Thursday 30 November 2017

PRONI: Changes to hours and services in December

The Public Record Office of Northern Ireland (PRONI) will see a number of changes to its regular hours and services in December.

Preservation Week, 11–15 December
Document ordering and production will be suspended throughout this week to facilitate essential preservation work. Researchers will still have access to church records and search services via the Search Room.

No late night Thursday from 14 December 2017 to 4 January 2018
Exactly as described. This year's last late-night Thursday will be on 7 December, when doors will close at 8:45pm. On December 14, 21, 28 and January 4, the doors will close at 4:45, the same as all other days. The late-night opening resumes on 11 January 2018.

Christmas/New Year closures
PRONI will be closed on 25-27 December inclusive, open normal hours on 28-29 December, and closed on 1-2 January. Open 3-5 January from 9am to 4:45pm, and returning to normal hours from Monday 8 January.


National Archives: Reading Room closures in December

The Reading Room of the National Archives of Ireland (NAI) will be closed to the public during the annual Media Preview of government department archives which are to be opened in the New Year.

Only journalist and broadcasters will be admitted.

The NAI's free Genealogy Advisory Service will not operate during the closure. It will resume on Monday 11 December.

Later in the month, the NAI will break with recent tradition by not opening between Christmas and New Year. Instead, the offices will be closed right across the festive season, from 12:30pm on Friday 22 December 2017 until it re-opens at 9:15am on Tuesday 2nd January 2018.

Book launch: The Wreck of the Annie Jane

http://www.acairbooks.com/categories/non-fiction-titles/all-non-fiction/the-wreck-of-the-annie-jane.aspx
The Wreck of the Annie Jane, by Allan F Murray, has been published by Acair. The 232-page paperback tells the story of the ship Annie Jane, which set sail from Liverpool in late 1853 heading for Quebec with 450 people on board, most of them Irish emigrants fleeing poverty. They didn't make it. The ship was wrecked in a storm and driven onto the rocks of Vatersay, a small island in the Outer Hebrides. Some 350 passengers and crew lost their lives.

Regular readers of Irish Genealogy News may remember a 2015 blogpost in which Allan asked for family history research assistance to explore the lives and extended families of those who died and survived.

This new book is the product of his research, which included the discovery of two surviving eye-witness accounts of the tragedy, and records for posterity the names of those who perished and survived one of the worst shipwrecks off these islands.

It is on sale for £12.95 via Acair and Amazon.

ISBN: 9780861524129

From the Medieval to the Modern: new exhibition and workshop at PRONI

The Public Record Office of Northern Ireland will launch a new exhibition today. Developed in conjunction with Libraries NI, From the Medieval to the Modern: Reformation, Transformation and Continuity marks the 500th anniversary of Reformation.

This exhibition comprises archives and fine books, dating from the medieval period through to the late 19th century. It centres on the documents themselves, each offering their own distinct perspectives, enabling exploration of the reformation period and its legacy.

The exhibition will be on display at PRONI (2 Titanic Boulevard, Belfast) until 15 December and will then tour libraries across Northern Ireland. Follow PRONI's facebook page to be kept up to date on the location of the exhibition in the months ahead.

Today's launch will be held at 1pm to 2pm and everyone is welcome to attend.

You may also be interested in a workshop - Using early modern records - to be held at PRONI on Wednesday 6 December (10:30am to 1:00pm). It will introduce the essential skills needed to use early modern records and participants will have the opportunity to handle original documents and receive advice on interpreting the handwriting used and uncovering who authorised their creation. There will also be a demonstration on using a digital archive relating to State Papers (1509-1714), which is available at PRONI. Advance registration is necessary.

Tuesday 28 November 2017

FindMyPast UK introduces new subscription packages

FindMyPast UK (not its other 'territories') has announced new subscription packages for renewals and new subs.

For the last few years researchers have had to make a choice firstly between the World package or the Local package, and secondly on the length of the subscription: either one-month or annual.

The monthly or annual options remain, but the big change is the offer of three packages, as you can see below (click the image for a better view).

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1t92KqfEbsH04629QU3_YZMLsmHpHDYIC/view?usp=sharing
Click to view full details and to compare each package

The new subscription options are:

Starter package
For beginners, the Starter package offers the simplicity of starting with essential census and BMD (birth, marriages and death) records, and includes Findmypast’s family tree hinting system. All new subscribers will receive a free Getting Started guide.
Monthly/annual prices: £8.95/£72.

Plus package
Designed for those wanting to take their research to the next level, the Plus package sees the 1939 Register available in a monthly subscription for the first time. Beyond the 1939 Register, all parish, military, education, institutions and social history records as well as all electoral registers, directories, and travel and migration records are included. ALL Irish records except Irish newspapers will also be accessible.
Monthly/annual prices: £12.95/£120.

Pro package
The Pro package contains everything the serious or professional genealogist needs, with access to the largest online collection of British & Irish newspapers and all of Findmypast’s global record sets and advanced resources such as PERSI. Pro subscribers will also receive priority customer support, exclusive Webinars and advanced education aimed at experienced genealogists.
Monthly/annual prices: £15.95/£156.

This latest move means that two of FindMyPast's 'territories' – UK and USA – now have their own subscription models. Whether FindMyPast Ireland and Australia/NewZealand will design bespoke models remains to be seen. Note: the new subs are available only to to UK-based researchers.

UPDATE: Findmypast say that existing subscribers will not automatically be moved to any of these new packages.  As subs come up for renewal, researchers will have the opportunity to take up one of the new options, but if they would prefer to keep the type of access they already have, they will be able to do so.

Monday 27 November 2017

Irish genealogy and history events, 27 Nov - 10 Dec

Monday 27 November: NLI Reading Room & Manuscript Room closed. Venue: National Library of Ireland, Kildare St, Dublin 2. On-going Monday closures to facilitate redevelopment of the premises. All other services/exhibitons/cafe, incl. Genealogy Advisory Service operating as normal. Details.

Tuesday 28 November: Belfast in the Twentieth Century, decade by decade, an illustrated talk with Norman Weatherall. Host: North of Ireland Family History Society, Belfast Branch. Venue: C. S. Lewis Room, Holywood Arches Library, 4-12 Holywood Road, Belfast, BT4 1NT. Free. All welcome. 7:30pm.

Tuesday 28 November: Using newspaper libraries for genealogical purposes. Host: North of Ireland Family History Society, Causeway Branch. Venue: Guide Hall, Terrace Row, Coleraine, Co Derry. Free. All welcome. 8pm.

Wednesday 29 November: Land records - Walk in your ancestor's footsteps, with Tony Hennessy MAGI. Host and venue: Medieval Museum in Waterford's Viking Triangle, The Mall, Waterford City. All welcome. 1:15pm to 2pm. €5 admission on the door. No booking required.

Wednesday 29 November: Pierhead to Pierhead: Killaloe to Liverpool in the Age of Steam, with Brian J. Goggin. Host: Killaloe Ballina Local History Society. Venue: Killaloe Public Library, The Lock House, Killaloe, Co. Clare. 7 pm. Free. All welcome.

Thursday 30 November: Researching Court Records, with Wesley Geddis. Host: North of Ireland Family History Society, Ballymena Branch. Venue: Michelin Arts Workshop, Braid Arts Centre 1-29 Bridge Street, Ballymena, Co Antrim. BT43 5EJ. 7:15pm. Free. All welcome.

Thursday 30 November: The origins of Presbyterianism in the Walled City and Foyle Valley, with Dr William Roulston. Host: Friends of the Derry Walls. Venue: First Derry Presbyterian Church, 6 Upper Magazine St, Londonderry BT48 6HY. All welcome. 7-10pm. Need to register.

Saturday 2 December: Irish Study Group meeting. Host and venue: New England Historic Genealogical Society, 101 Newbury St, Boston, Massachusetts 02116, USA. 9:30am–12pm. Non-members are welcome, and attendees are invited to stay and use the library resources afterwards. No registration necessary.

Monday 4 December to Friday 8 December: National Archives of Ireland's Reading Room closed to the public during the annual Media Preview week which allows journalists and broadcasters to preview government archives due for release in early 2018. Details. Reading Room will reopen on Monday 11 December.

Monday 4 December: NLI Reading Room and Manuscript Room closed. Venue: National Library of Ireland, Kildare Street, Dublin 2. On-going Monday closures are to facilitate extensive redevelopment of the premises. All other services/exhibitons/cafe, including Genealogy Advisory Service operating as normal. Details.

Monday 4 December: The Meltin' Pot Dive – a personal story of the discovery of the B17 Flying Fortress in the Foyle, with Danny Keenan. Host: North of Ireland Family History Society, Foyle branch. Venue: Lecture Room of Derry City’s Central Library, 35 Foyle Street, Londonderry, BT48 6AL. All welcome. Free. 7pm.

Monday 4 December: Christmas Night – Historical superstitions, with Hugh Burns. Host: North of Ireland Family History Society, Larne Branch. Venue: Larne Bowling & Lawn Tennis Club, 112-120 Glenarm Road, Larne, Co Antrim BT40 1DZ. All welcome. 7:30pm. Free.

Wednesday 6 December: How to draw a family tree without using up four rolls of wallpaper, with Tony Hennessy MAGI. Host and venue: Medieval Museum in Waterford's Viking Triangle, The Mall, Waterford City. All welcome. 1:15pm to 2pm. €5 admission on the door. No booking required.

Wednesday 6 December:  Using Early-Modern records - a workshop. Host and venue: Public Record Office of Northern Ireland, Titanic Boulevard, Belfast. 10:30am to 1pm.  Free. Need to register.

Thursday 7 December: Flights of Fancy, Offaly follies and their demesnes, with Rachel McKenna. Lecture and book launch. Host and venue: Offaly History Centre, Bury Quay, Tullamore, Co Offaly. Details. 8pm–10pm. All welcome. Members €2 non members €5.

Saturday 9 December: The Life and times of the Archdales, with Peter Archdale. Host: NIFHS Tyrone Branch. Venue: Seminar Room, First Floor, Omagh Library, Dublin Road, Omagh, BT78 1HL. 10am to noon. All welcome.

Sunday 10 December: How to get ready to search Irish records, with Kevin Cassidy. Host: Lincoln-Lancaster County Genealogical Society. Venue: Walt Branch Library, 6701 S 14th St, Lincoln, Nebraska, USA, 2pm–4pm. All welcome.

Friday 24 November 2017

Half price book offers from Family Tree Magazine - including my own Irish Genealogy Guide

https://www.familytreemagazine.com/store/
It's that time of year when genealogists should be keeping their beady eyes open for the best special offers, discounts and deals on subscriptions, dna tests, books and all manner of products that we need and covet to facilitate and enjoy our hobby or profession.

So I feel duty bound to tell you that my book The Family Tree Irish Genealogy Guide: How to Trace Your Ancestors in Ireland, which was published at the end of May, is on special offer (half price, no less) along with a number of other best sellers from the publishers of the USA's Family Tree Magazine.

To see the full selection of books and products on special offer, click the image above.

Alternatively, if you just want to buy the Irish Genealogy Guide (the 50% reduction brings the price down to just $13.50 plus shipping ($4.95 for USA), you can find out more on its dedicated sales page, or in the blogpost I published just after the book's launch.

For reviews, see Amazon.com.


50% discounts on Ancestry.com subscriptions, plus AncestryDNA test kits at cheapest price this year: $59

Ancestry.com has set out its Black Friday / Cyber Monday stall with some BIG discounts on both its membership subscriptions and Ancestry DNA test kits.

The membership discounts are available via the 'gift purchase' route, and there is absolutely nothing to stop you buying them for yourself. Everyone should buy themselves a gift every now and again, after all.

So, here's the breakdown of the offers this long weekend:

US Discovery – Access to all US records (50% off) – Gift
12-month subscription reduced from $189 to $94 (save $95)
6-month subscription reduced from $99 to $49 (save $50)

World Explorer – Access all US and international records – Gift
12-month subscription reduced from $299 to $149 (save $150)
6-month subscription reduced from $149 to $74 (save 75)

These membership offers are available for new subscribers only and are not for renewal of current subscriptions.

Ancestry DNA test kit
Now at its cheapest price of the year – just $59 – the price tag includes taxes. Shipping is extra and is only to US addresses.

All these offers end on Monday 27 November at 11:59pm ET.


Save 40% on new Fold3 annual Premium subscription

Fold3, Ancestry's specialist military database, has a Black Friday / Cyber Monday special offer for new Fold3 subscribers taking out an annual Premium membership package.

The 40% discount reduces the price from US$79.95 to US$47.95.

Fold 3's collections are not exclusively US-based. Not by any means. Here's a list of just some of the record sets in the database.

  • Revolutionary War Service & Pension Records
  • Civil War Widows Pensions
  • orld War II Draft Cards
  • Australia WWI & WII Service Records
  • British Army WWI Service Records
  • UK Royal Hospital Chelsea Pensioner Soldier Service Records
  • UK Royal Hospital Chelsea Pensioner Admission and Discharge Records

It isn't only military, either. It also holds Naturalisation records, City Directories, 1860 and 1930 US Censuses, Newspapers and much more.

http://www.tkqlhce.com/click-5737308-10967210




Ancestry.ca offers DNA tests at lowest price of the year

http://www.dpbolvw.net/click-5737308-13147550
Offering a saving of CAD$50, Ancestry.ca is promoting its lowest price of the year to Canadian residents buying an Ancestry DNA test kit.

Reduced from the standard price of CAD$129 to CAD$79, the price you pay includes taxes. Shipping costs are extra.

The discount will end at 11:59pm on Monday 27 November.

RootsIreland: one-third off cost of annual subscriptions

RootsIreland.ie is offering a hefty one-third discount on 12-month subscriptions to its database of more than 20million records.

https://www.rootsireland.ieThe website contains data from more than 30 heritage centres across the island (excluded are southwest Cork, including Cork City, Kerry, and Dublin City) and is one of the main resources for accessing Roman Catholic, Church of Ireland, Presbyterian, Methodist, Baptist and other church records of baptisms, marriages and deaths. For many areas, the Catholic records extend by some decades those available on other websites, and the same can be said of the database's civil records collection.

Not for nothing does renowned genealogist John Grenham refer to RootsIreland (here) as 'the one essential commercial genealogy site for Irish research'.

You can check what records are available for each county using this handy widget.

RootsIreland doesn't make many offers, and even when it does, they are rarely of this size of discount, so don't miss this opportunity.

The 12-month subscription usually costs €225 / GB£185 / US$255. With the one-third discount, the cost is reduced to €150 / GB£123 / US$170. The offer runs until 11:59pm GMT on Thursday 7 December.

Thursday 23 November 2017

FindMyPast's Black Friday deals - up to 75% off

FindMyPast.ie, FindMyPast.com and FindMyPast.com.au each has a couple of Black Friday discounts on offer to the World/Premium package, which includes full access to FindMyPast's database of 8billion records from Ireland, the UK, the USA, Australia and New Zealand.

All offers will expire on Monday 27 November.

Please note these savings are not available via FindMyPast UK.


75% off a one-month World/Premium subscription

Pay just one quarter of the standard price for a whole month of access.

The subscription will automatically renew at the standard price at the end of the month; if you don't want the subscription to continue, just go to Your Account and change the settings (it's easy to do).

http://www.awin1.com/cread.php?awinmid=5947&awinaffid=123532&clickref=&p=https%3A%2
 F%2Fwww.findmypast.ie%2Fblack-friday
FindMyPast.ie – One-month World sub reduced from €14.95 to just €3.74.

http://www.awin1.com/cread.php?awinmid=5927&awinaffid=123532&clickref=&p=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.findmypast.com%2Fblack-friday-offer

FindMyPast.com – One-month World sub reduced from US$19.95 to just US$4.99.


http://www.awin1.com/cread.php?awinmid=5948&awinaffid=123532&clickref=&p=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.findmypast.com.au%2Fblack-friday
FindMyPast.com.au – One-month World sub reduced from AUS$19.95 to AUS$4.99.



10% off a 12-month World/Premium subscription

Grab a worthwhile discount to enjoy a whole year of access to FindMypast's entire database.

http://www.awin1.com/cread.php?awinmid=5947&awinaffid=123532&clickref=&p=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.findmypast.ie%2Fblack-friday-10
FindMyPast.ie – 12-month World sub reduced from €179.52 to €161.55.

http://www.awin1.com/cread.php?awinmid=5927&awinaffid=123532&clickref=&p=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.findmypast.com%2Fblack-friday-offer-10

FindMyPast.com – 12-month Premium sub reduced from US$239.52 to US$$215.55.


http://www.awin1.com/cread.php?awinmid=5948&awinaffid=123532&clickref=&p=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.findmypast.com.au%2Fblack-friday-10
FindMyPast.com.au – 12-month World sub down from AUS$239.52 to AUS$215.55.


Wednesday 22 November 2017

Ancestry DNA (UK & IE only): lowest price this year

http://www.jdoqocy.com/click-5737308-10819001?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ancestry.co.uk%2Fireland
Don't miss this offer!

Ancestry DNA is offering a 'Black Friday / Cyber Monday' deal on its DNA test kits. The cost: just £49 / €59 plus shipping – that's the lowest price this year.

This offer is available only on orders sent to addresses in Ireland (pay in Euros) and the UK (pay in Sterling), and runs until 11:59pm GMT on Monday 27 November.

http://www.dpbolvw.net/click-5737308-13147618

Tuesday 21 November 2017

Black Friday: up to 40% discount at Irish News Archive

The Black Friday deals will end at
11:59pm GMT on Sunday 26 November
Fast on the heels of a permanent reduction in its subscription costs (see blogpost), the Dublin-based Irish Newspaper Archives has come up with Black Friday discounts of up to 40% to lower those prices even further.

With the discount, a monthly subscription to the database's holdings of 78 Irish newspaper titles is reduced by 30% to €$£20.30, while the annual subscription drops by a whopping 40% to just €$£89.40.

To take advantage of this very special offer, head over to Irish Newspaper Archives to view the full list of publications in the database and the years available, and then choose which of the two packages will suit your research best. The offer will end on Sunday 26 November.

Monday 20 November 2017

Three volunteers sought by PRONI for six-month roles

PRONI's state-of-the-art offices are in
Belfast's Titanic Quarter
The Public Record Office of Northern Ireland (PRONI) has developed a Volunteer policy and is seeking enthusiastic volunteers to carry out three distinct roles. One will assist with Absent Voters' Lists; another will be allocated to PRONI's Digital Library Library, and the third will assist with the Young & Mackenzie architectural collection.

Each volunteer will be given appropriate training and will be assigned a mentor.

The PRONI Volunteer Policy, together with the three volunteer role descriptions and application forms are available on the PRONI website here.

The closing date for receipt of completed application forms is Friday 8th December 2017. It is expected that potential volunteers will be invited to a volunteer selection meeting with PRONI staff during the week commencing 8 January 2018.

First 15,000 user-submitted census corrections are live

Validation of the user-submitted
corrections started in September
As regular readers of Irish Genealogy News will be aware, genealogist John Grenham started working back in September on a vast backlog of corrections to the 1901 and 1911 census, all submitted by researchers.

The National Archives of Ireland has announced that the first 15,000 corrections are now live. These relate to emails submitted between 25 October 2016 and 11 September 2017.

In his Irish Roots blog today, John makes some observations about the original transcribers and the recent submitters*, and says he'll be making monthly instalments of corrections going forward.

*The East Galway crowd he speaks of sound like the kind of people who ring you up to make sure you received their email. Jeez.

Registry of Deeds Index Project: latest update

A weekend update to the Registry of Deeds Index Project shows the database now holds 257,261 index entries from 28,665 memorials of deeds, all submitted by volunteers.

All entries are freely accessible via:

Irish genealogy, history & heritage events, 20 Nov-3 Dec

Monday 20 November: NLI Reading Room and Manuscript Room closed. Venue: National Library of Ireland, Kildare Street, Dublin 2. On-going Monday closures are to facilitate extensive redevelopment of the premises. All other services/exhibitons/cafe, including Genealogy Advisory Service operating as normal. Details.

Monday 20 November: Getting the most from your DNA results, with Paddy Waldon. Host: Irish Genealogical Research Society. Venue: Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland, 63 Merrion Square, Dublin 2. 6:45pm. Free. All welcome. No booking required.

Monday 20 November: The Dail Eireann Courts of County Offaly, 1920-1922, with Steven Egan. Host: Offaly Historical & Archaeological Society. Venue: Offaly History Centre, Bury Quay, Tullamore, Co Offaly. 8pm to 10pm. All welcome. €2 Members / €5 Non-members. Includes tea/coffee. Details.

Monday 20 November: Genealogy and family history advice service, with Margaret Bonar and Betty Craven. Host and venue: Donaghmede Library, Shopping Centre, Grange Road, Dublin 13, or Raheny Library, if preferred. All welcome but you need to book by phone: 087 6491605. Free.

Monday 20 November: Guided tour of St. Columb’s Cathedral, with Ian Bartlett. Host: North of Ireland Family History Society, Foyle branch. Venue: Lecture Room of Derry City’s Central Library, 35 Foyle Street, Londonderry, BT48 6AL. 7pm. Free. All welcome.

Monday 20 November: What's in a name? with Kathleen Morrison. Host: North of Ireland Family History Society, Larne branch. Venue: Larne Bowling & Lawn Tennis Club, 112-120 Glenarm Road, Larne, BT40 1DZ. 7:30pm. Free. All welcome.

Tuesday 21 November: Sacred and Profane: Church art and architecture in Cork City, with Dr Ann Wilson. Signs and Symbols in Urban Cork lecture series. Host: City Library, Grand Parade, Cork City. 7pm. Free. All welcome. No booking required.

Tuesday 21 November: Poverty and the poor in pre-Famine Tipperary, with Dr Laurence Geary. Host: Tipperary People & Places Lecture Series. Venue: Tipperary Studies, The Source, Cathedral Street, Thurles, Co Tipperary. 7:30pm. Admission free. Tea served. All welcome. More details studies@tipperarycoco.ie.

Wednesday 22 November: The Registered Papers of the Chief Secretery of Ireland, their use in history and genealogy, and the updated online catalogue (1818-1830, with Vera Moynes. Host and venue: National Archives of Ireland, Bishop Street, Dublin 8. Free. 6pm. CANCELLED - will be rescheduled for 2018.

Wednesday 22 November: Birth, Baptism, Marriage & Death, with Tony Hennessy MAGI. Host and venue: Medieval Museum in Waterford's Viking Triangle, The Mall, Waterford City. All welcome. 1:15pm to 2pm. €5 admission on the door. No booking required.

Wednesday 22 November: Cork City and County Archives, with Brian McGee. Host: Bishopstown Historical Society. Venue: Bishopstown Library, Sarsfield Road, Wilton, Cork City. All welcome. 11:30am–12:30pm.

Friday 24 November: The sinkings of the Waterford steamers Coningbeg and Formby and the Great War off the Irish coast, with Dr Edward Bourke. Host: Waterford Archaeological & Historical Society. Venue: St Patrick's Gateway Centre, Patrick Street, Waterford City. 8pm. Members free / Non-members €5. All welcome.

Saturday 25 November: Coffin ships, orphan boys and the Lazaretto Point Lighthouse, with Luke McCusker. Host and venue: Irish Railroad Workers Museum, 918-920 Lemmon St, Baltimore, Maryland 21223, USA. 11:30–12:30 EST. All welcome. Free. Details.

Saturday 25 November: Genealogy workshop, with Lynn Brady. Host and venue: Glasnevin Cemetery Museum, Finglas Rd, Dublin 11. Tickets €5. 2pm. All welcome. SOLD OUT

Saturday 25 November: Archives of the Fenian Rising - 150 years on, a half-day seminar with panel discussion chaired by Tim Pat Coogan. Host and venue: National Archives of Ireland, Bishop Street, Dublin 8. Presented as part of the Explore Your Archive campaign. 10am to 1pm. All welcome. Free, but reserving a place is essential.

Saturday 25 November: Local history day. Host: DCL&A. Venue: Conference Room, Dublin City Library & Archive, 138-144 Pearse Street, Dublin 2. Talks include: The 1867 Bray Head Train Derailment, with James Scannell; The Rebel Liberties, with Liz Gillis; Tom Ashe, with Frank Whearity; The Civil War in Dublin, with John Dorney; and The history of Keogh Square, with Liam O'Meara. Host and venue: Dublin City Library & Archive. 9.45am to 2.15pm. Tea/coffee will be served. Free. All welcome. No booking required.

Monday 27 November: NLI Reading Room and Manuscript Room closed. Venue: National Library of Ireland, Kildare Street, Dublin 2. On-going Monday closures are to facilitate extensive redevelopment of the premises. All other services/exhibitons/cafe, including Genealogy Advisory Service operating as normal. Details.

Tuesday 28 November: Belfast in the Twentieth Century, decade by decade, an illustrated talk with Norman Weatherall. Host: North of Ireland Family History Society, Belfast Branch. Venue: C. S. Lewis Room, Holywood Arches Library, 4-12 Holywood Road, Belfast, BT4 1NT. Free. All welcome. 7:30pm.

Tuesday 28 November: Using newspaper libraries for genealogical purposes. Host: North of Ireland Family History Society, Causeway Branch. Venue: Guide Hall, Terrace Row, Coleraine, Co Derry. Free. All welcome. 8pm.

Wednesday 29 November: Land records - Walk in your ancestor's footsteps, with Tony Hennessy MAGI. Host and venue: Medieval Museum in Waterford's Viking Triangle, The Mall, Waterford City. All welcome. 1:15pm to 2pm. €5 admission on the door. No booking required.

Wednesday 29 November: Pierhead to Pierhead: Killaloe to Liverpool in the Age of Steam, with Brian J. Goggin. Host: Killaloe Ballina Local History Society. Venue: Killaloe Public Library, The Lock House, Killaloe, Co. Clare. 7 pm. Free. All welcome.

Thursday 30 November: Researching Court Records, with Wesley Geddis. Host: North of Ireland Family History Society, Ballymena Branch. Venue: Michelin Arts Workshop, Braid Arts Centre 1-29 Bridge Street, Ballymena, Co Antrim. BT43 5EJ. 7:15pm. Free. All welcome.

Thursday 30 November: The origins of Presbyterianism in the Walled City and Foyle Valley, with Dr William Roulston. Host: Friends of the Derry Walls. Venue: First Derry Presbyterian Church, 6 Upper Magazine St, Londonderry BT48 6HY. All welcome. 7-10pm. Need to register.

Saturday 2 December: Irish Study Group meeting. Host and venue: New England Historic Genealogical Society, 101 Newbury St, Boston, Massachusetts 02116, USA. 9:30am–12pm. Non-members are welcome, and attendees are invited to stay and use the library resources afterwards. No registration necessary.




Friday 17 November 2017

FindMyPast adds miscellaneous military collections

FindMyPast has added a number of military collections sourced from The National Archives (UK). You can see the full list and details here.

The two listed below are the most likely to be of interest to those with Irish-born ancestors who served in the British Army. You'll need either a UK or World subscription to view the records*.

British Armed Forces, First World War Soldiers' Medical Records
The collection holds more than 212,000 names and includes details of when, where and how individual servicemen were wounded, and where they were treated. The search page lists the medical facilities and hospitals represented in this record set.

British Armed Forces, First World War Widows' Pension Forms
Transcripts provide the following details about the serviceman and his family: service number, regiment, cause and date of death, spouse's name, marriage year and children's names, while images may provide further information about attestation and service. This collection of just under 9,000 records represents less than 2% of the original set; the rest were destroyed.


*This strikes me as unfair when the records cover an era when Ireland was still part of Britain. The records are every bit as Irish as they are Scottish or Welsh or English.

Thursday 16 November 2017

Explore Your Archive 2017, 16-26 November

The Archives and Records Association, Ireland (ARAI) has launched Explore Your Archive 2017.

http://www.exploreyourarchive.org/?region=republic-of-irelandThe week-long campaign, which runs from Saturday, 18 November to Sunday, 26 November 2017, celebrates the role of archives in preserving Irish history and aims to highlight the unique potential of archives to tell exciting stories, surprise people and bring communities together.

Run jointly with the Archives and Records Association in the UK, the campaign seeks to encourage people to engage with the items held in archives around the country and discover what life in Ireland was like in days gone by. Participating organisations, both north and south of the border, will open their vaults to display collections of stories, films, photos and other rare artefacts throughout the campaign.

Felix Meehan, Outreach Officer, Archives and Records Association, Ireland, said: “This year marks the fifth Explore Your Archive week and it is fantastic to have more than 30 organisations from across Ireland offering a lively programme of activities for visitors to explore. We invite people to visit participating archives in person but also virtually, with many participating organisations hosting online exhibitions of digitised collections that can be easily accessed from home."

Events taking place during Explore Your Archive 2017 include:
  • The National Archives of Ireland will host a free seminar to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the Fenian Rising. Expert speakers will discuss the challenge of interpreting the historical record of the Fenians. 10am–1:30pm, Saturday, 25 November.
  • UCD Archives is hosting an online exhibition entitled ‘The finest of men’. The exhibition will feature documents concerning those imprisoned in Irish and British jails following the 1916 Rising until the general amnesty of June 1917.
  • Dublin City Library & Archive will host a conversation with artist Gavin Murphy on his research into the architectural and performance history of the now defunct Eblana theatre. To celebrate Explore Your Archive week, Gavin Murphy will donate a copy of his Eblana Theatre Productions Database to the Irish Theatre Archive for public access. 11am–12pm, Saturday, 18 November.
  • The Public Record Office of Northern Ireland is hosting a number of workshops (all now fully booked) and talks.
  • NUI Maynooth Archive will host an exhibition showcasing the correspondence of Sir Edward Baker Littlehales (1764-1825), Private Secretary to Lord Cornwallis (Lord Lieutenant of Ireland) 1798-1801 and Under-Secretary at the Military Department, Dublin, 1801-1819. 20–27 November.
  • Tipperary Studies will hold drop-in sessions about the processing of the Murphy Ballinamona (Cashel) Negative Collection which was donated to Tipperary Studies in 2016. Pat Bracken of Tipperary County Council Library Service will show how the negatives were presented and the work which was undertaken to scan the negatives and convert them to online images. 3pm–4:30pm, Monday 20 November.
For more about the Explore Your Archive 2017 campaign, see the ExploreYourArchive website. For details of events, see Northern Ireland or Republic of Ireland.

This year’s campaign will also see participating organisations take part in a colourful and creative social media campaign with different themes and prompts for each day of the week. Organisations will be delving into their collections and sharing some unique items with their online audiences. The campaign can be followed on Twitter: @archivesireland, #ExploreArchives; and on Facebook: facebook.com/ARAIreland.

Irish civil bmd records: latest on the recent upload

https://civilrecords.irishgenealogy.ie/churchrecords/civil-search.jsp
Late yesterday afternoon I spoke to the managers of IrishGenealogy.ie. It seems Monday's upload of additional GRO records was released to the public in error; a test site was supposed to be doing the rounds within the GRO, allowing any errors in function or delivery to be sorted out before it went live. Instead, it just went live.

Unfortunately, the test site had quite a few problems: an 'old style' index remains on the site, causing duplications; registration districts had gone awol in older index entries resulting in nil returns when searching by registration district; many of the new-release of records were not available, and where they were, they often were flying solo, ie without the image of the register entry.

These problems are now being resolved and it is hoped all will be ironed out by the end of the day. At that point, the records on the site should be:

  • Birth records - index plus image of birth register page: 1864 to 1916
  • Marriage records - Index only: 1845/1864 to 1869; index plus image of marriage register page: 1870 to 1941
  • Death records - Index only: 1864 to 1877; index plus image of death register page: 1878 to 1966
This morning I can see the matter of the N/R registration districts appears to have been resolved. The older death records are also being uploaded but not all of them yet have images attached, and the duplicated index remains. So there's still some work to do but it's clearly in hand.

Once this upload is completed, we will inevitably start pining for the remaining parts of the collection (marriage register images 1845-1869 and death register images 1864 to 1877) to be fully available. I'm told these will be along in mid-2018.

I've also been asked to pass on that errors submitted via the feedback page of IrishGenealogy.ie have been actioned in this latest upload. The cut-off was July this year. So, if you submitted details of an error prior to the end of July, you should find it corrected; if it is not, please resubmit giving date of your original feedback submission.

If you sent such details from August onwards, it will be actioned as part of the 2018 upload.

I'll update on this page later today, or as necessary.

UPDATE, 19 November: Duplicated index seems to have been removed and all the death records seem to be present for the relevant years.


The duplication of the new and old indexes still needs to be corrected,
but at least the registration districts have been restored.

Ireland Genealogy Projects Archives: new files added

Mary Eliza White of Fethard, Co Wexford,
died and buried in Waterford, 1897.
Photo courtesy of Steve Rogers and IGP Archives
Click for larger image.
Below are the files added to Ireland Genealogy Project Archives (IGP-web) in the first two weeks of November. They have all been submitted and uploaded by volunteers and are available to the public to view without charge:

CAVAN Genealogy Archives - Headstones
Drung Old Cemetery (Updated)
Laragh (CoI) New Graveyard

DONEGAL Genealogy Archives - Headstones
Alt Upper, Presbyterian Church Graveyard

DUBLIN Genealogy Archives - Headstones
Mt Jerome, Dublin - Part 181

LEITRIM Genealogy Archives - Headstones
Gortletteragh Cem., Cloone (Additional)

MONAGHAN & FERMANAGH Genealogy Archives - Church Records
Clones Registers, Burials 1811-1814 (E. Division)

MONAGHAN Genealogy Archives - Headstones
Corlea Presbyterian Graveyard

TYRONE Genealogy Archives - Headstones
Fivemiletown Cemetery (Additional)

WATERFORD Genealogy Archives - Headstones
Johns Hill, Waterford City

WEXFORD Genealogy Archives - Newspapers
Work House Admissions & Deaths, 3 Feb 1864 , 6 Apr 1869

Wednesday 15 November 2017

NLI secures funding for 'Towards a Republic' project

The National Library of Ireland has secured funding for its Towards a Republic project, which will see the digitisation of some of the personal papers of the signatories of The Treaty in preparation for the centenary of the foundation of the State.

The funding is part of the Government's €2million handout to a new cultural Digitisation Scheme; it will be shared among a number of digitisation projects planned by National Cultural Institutions and cultural heritage organisations.

Towards a Republic
is the National Library’s next major cataloguing and digitisation project, marking the second phase of the Decade of Commemorations from 1917 to 1923.

The digitised papers will be made released online on a phased basis between 2018 and 2023. These rich archives will allow everyone to explore key moments such as suffrage, 1918 Elections, the First and subsequent Dáils, the Peace Conference, the Anglo-Irish War, the Treaty negotiations, and the Civil War.

Personal papers of John Devoy, Arthur Griffith, Rosamond Jacob, Annie O’Farrelly, John Redmond and the Sheehy Skeffingtons, amongst many others, provide complex insights into the events and personalities that shaped the later revolutionary period and Civil War. They go beyond the experience and perspectives of the individuals themselves through their correspondence and interaction with diverse and opposing figures and organisations.

Announcing the funding, Minister for Culture, Heritage, and the Gaeltacht, Heather Humphreys TD, said: "I know that there is a large public appetite for these materials, which will reveal the social, cultural and political context of the period.

“The importance of digitisation was really underlined during the 2016 centenary year, when a number of our national cultural institutions made a wealth of material available online for the first time. The new scheme will help our cultural institutions, together with a number of other cultural heritage bodies, to build on this work and digitise their rich and varied collections for the benefit of the public.”

Tuesday 14 November 2017

20% discount on Ancestry.com's Thanksgiving gifts

http://www.kqzyfj.com/click-5737308-10470501?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ancestry.com%2Fcs%2Fgifts
Expires 23 November
This Thanksgiving, Ancestry.com is offering a 20% saving on new membership subscriptions and DNA tests purchased as gifts. (Yes, you can purchase them for yourself as a gift... go on, you know you're worth it!)

Subscriptions: The discount is available only on 6-month and 12-month gift memberships (non-recurring). It is for new subscribers only and not for renewal of currect subscriptions. You select the date you want the subscription to start and provide only an email address of the recipient. Ancestry then contacts the recipient by email on the start date.

The discount reduces the cost of a subscription as follows:
US Discovery package:  12 months – pay $149, save $40, or, 6 months – pay $79, save $99.
World Explorer package: 12 months – pay $239, save $60, or, 6 months – pay $119, save $30.

DNA test kits: The discount reduces the price of a kit to US$79. Shipping costs are extra. You provide the name and address of your recipient (must be in USA) and the testing kit is sent to them, with full instructions of how to take the saliva test and where to send the kit once they've taken the necessary action. Six to eight weeks after the laboratory receives the dna sample, your recipient will receive his or her ethnicity estimate and details of the matches made in the huge Ancestry DNA database.

The discount will expire on Thursday 23 November at 11:59pm.

More than 8,000 Irish seamen recorded in the registers of the Dreadnought Seamen's Hospital in Greenwich

I found the time over the weekend to rummage around in the Dreadnought Seamen's Hospital Admissions and Discharges, 1826-1930, collection, released online last week by Ancestry. 

The Dreadnought was originally a hulk moored in the Thames at Greenwich as a hospital for seamen. It was run by the Seamen's Hospital Society, and  I wanted to look through the register collection because this was where one of my grandmother's sisters, Hester, trained as a nurse and died of cardiac arrest in 1926, just 26 years old, during an operation to remove her appendix.

Sure enough I found Hester in the registers. There were three entries over an 18-month period. The details tallied with information gleaned from a newspaper report of the inquest into her death, so didn't really tell me anything new except that the first time she sought medical help for the lower abdominal pain she was experiencing, she was diagnosed with dyspepsia. This was 18 months prior to her death.

In addition to the medical details, her home address in Bagenalstown, Co Carlow was noted only in that first entry, but all three entries recorded her religion, occupation, age, and the name of her doctor.

Where there was a surprise, however, was the number of Irishmen in the registers. Of the 221,114 entries in the collection, more than 8,400 relate to Irish-born seamen. The level of identifying personal information varies over the 100+ years that the registers cover, but if you have seafaring ancestors, you may be lucky enough to place an ancestor in these records.

The image above provides a sample of the information in the index; the registers themselves fill in the colour: how long the seaman had been at sea either in the navy or the merchant service, rank, height, name of the last ship they served on and the port it sailed from, the nature of their medical complaint, and how and when they were treated.

Update, 15 November: The Ancestry Blog carries useful background into the Seafarers' Hospital and its records, here.

Galway 1917: Social Conditions & Political Change, conference

http://www.discoverloughrea.com/galway-1917-conference-social-conditions-and-political-change/
Click for booking details and full schedule
Organised by Loughrea Memorial Group in partnership with Galway County Council, a day conference – Galway 1917: Social Conditions & Political Change – will be held at the Loughrea Hotel & Spa on Thursday 16 November.

Six lectures, briefly noted below, will be presented during the day. An exhibition relating to the Connaught Rangers who were killed in 1917 in France and Flanders will be on display, and there will be a number of books for sale relating to the social and political change in Ireland during this period.

Tickets cost €10 and include tea/coffee and a light lunch.

The lectures:

 A state of desolation – poverty and living conditions in Co. Galway in the decade before independence, with Conor McNamara

'No local industry shall be disturbed' – life and work in Galway in 1917, with John Cunningham

 Sources in Galway County Council Archives – reflecting social conditions and political change in 1917, with Patria McWalter

Irish policemen and the First World War, with Jim Herlihy

A typical Irish parish in the Great War, with Ger O’Meara 

What it says in the papers – local news in Co. Galway over the course of 1917, with Steve Dolan



Monday 13 November 2017

IrishGenealogy.ie adds more free historical birth, marriage and death records

Over the last couple of hours, IrishGenealogy.ie has been uploading another instalment of civil registration records, complete with images of birth, marriage and (possibly) death registers.

https://civilrecords.irishgenealogy.ie/churchrecords/civil-search.jspThe upload is taking its time, and I can't say exactly what its final make-up will be, but so far I can confirm that the 1916 births (the rolling year from 100 years ago) are available, and the index + register image of marriages from 1869/1870 to 1881 seem to be going live in steady fashion (the 1882-1940 records were already fully online). For my own family, I can see register images of marriages in Cork, Tipperary and Wicklow for those dates.

I'm getting mixed results for death records, with either no results appearing if I narrow down my search, or loads of results with no images for pre 1890. Possibly the death records will go live later. For deaths, the 1891 to 1965 index + register images are already online, so it's the pre-1891 and the 1966 updates we're hoping for.

I'm sorry I haven't got time to do an indepth analysis right now. I'm in a hospital with my mother this afternoon, so this will have to wait until I have more time, which may be a day or so. (She gets priority!)

In the meantime, I'm sure you can all go hunting for yourself! Have fun!

Update, 16 November: See blogpost.

Irish Newspaper Archives revises subscription prices

Irish Newspaper Archives, the family-run, Dublin-based online newspaper database, has reduced the cost of its monthly and annual subscription packages.

This is not a special, short-term discounted price; it's a revision of standard prices going forward.

The new tariff is as follows:
  • Monthly subscription now €29.
  • Annual subscription now €149.00
It's worth noting that the revised cost of the annual package equates to a monthly fee of €12.41.

If you take out a subscription before 17 November you can take advantage of a 20% discount, too. See yesterday's blogpost about a new addition to the database, which now holds 75 historical newspaper titles.

Subscriptions can be paid in your preferred currency:   Euros  |  US Dollar  |  GB Pound

New landing page for Ancestry's global Catholic records

http://www.dpbolvw.net/click-5737308-10470501?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ancestry.com%2Fcs%2Fcatholic
Ancestry has created a dedicated landing and search page for its Catholic record collections from around the globe.

You can search the entire collection and then, on the results page, filter your search to specific record sets (if you want to).

Researchers can still access each of the individual collections from the Card Catalogue, should they prefer.

Irish genealogy and history events, 13-26 November

Monday 13 November: NLI Reading Room and Manuscript Room closed. Venue: National Library of Ireland, Kildare Street, Dublin 2. On-going Monday closures are to facilitate extensive redevelopment of the premises. All other services/exhibitons/cafe, including Genealogy Advisory Service operating as normal. Details.

Monday 13 November: Queen Victoria’s Gene, with Jenny Cummings. Host: North of Ireland Family History Society, Newtownabbey Branch. Venue: Drama Theatre, Glengormley High School, 134 Ballyclare Road, Newtownabbey, BT36 5HP. Free. 7pm. All welcome.

Monday 13 November: Sexuality in 18th-century Ireland:  Matchmaking, abductions, patterns, wake games and Merriman – a hidden Ireland revealed, with Dr David Fleming. Host: Venue: Scariff Public Library, Mountshannon Road, Scariff, Co. Clare. 7:30pm. Free. All welcome.

Tuesday 14 November: Emigration to Australia and New Zealand, a workshop with Michael McKeag. Host: North of Ireland Family History Society. Venue: NIFHS Research Centre, Unit C4, Valley Business Centre, 67 Church Road, Newtownabbey, Co Antrim. 2-4pm. All welcome. £7 – payable at the session. Need to book. See details.

Tuesday 14 November: IrishGenealogy.ie – a national treasure, with Tadhg O'Shea. Host: Genealogical Society of Ireland (GSI). Venue: Dun Laoghaire Further Education Institute, Cumberland Street, Dun Laoghaire, Co Dublin. 8pm. €3 donation. All welcome.

Tuesday 14 November:
Education records, with Valerie Adams. North of Ireland Family History Society, Lisburn Branch. Venue: The Bridge Community Centre, 50 Railway Street, Lisburn, BT28 1XP. 7:30pm. Free. All welcome.

Tuesday 14 November: The Advantages of Y-DNA, with Martin McDowell. Host: North of Ireland Family History Society. Venue: NIFHS Research Centre, Unit C4, Valley Business Centre, 67 Church Road, Newtownabbey, Co Antrim. 7-9pm. All welcome. £7 – payable at the session. Need to book. See details.

Tuesday 14 November: The Sheriff's Tale, with Brian Coleman. Host: More Tales of Medieval Dublin lecture series. Venue: Wood Quay Venue, Dublin City Council, Civic Offices, Wood Quay, Dublin 8. 1:05–1:55pm. Free. All welcome.

Tuesday 14 November: The characters & history of Shankill graveyard, with Jim Conway. Host: Craigavon Historical Society. Venue: Craigavon Civic Centre, 66 Lakeview Rd, Craigavon, Co Armagh BT64 1A. 7:45pm to 9pm. Free. All welcome.

Wednesday 15 November: Making sense of the censuses, Tony Hennessy MAGI. Host and venue: Medieval Museum in Waterford's Viking Triangle, The Mall, Waterford City. All welcome. 1:15pm to 2pm. €5 admission on the door. No booking required.

Wednesday 15 November: How to break down brick walls, with Martin McDowell. Host: North of Ireland Family History Society, North Armagh branch. Venue: Bleary Community Centre, 1 Deans Road, Bleary, Craigavon, Co Armagh, BT66 7AS. 7:30pm. All welcome. Free.

Wednesday 15 November: Cattle plague in Ireland: An early medieval game-changer, with Patrick O’Reilly. Host: Carlow Historical Society. Venue: Tullow Community School, Templeowen, Tullow, Co. Carlow. 8pm. Free. All welcome. Details.

Thursday 16 November: Galway 2017: Social conditions and political change, a conference. Hosts: Galway County Council Heritage dept; Loughrea Memorial Group. Venue: Loughrea Hotel & Spa, 7 Athenry Rd, St. Laurencesfields, Loughrea, Co. Galway. 9:30am to 5pm. Tickets €10 includes tea/coffee and lunch. Programme and booking details.

Friday 17 November: Atlas of the Irish Revolution - West Cork examined, with Donal Ó Drisceoil. Host: Michael Collins House. Venue: Clonakilty Parish Centre, Western Rd, Maulnaskehy, Clonakilty, Co. Cork. 7:30pm. Free. All welcome.

Friday 17 November: Irish Parish records, with Rhona Murray, and Combining DNA & Traditional Research Methods, with Eamon Healy. Hosts: Liverpool & South West Lancashire Family History Society, Liverpool Central Library and Ancestry UK. Venue: Central Library, 4th Floor Meeting Room, William Brown St., Liverpool 3, UK. 2pm–5pm. Tickets £5.90, includes refreshments. Tickets.

Saturday 18 November: Genealogy workshop, with Lynn Brady. Host and venue: Glasnevin Cemetery Museum, Finglas Rd, Dublin 11. Tickets €5. 2pm. All welcome. SOLD OUT.

Saturday 18 November: Researching Irish ancestors on the Internet, with Ann Eccles. Host: Irish Genealogical Society International. Venue: Celtic Junction Arts Center, 836 Prior Ave N, St Paul, MN, USA. $15 for IGSI members, $20 for non-members. 10:30am. Details.

Monday 20 November: NLI Reading Room and Manuscript Room closed. Venue: National Library of Ireland, Kildare Street, Dublin 2. On-going Monday closures are to facilitate extensive redevelopment of the premises. All other services/exhibitons/cafe, including Genealogy Advisory Service operating as normal. Details.

Monday 20 November: Genealogy and family history advice service, with Margaret Bonar and Betty Craven. Host and venue: Donaghmede Library, Shopping Centre, Grange Road, Dublin 13, or Raheny Library, if preferred. All welcome but you need to book by phone: 087 6491605. Free.

Monday 20 November: Guided tour of St. Columb’s Cathedral, with Ian Bartlett. Host: North of Ireland Family History Society, Foyle branch. Venue: Lecture Room of Derry City’s Central Library, 35 Foyle Street, Londonderry, BT48 6AL. 7pm. Free. All welcome.

Monday 20 November: What's in a name? with Kathleen Morrison. Host: North of Ireland Family History Society, Larne branch. Venue: Larne Bowling & Lawn Tennis Club, 112-120 Glenarm Road, Larne, BT40 1DZ. 7:30pm. Free. All welcome.

Tuesday 21 November: Sacred and Profane: Church art and architecture in Cork City, with Dr Ann Wilson. Signs and Symbols in Urban Cork lecture series. Host: City Library, Grand Parade, Cork City. 7pm. Free. All welcome. No booking required.

Tuesday 21 November: Poverty and the poor in pre-Famine Tipperary, with Dr Laurence Geary. Host: Tipperary People & Places Lecture Series. Venue: Tipperary Studies, The Source, Cathedral Street, Thurles, Co Tipperary. 7:30pm. Admission free. Tea served. All welcome. More details studies@tipperarycoco.ie.

Wednesday 22 November: The Registered Papers of the Chief Secretery of Ireland, their use in history and genealogy, and the updated online catalogue (1818-1830, with Vera Moynes. Host and venue: National Archives of Ireland, Bishop Street, Dublin 8. Free. 6pm. CANCELLED - will be rescheduled for 2018.

Wednesday 22 November: Birth, Baptism, Marriage & Death, with Tony Hennessy MAGI. Host and venue: Medieval Museum in Waterford's Viking Triangle, The Mall, Waterford City. All welcome. 1:15pm to 2pm. €5 admission on the door. No booking required.

Wednesday 22 November: Cork City and County Archives, with Brian McGee. Host: Bishopstown Historical Society. Venue: Bishopstown Library, Sarsfield Road, Wilton, Cork City. All welcome. 11:30am–12:30pm.

Friday 24 November: The sinkings of the Waterford steamers Coningbeg and Formby and the Great War off the Irish coast, with Dr Edward Bourke. Host: Waterford Archaeological & Historical Society. Venue: St Patrick's Gateway Centre, Patrick Street, Waterford City. 8pm. Members free / Non-members €5. All welcome.

Saturday 25 November: Coffin ships, orphan boys and the Lazaretto Point Lighthouse, with Luke McCusker. Host and venue: Irish Railroad Workers Museum, 918-920 Lemmon St, Baltimore, Maryland 21223, USA. 11:30–12:30 EST. All welcome. Free. Details.

Saturday 25 November: Genealogy workshop, with Lynn Brady. Host and venue: Glasnevin Cemetery Museum, Finglas Rd, Dublin 11. Tickets €5. 2pm. All welcome. SOLD OUT

Saturday 25 November: Archives of the Fenian Rising - 150 years on, a half-day seminar with panel discussion chaired by Tim Pat Coogan. Host and venue: National Archives of Ireland, Bishop Street, Dublin 8. Presented as part of the Explore Your Archive campaign. 10am to 1pm. All welcome. Free, but reserving a place is essential.

Saturday 25 November: Local history day. Host: DCL&A. Venue: Conference Room, Dublin City Library & Archive, 138-144 Pearse Street, Dublin 2. Talks include: The 1867 Bray Head Train Derailment, with James Scannell; The Rebel Liberties, with Liz Gillis; Tom Ashe, with Frank Whearity; The Civil War in Dublin, with John Dorney; and The history of Keogh Square, with Liam O'Meara. Host and venue: Dublin City Library & Archive. 9.45am to 2.15pm. Tea/coffee will be served. Free. All welcome. No booking required.

Sunday 12 November 2017

Waterford News & Star joins Irish Newspaper Archives

Dublin-based Irish Newspaper Archives has added the Waterford News & Star to its database.

Editions published 1848-1979 have joined the
Irish Newspaper Archives database. More recent
editions will follow in the new year.
The editions now available online span 1848 to 1979, providing researchers with 169 years of insight into events in Waterford and its neighbouring counties (Tipperary, Kilkenny, Wexford and Cork) and national happenings.

Editions published from 1980 to 1999 will join the database in mid-January.

The paper, founded by Cornelius P Redmond, first appeared on 22 September 1848 (you can download a free pdf copy of page of the launch edition here). It was the first journal published in Waterford and positioned itself as a paper for all people.

To mark the upload of historical editions of this important regional paper, which is still published in Waterford, the Irish Newspaper Archives is offering a 20% discount on its monthly and annual subscription rates.

To take advantage of the 20% saving, which will expire on 17 November, visit the Subscribe page for your preferred currency –  US$   |  Euro  |  GB£  – choose the monthly or annual subscription, and use the Coupon Code WFNS20 at checkout.






Saturday 11 November 2017

50% off Ancestry.com subscriptions: for one day only

To mark Veterans' Day, Ancestry.com is offering 50% discounts on its subscriptions, as follows:

Offer has expired
U.S. Discovery
Gives access to 15billion records from 50 states.
Normally $19.99 for one month or $99 for 6 months.  Today only, $9.99 for a month or $49 for 6 months.

World Explorer
Access to all US, UK, Irish and international records – 20 billion records.
Normally $34.99 a month or $149 for 6 months. Today only, $17.49 for a month or $74 for 6 months.

All Access
Provides access to all the very best on Ancestry, Fold3, Newspapers.com Basic, and more.
Standard prices are $44.99 for one-month and $199 for 6 months. Today only, $22.49 for a month or $99 for 6 months.

I'm not entirely clear whether this discount offer is aimed at new subscribers or existing/upgrading subscribers (I've seen messages saying both, depending on whether I'm signed in or not). It's probably both, which would mean you'd get a refund for the outstanding portion of any existing subscription. At this size of discount, it's worth checking out the terms and conditions that would apply in your case.

Do it quickly, though. Half price discounts from Ancestry are as rare as hens' teeth, and you don't have long to take action: the offer ends tonight at 11:59pm ET / 4:59am Dublin-London.

This offer has now expired.