Monday 14 May 2018

Irish genealogy and history events, 14-27 May

Monday 14 May: Famine and migration, with Dr Paddy Fitzgerald. 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 14 May: 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, operate as normal. Details.

Monday 14 May: History of Watt’s Distillery, with Roy McCullough. Host: North of Ireland Family History Society, Lisburn Branch. Venue: Lecture Room of Derry City’s Central Library, 35 Foyle Street, Derry, BT48 6AL. 7pm. All welcome.

Tuesday 15 May: A guide to tracing your Limerick ancestors, with John Grenham MAGI. Host and venue: Granary Library, The Granary, Michael St, Limerick. Free. All welcome. 8pm. Details.

Wednesday 16 May: A Letter from America , with Dr Ian Hunter. 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.

Wednesday 16 May: 1918 tenements and Compo Claims, with Donal Fallon and Cathy Scuffil. Part of the Dublin in 1918 lecture series.  Hosts: Dublin City Public Libraries, Dublin Historians and Near fm 90.3. Venue: Raheny Library, Howth Rd, Raheny, Dublin 5. 6:30pm. Free.

Thursday 17 May: Printed in Bray. The history of the printing industry in Bray & County Wicklow. Hosts: Bray Cualann Historical Society. Venue: Royal Hotel, Main Street, Bray, Co Wicklow. 8pm. Admission €5, members free. All welcome.

Thursday 17 May: Urban modernity and the historic city c1700 to c1840, with Professor Roey Sweet. Hosts: Royal Irish Academy and British Embassy Dublin. Venue: The Royal Irish Academy, 19 Dawson Street, Dublin 2. 6pm. Free. All welcome. Need to register. Details.

Friday 18 May: Irish Historic Towns Atlas Seminar 2018: Modernising Townscapes. Host and venue: The Royal Irish Academy, 19 Dawson Street, Dublin 2. Free. All welcome. Need to register. Details.

Saturday 19 May: Irish records – Now is the time, a workshop with Jill Williams of the Irish Genealogical Research Society. Host: Aberdeen and NES Family History Society. Venue: Unitarian Church Centre, 43A Skene Terrace, Aberdeen, UK, AB10 1RN. 2:30pm–4:30pm. All welcome. Free.

Saturday 19 May: IGRS Genealogy Open Day. Three lectures and two 'lightning talks'. Host: Irish Genealogical Research Society. Venue: Dublin City Library & Archive, Pearse Street, Dublin 2. 10am to 4pm. Three lectures and two 'lightning talks'. Free. All welcome. No need to register. Details.

Saturday 19 May: 20th Medieval Dublin Symposium. Host: The Friends of Medieval Dublin. Venue: J.M. Synge Theatre (Room 2039), Arts Building, Trinity College Dublin. Details. Free. All welcome.

Saturday 19 May: Managing your matches - a step-by-step approach to interpreting your DNA matches, with Maurice Gleeson (at 9am) and Marrying DNA and Irish Family Tree Research, with Maurice Gleeson (at 11am). Host: Queensland Family History Society. Venue: Queensland Baptist Centre, 53 Prospect Road, Gaythorne, Queensland, Australia. Cost: $25.00 members (QFHS and GSQ) and $40.00 non-members (includes morning tea). Booking essential.

Monday 21 May: 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 21 May: Larne Main Street circa 1950, with Liam Kelly. Host: North of Ireland Family History Society. Larne Branch. Venue: Larne Bowling & Lawn Tennis Club, 112-120 Glenarm Road, Larne, BT40 1DZ. 730pm. Free. All welcome.

Tuesday 22 May: Belfast’s original poorhouse, with Louise Canavan. Host: North of Ireland Family History Society. Belfast Branch. Venue: C. S. Lewis Room, Holywood Arches Library, 4-12 Holywood Road, Belfast, BT4 1NT, 730pm. Free. All welcome.

Tuesday 22 May: Using Valuation records to knock down brick walls, with Anne Johnston. Host: North of Ireland Family History Society, Causeway Coast and Glens branch. Venue: Guide Hall, Terrace Row, Coleraine, Co Londonderry. 8pm. All welcome.

Thursday 24 May: The Penal Times: The Catholic Church in 18th-century Ireland, with Professor Ian McBride; the J.C. Beckett Memorial lecture. Host: Ulster Society for Irish Historical Studies. Venue: PRONI, Titanic Boulevard, Belfast. 7–8pm. Free, but you need to register.

Thursday 24 May: Rebel women of the 20th century - Maud Gonne MacBride, with Donal Fallon. Host and venue: GPO Witness Visitor Centre, O'Connell Street, Dublin 1. 5:30pm. All welcome. Free, but need to book ticket. 

Saturday 26 May: Exploring the Great War, exhibition, research facility and talks, with the Cork Branch of the Western Front Association. Venue: Mallow Library, Thomas Davis St, Mallow, Co. Cork. 10am to 4:30pm. Talks: Slaughter at the Somme (12:15pm), The US Army in the Great War (2pm), and The uniform and equipment of a British 'Tommy' (3:15pm). Admission free. All welcome.

Sunday 27 May: The Irish and Jewish communities of London's East End, a walking tour. Host: Wolfe Tone Society London. Meeting venue: Whitechapel Gallery, 77-82 Whitechapel High Street, London E1, UK. 11:45 to 2pm. Free; collection at end of tour. Details.

Sunday 27 May: Free genealogy help session. Host and venue: Library of the Irish American Heritage Center, 4626 N Knox Avenue, Chicago, IL 60630, USA. From 1pm to 4pm. Free. All welcome.