: War and Revolution Roadshow. Host: Galway County Council, NUI Galway, The Moore Institute and others. Venue: Community Centre, Gorteenacra, Athenry, Co. Galway. 8pm. Free. Details. All welcome.

Friday 21 July and Saturday 22 July: Southern Irish Loyalism in Context, an international conference. Host and venue: Maynooth University. Free. Lunch and refreshments provided. See full programme at register here.

Sunday 23 July: Wild Irish Women in History, with Marian Broderick. Part of an Irish Literary Day event. Hosts: London Irish Centre and Books Ireland. Venue: London Irish Centre, 52 Camden Square, London NW1, UK. 2pm. £7. Details and tickets.

Saturday 8 July 2017

Discounts on Living DNA testing kits

Living DNA, the UK-based company which arrived on the genetic genealogy scene last year and has quickly won many admirers, is offering discounts on its dna testing kit.

The Living DNA test is a 3-in-1 test that not only covers your family ancestry and your motherline, it also, if the tester is male, explores the fatherline.  The test also sets out your dna mix across 80 world regions, including 21 in Britain and Ireland.

The discounts on offer vary depending on where you live and the currency you want to use, as follows:

http://www.tkqlhce.com/click-5737308-12872918
Ireland and Eurozone – Save €30.
Regular price €159. With discount, €129.

http://www.anrdoezrs.net/click-5737308-12758007
UK – Save £11.
Regular price £120. With discount, £109.

http://www.tkqlhce.com/click-5737308-12755175
Canada – Save C$30.
Regular price C$199. With discount, C$169.

http://www.kqzyfj.com/click-5737308-12970814
USA – Save US$40.
Regular price US$159. With discount, $119.

http://www.dpbolvw.net/click-5329468-12755174
Australia & New Zealand – Save A$30. Regular price A$199. With discount, A$169.

Shipping/delivery charges are additional.

Friday 7 July 2017

Tipperary Studies uploads workhouse & school records

The Tipperary Studies' Digitisation Project has delivered some more free online material.

First up sees an initial instalment from the library's Workhouse Registers collection. It includes one full volume of the Thurles Workhouse Admission and Discharge Registers, dating from 1866 to 1872, downloadable in a series of eight pdfs. This is the earliest of the Thurles Workhouse Register volumes held by Tipperary Studies.

In addition, a single volume recording Deaths in Cashel Workhouse, 1848, 1849 and 1850, is available to download in one pdf. This is the only Cashel Workhouse Register volume held by Tipperary Studies.

Two sets of School Registers have also been uploaded. They include Borrisofarney School Register Boys 1864–1920; Borrisofarney School Register Girls 1863–1920, and Gortagarry Roll Book 1899–1902.

Tipperary Studies' library of digitised material has grown considerably since I checked in last year. Among the online items most likely to be of interest to Irish family historians is sales material from the Incumbered Estates Court (for eight estates), grave memorial inscriptions, the Rate Books for Cashel, Nenagh and Thurles Poor Law Unions, and the Ardmayle National School Examination Rolls 1882 – 1889.

The library and archive team is aiming to provide a spread of digitised material themes to appeal to the widest possible audience, not just genealogists, so, having uploaded this new instalment of Workhouse Registers will probably now move on to digitising another collection or partial collection. In due course, however, more volumes from the Thurles Workhouse Registers collection will be prepared for online release. The registers yet to be digisitised are dated 1872–1880; 1885–1887; 1887–1890; 1892–1894; 1894–1896; 1902–1904; 1909–1913; 1916–1921.


FindMyPast adds C16th and C19th maps of Ireland

FindMyPast has uploaded two sets of detailed old maps to its Irish collection, one created during the 19th century, the other from the late 16th:

Dublin City Ordnance Survey Map 1847
Covering Dublin at the height of the Great Famine, this is a large government map of the capital showing the location of streets, buildings, gardens, barracks, hospitals, churches and other landmarks. It has been captured in 33 sheets; if you follow the link above and scroll down, you'll find lists of all the wards and parishes covered.

Ireland, Maps and Surveys 1558-1610
This record set comprises 68 beautiful early Irish maps digitised in full colour from The National Archives (Kew) series 'State Papers Ireland'. These maps were created during the reigns of Elizabeth I and James I and were used by the English monarchy to confiscate land that had belonged to Gaelic leaders and redistribute them to English planters and settlers.

Thursday 6 July 2017

National Library's RC Registers site has a tech problem

A technical problem appears to have hit the National Library of Ireland's RC Registers website this afternoon.

When you identify the parish you want to search, you are erroneously told that the NLI doesn't have any available registers for the area (see example below). I've checked a dozen parishes and all of them return the same message, but it's possible there are others functioning correctly.

The Library IT team is working to solve the problem.


UPDATE, Friday 7 July, 10:20am: Problems solved. Site seems to be functioning properly again.

North & East Cork school records join RootsIreland.ie

Mallow Heritage Centre, the Irish Family History Foundation's genealogy centre in North Cork, has added nearly 20,000 transcripts of National School records to its database on RootsIreland.ie.

They include the following:
  • Ballyvongane Boys' School - 1880-1930
  • Ballyvongane Boys' School - 1931 onwards
  • Ballyvongane Girls' School - 1942 onwards
  • Ballyvongane School 1870 - 1887
  • Ballyvongane School 1885 - 1942 (Aghinagh)
  • Castletownroche School - no dates
  • Castletownroche School - 1871-1899
  • Clashbee Boys' and Girls' School (Bweeng) - no dates
  • Doneraile School - 1800-1899 (many include parents' names)
  • Dromore Boys' and Girls' Schools (Dromahane area) - no dates
  • Grange Schools (Fermoy Area) - no dates
  • Kilmahon Infants and National Schools - no dates
  • Midleton National School - no dates
RootsIreland's Cork North & East database includes Roman Catholic and Church of Ireland register transcripts, Methodist records, Civil birth, marriage and death records, Gravestone inscriptions and now these School records. See the full menu of genealogical sources here.


New book: St Paul's Historic Graveyard, Newtownforbes

A new book, St Paul’s Historic Graveyard, Newtownforbes, Co Longford, has been published by Turners of Longford.

Researched and compiled by Doreen Mc Hugh and Desmond Mooney, and sub-titled Clongish Memorial & Burial Records 1698-2016, the 142-page book focuses mainly on a pictorial and written record of almost 300 headstones and church memorials, while also containing details of c.1200 burials from the Clongish Parish Records [1820-1917].

Additionally, there are short articles on the Forbes, Auchmuty and Auchmuty-Musters families, as well as snippets on people such as Charlotte Brooke [Poet & Gaelic Scholar]; Colonel James Hay, who fought at Waterloo; James Bell, Longford's first County Surveyor; and Alan Turing - famous for cracking the German U-boat Enigma code in WW2.

An interesting analysis of the registers includes references to gaps in the records, discrepancies between headstone inscriptions and registers, recorded deaths per decade and age distribution at death. It also suggests that family historians should treat such records with caution.

The book is priced at €10 and is available in Bell’s and Smith’s, Newtownforbes, as well as Newsround and Baxter’s Pharmacy in Longford. If you have ancestral connections to the area but don't live nearby, purchase enquiries can be forwarded to des.moon3@gmail.com.

Headstone images and inscriptions are also available at HistoricGraves.com.

Ancestry adds C19th Reproductive Loan Funds records

Ancestry has added the records of the Irish Reproductive Loan Funds to its database. They've chosen to rename the collection the Ireland Sustainability Loan Fund records.

They date from 1821 to 1874.

These loan schemes were administered by local associations, who made loans to the 'industrious poor'.

The surviving application forms, ledgers and other books can be surprisingly useful to genealogists as they often note the occupation, health, family circumstances and even emigration of the borrowers and/or their guarantors. The loans were always short-term, and required guarantors – usually close family members or neighbours.

The 'reproductive' part of the original fund name comes from the concept that a financial investment such as the purchase of farming tools, livestock or materials to build a barn would, in the short-term, generate/reproduce the loan's value, ensuring repayment but would also, in the longer-term, help alleviate the borrower's poverty.

Surviving records come primarily from ten counties in Munster and Connaught:  Clare, Cork, Galway, Kerry, Leitrim, Limerick, Mayo, Roscommon, Sligo and Tipperary.  Most date from 1824 to 1846 and are often the only official records of people who died during the Famine or who emigrated during those years.

This collection is also available on FindMyPast (re-named as Poverty Relief Loans) and on FamilySearch.org (unindexed, images-only). In addition, some local websites such as Skibbereen Heritage Centre's have also digitised the records and made them available free.  The originals are held by The National Archives in Kew, London.


Tuesday 4 July 2017

Free access to AmericanAncestors.org until 6 July

To celebrate Independence Day, the New England Historical Genealogical Society is opening up all its online databases to guests.

The databases, held on the NEHGS's award-winning website, AmericanAncestors.org, contain 1.4billion names.

You'll need a free Guest Account to gain the free access. This is a quick and easy process and you don't need to provide any financial details. (If you already have a Guest Account, just sign in.)

The free access will continue until 11:59pm ET on Thursday 6 July.

Monday 3 July 2017

50% off subscriptions to Irish Newspaper Archives

To celebrate 4th July, the Dublin-based Irish Newspaper Archives (INA) is offering a whopping 50% discount offer for new monthly and annual subscriptions.

https://www.irishnewsarchive.com/
The INA database holds more than 6million pages across 74 titles, all published on the island. Every historical county, north and south, is represented, and the earliest editions date from 1738.

Some of the newspapers run up to current issues, allowing researchers to track their ancestors and their communities across the decades and centuries all the way to the present. National and international affairs, including visits to Ireland by Presidents of the United States of America, are also reported in many of the regional titles.

With this half-price offer, the subscriptions are reduced as follows:

One-month subscription: Normal price $30. Discounted price $15
12-month subscription  : Normal price $178. Discounted price $89

To take advantage of this generous money-saving offer, click the image above, choose your preferred subscription and use the coupon code USA50 when prompted. The offer expires at 11:59pm IST on Friday 7 July. (See also the Terms and Conditions on the site.)

New appointments to NAI's Advisory Council

National Archivers of Ireland, Dublin 8
The Minister for Arts, Heritage, Regional, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs, Heather Humphreys TD, has announced 12 appointments to the National Archives Advisory Council.

Under the National Archives Act, two members of the Advisory Council must be members of the Irish Manuscripts Commission, while two members must be archivists who are not employed by the National Archives of Ireland.

All appointees were assessed by the Public Appointments Service. The appointments are for a period of five years.

Not surprisingly, many of the names will be familiar to Irish family history researchers, and I'm delighted to see John Grenham MAGI among them.

The full line up of newly–appointed members of the Advisory Council are:

Justice John Hedigan – (Chairman) Judge of the Court of Appeal
Ciara Breathnach – Lecturer UL, Board Member NLI
John Grenham – Genealogist MAGI
Kieran Hoare – Archivist NUIG
Natalie Harrower – Director Digital Repository of Ireland
Stephen Mac Eoin – Officer in Charge, Military Archives
Brian McGee – Chief Archivist, Cork City and County Archives
Hiram Morgan – Senior Lecturer UCC, Director Irish National Institute for Historical Research
Catriona Mulcahy – University Archivist UCC
Elizabeth Mullins – Lecturer Archival Studies UCD
Michael Nolan – Senior Research Scientist, Intel Labs Europe
Deirdre Raftery – Associate Professor (Education) UCD