Friday 28 September 2018

Irish Census: progress report on corrections project

Genealogist John Grenham MAGI has kindly provided Irish Genealogy News with a progress report on the National Archives of Ireland's project to scrutinise researcher-submitted corrections to its online census database.

http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/search/He has now cleared 64% – more than 65,000 emails – of the backlog that's accumulated since the census returns went live on the NAI's Genealogy website.

It's a huge figure, but it doesn't accurately reflect the number of corrections made. As John explains: "Because many of the emails suggest corrections to more than one record (and often more than one correction to the same record), I've checked 162,224 suggestions. They break down as follows: 44% accurate, 37% duplicate, 18% inaccurate and 1% other."

Since John's been slogging through the backlog, he's come across many delightful and weird mistranscriptions. His recent favourite if that for Joseph Coldfarb of Derry. "He was Joseph Coldfart for seven years, until just yesterday. Sometimes I feel a pang of regret at the wonderful names I'm correcting."

More than 71,000 corrections are now live. It's important to remember that while other online databases offer access to the Irish Census, John's corrections are being applied exclusively to the National Archives' transcript.

John is hopeful the project will be completed in early summer next year.

Wednesday 26 September 2018

'MyRecords' lock-out for lapsed FindMyPast customers

Along with many other ex-subscribers to FindMyPast, I've just received an email reminder about a change of conditions for those FindMyPast customers who don't hold a current sub.

As of this coming Sunday, 30 September, all previously viewed records in the section of the website called 'My records' will cease to be accessible to me. They won't be removed, however. They'll still be in the 'My records' digital store cupboard, as it were, but I won't have a key to open it unless I subsequently take out a new subscription or buy PayAsYouGo credits.

There's nothing controversial about this – Ancestry has a similar arrangment for its Shoebox facility – but it's not been an issue with FindMyPast before.

Going forward, holders of an active FindMypast sub will be able to view a record in their MyRecords store only if their current package includes access to that record's collection. For example, if I took out a new 'Ireland' package, I would be able to access any Irish census images or transcriptions I'd looked at some years ago, but I wouldn't be able to access any Roman Catholic baptism records from Philadelphia that I may also have previously reviewed; this is because the US records are not included in the Ireland subscription... I'd need a World sub for that.

Some of FindMyPast's subscribers may have to spend time printing or downloading digital copies of their 'My Records' haul before Sunday. For me, it's not an issue (thankfully) as I've always worked on a save-as-you-go basis when I find records of my family, and I would recommend any current subscribers adopt this approach for their future research sessions so they don't get caught locked out of the store cupboard should they decide to let their subscription lapse sometime down the road.

UPDATE, 27 September  For clarity: FindMyPast doesn't have a filter on 'My Records' to help you sift between the records you find useful to your research and those you find to be unrelated to your research.  'My Records' holds all records you've viewed, not just the ones you wanted to keep! This is why saving/downloading/printing pertinent records as-you-go is such a good habit to adopt.

Tuesday 25 September 2018

Emigration from Sligo Port - a new film at County Sligo Heritage and Genealogy Centre

The County Sligo Heritage and Genealogy Centre has produced a new film depicting the history of passenger travel and emigration from the port of Sligo.

http://www.sligoroots.com/The video presents Sligo's importance as a point of departure for thousands of men, women and children from the west of Ireland prior to and following the Famine years.

Prior to 1855, most of the emigrants took their passage direct from Sligo to North America, typically to New York; Boston; Quebec; and Saint John, New Brunswick. In the latter half of the 19th century, the majority of emigrants took coastal steamers to Glasgow or Liverpool and crossed the Atlantic from those ports in large purpose built ships.

Personal visitors to the Centre in Sligo's Temple Street (neighbours are the Hawks Well Theatre and Failte Ireland) can view the 15-minute video on request.


All under one roof: new home for Co. Wicklow's Archives, Family History Centre & Local Studies Library

Here's some good news from County Wicklow. A new home has been found on the main street through Wicklow Town that will allow the County's Archive service, Family History Centre, Local Studies library department and main public library to come together under one roof.

The future destination is a modern and spacious building, vacated three years ago by Ulster Bank, on the Upper Mall (see Google Street View below). It was purchased by Wicklow County Council last year and will be renovated and redeveloped to accommodate the specific needs of the new services. The total cost of the project (including acquisition) is estimated to be €3million.

The 1,234m2 granite-clad building has six storeys, two of them below the main street level. The lowest floor will house the new Local Studies area. Above it will be the climate-controlled County Archives, from which is operated the Wicklow Family History Centre, complete with a dedicated Readers' area.

Going up, the next two levels will be home to a children's libary room with more than 4,500 books, and an adult library with more than 10,000 books. Floor 4 will house 25 IT stations, while the top floor, which will feature a mainly glass wall providing great views over the quays, the harbour and the Irish Sea, will be an exhibition space.

Extensive redevelopment works are due to start shortly and it's hoped the new building will be welcoming researchers and the public by the end of 2019.



Monday 24 September 2018

Mapping Laois, from the 16th- to the 21st-century

https://wordwellbooks.com/Laois?search=Mapping
New from Wordwell Books
A new book – Mapping Laois: from the 16th to the 21st century – by Arnold Horner should be of interest to Irish family historians with connections to Laois, a Midlands county formerly known as Leix and Laoighis and Queen's County. If those researchers love maps, so much the better!

The earliest surviving map of Laois dates from about 1560, and this is where the book starts. It reviews and provides context for the extraordinarily rich diversity of manuscript and printed maps that record the changing political, economic and social circumstances of an Irish county over nearly five centuries. The flavour of these varied, informative and often colourful maps is captured in over 400 illustrations, among which are reproductions of six early county maps and a unique assemblage of images from the Ordnance Survey ‘fair plans’ of c.1838–40. It also has a detailed index.

After three years of painstaking research, the book has been published with support from Laois County Council and The Heritage Council. It is now available from the publisher, Wordwell Books, for €30. ISBN 978-1-999790.

Irish family history and heritage events, 24 Sep - 7 Oct

Monday 24 September: 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 24 September to Sunday 7 October: Dublin Festival of History. The 6th outing of this popular festival, which is organised by Dublin City Council, sees more than 140 history events presented across the city. A selection is included in the listing below (in each instance, the event either didn't require booking or was not booked out as at 23 September);view the full programme here. Some events require booking; some do not. 

Monday 24 September: Using the National Library, a Research Workshop. 3pm. Kildare Street, Dublin 2. Booking required. To reserve a place, email learning@nli.ie.

Monday 24 September: The Dublin Docker, with Aileen O’Carroll. Host: Dublin Festival of History. Venue: Dublin City Library and Archive, 138 Pearse Street, Dublin 2. Free. 1:10pm. No booking required. Seats allocated on a first come, first served basis.

Tuesday 25 September: The 1718 Migration, with Andrew Kane. Host: North of Ireland Family History Society, Causeway Coast & Glens branch. Venue: Guide Hall, Terrace Row, Coleraine, Co Derry. 8pm. All welcome. Free.

Monday 24 September: Dublin 1918, with Cathy Scuffil. Host: Dublin Festival of History. Venue: Inchicore Library, 34 Emmett Road, Dublin 8. Free. 6:30pm. Booking required: T 01 453 3793 or E inchicorelibrary@dublincity.ie.

Tuesday 25 September: Key sources for the family historian in Northern Ireland, with Anne Johnston. Host: North of Ireland Family History Society, Belfast branch. Venue: C S Lewis Room, Holywood Arches Library, 4 Holywood Rd, Belfast BT4 1NT. 7:30pm. All welcome. Free.

Tuesday 25 September: The West Clare photographs in the National Library's Lawrence Collection, with Elizabeth Kirwan. Host: Kilrush and District Historical Society. Venue: Teach Ceoil, Grace Street, Kilrush, Co Clare. 8pm. All welcome. Free to members; €5 for non-members.

Tuesday 25 September: Behind the maps workshops: Navigating the Irish Historic Towns Atlas, with Jennifer Moore. Host: Dublin Festival of History. Venue: RIA, 19, Dawson Street, Dublin 2. 1pm to 3pm. Booking required. Details.

Wednesday 26 September: Irish family history assistance in the Library. Host: Genealogical Society of Victoria. Venue: GSV Library, Level 6, 85 Queen Street, Melbourne, Australia. Free for members. $20 non-members. 10am to 4pm. Consultations: One-hour appointments with a research consultant also available. See details.

Wednesday 26 September: Presbyterianism in Dublin and the south of Ireland: an unfamiliar history, with Linde Lunney. Host: Dublin Festival of History. Venue: Royal Irish Academy, Dawson Street, Dublin 2. 1pm. Free. All welcome.

Wednesday 26 September: Testamentary Records, a Culture Club tour of the records held by the National Archives of Ireland. Host: Dublin’s Culture Connects and the NAI. Venue: National Archives of Ireland, Bishop Street, Dublin 8. 11am. Booking required. Details.

Thursday 27 September: Michael Collins and Guerrilla War in the War of Independence, with Joseph E A Connell Jr. Host: Bray Cualann Historical Society. Venue: Royal Hotel, Bray, Co Wicklow. 8pm. All welcome. Free for members; €5 for non-members.

Thursday 27 September: Hanna and her Sisters: The Irish suffrage movement and its Cork and Munster connections, with Dr Finola Doyle-O'Neill. Host: Duchas Clonakilty Heritage. Venue: The Parish Centre, Clonakilty, Co Cork. 8:30pm. Free. All welcome.

Thursday 27 September: Black '47 and the Great Famine in Rhode and Edenderry, with Dr Ciaran Reilly. Host: Rhode Parish Historical Group. Venue: Rhode Old School Hall (opposite National School), Rhode, Co Offaly. 8:30pm. Light refreshments served. All welcome. Admission €5.

Thursday 27 September: The Mendicity Institution and Dublin's beggars in the 19th century, with Ciaran McCabe. Host: Dublin Festival of History. Venue: Dublin City Library and Archive, 138 Pearse Street, Dublin 2. Free. 1:10pm. No booking required. All welcome on a first come, first served basis.

Friday 28 September: The Influenza Epidemic in North Wexford, with Dr Ida Milne. Host: North Wexford Historical Society. Venue: Methodist Church Hall, Market Square, Gorey, Co Wexford. 7:30pm. Members free. Non-members €5. All welcome.

Friday 28 September: Conflict and Consensus: soldiers and citizens in Waterford City, 1820-1920, with Dr. Aoife Bhreatnach. Host: Waterford Archaeological & Historical Society. Venue: St. Patricks Gateway Centre, Patrick Street, Waterford City. 8pm. All welcome. Members free; non-members €5.

Saturday 29 September: The hammer and the pen: the first wave Irish feminism, with Catriona Crowe. Host: The 'History at the Castle: Ireland 100 years ago' lecture series. Venue: Swords Castle, Bridge St, Townparks, Swords, Co Dublin. 2pm. Free, but need to book via library.events@fingal.ie.

Sunday 30 September 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.

Monday 1 October: Poems and Stories from the Somme, with Helen Long. Host: North of Ireland Family History Society, Killyleagh Branch. Venue: Killyleagh Masonic Hall, 50 High Street, Killyleagh, Co Down. 8pm. Free. All welcome.

Monday 1 October to Wednesday 31 October.: A voice of her own? Women’s place after the Great War, a new exhibition. Host and venue: Irish Linen Centre and Lisburn Museum, Market Sq, Lisburn, BT28 1AG. The museum uses objects and photos from its collection to explore the place of women in Ireland from 1914-19, examining war work, at home and at the Front, as well as domestic life and politics. Free. All welcome. Monday to Saturday, 9:30am to 5pm.

Tuesday 2 October: The First World War and the Armistice, with Dr Jennifer Wellington. Host: Dublin Festival of History and the NLI. Venue: National Library of Ireland, Kildare Street, Dublin 2. 7pm. All welcome. Booking not required.

Tuesday 2 October: Behind the maps workshops: Navigating the Irish Historic Towns Atlas, with Jennifer Moore. Host: Dublin Festival of History. Venue: RIA, 19, Dawson Street, Dublin 2. 1pm to 3pm. Booking required. Details.

Thursday 4 October: Making a history of the home place: History and genealogy in a digital age, with Breandán Mac Suibhne and moderator Frank Shovlin. Host: Dublin Festival of History. Venue: Pearse St Library, 138 - 144 Pearse Street, Dublin 2. Free. 6:30pm. No booking required. Seats allocated on a first come, first served basis.

Friday 5 October: 1918–2018: a century of women’s activism, a History Ireland Hedge School, with Sarah-Anne Buckley, Kitty Holland, Mary McAuliffe and Anne Speed; chaired by Tommy Graham. Host: Dublin Festival of History. Venue: City Hall, Dame Street, Dublin 2. 6.30pm. Free. No booking required. All welcome on a first come first served basis.

Saturday 6 October: Servants, shop girls and sex workers: a hidden history, with Pamela Cox and Sarah-Anne Buckley. Host: Dublin Festival of History. Venue: Dublin Castle Printworks, Dame Street, Dublin 2. Free. 3pm. No booking required. Seating is allocated on a first come, first served basis. Auditorium doors open twenty minutes prior to event.

Sunday 7 October: The sinking of the RMS Leinster & the war at sea, a History Ireland Hedge School, with Philip Lecane, Michael Kennedy, Jeff Kildea, and Bernadette Whelan. Host and venue: Maritime Museum, Dún Laoghaire, Co Dublin. 7.30pm.

Saturday 22 September 2018

Baltimore registers debut in FindMyPast's Catholic Heritage Archive, plus more New York records added

FindMyPast has extended its Catholic Heritage Archive with the addition of parish registers from America's oldest archdiocese – Baltimore – now online for the first time, plus more than 1.5million additional baptism and marriage records from New York.

Baltimore Roman Catholic Parish Registers
The latest archdiocese to make its records exclusively available through FindMyPast's collection is Baltimore, which covers Maryland's largest city. Each record includes an indexed transcript revealing vital family history information such as parents' names, event year and ages. Digitised images of the registers may provide additional details such as the names of sponsors/witnesses and others attending the ceremonies, residences, cause of death etc. In total, more than 995,000 Baltimore records are now ready for searching.

Four distinct record sets have been created, as below:
You'll find a list of the parishes and register dates here


New York Roman Catholic Parish Registers
Sizeable upgrades have been made to both the baptisms and marriages record sets as shown below.

New York Roman Catholic Parish Baptisms
More than 787,000 Roman Catholic baptism records for New York have been added to the Archive. They cover the New York City boroughs of Manhattan, The Bronx and Staten Island, as well as the state counties of Dutchess, Orange, Putnam, Rockland, Sullivan, Ulster, and Westchester. These additions brings the total number of entries in this set to nearly 2million. They date back to 1785.

New York Roman Catholic Parish Marriages
This record set, which covers more than 200 parishes, has been extended with more than 490,000 additional records.

You'll find a list of the parishes and register dates here.

Wednesday 19 September 2018

Maynooth Studies in Local History: 2018 volumes

Six new volumes in the well-respected Maynooth Studies in Local History series have been published by Four Courts Press. They are:
  • The Great Famine in Kinsale, by Catherine Flanagan. Details.
  • Fleeing from famine in Connemara: James Hack Tuke and his assisted emigration scheme in the 1880s, by Gerard Moran. Details.
  • The Parnell split in Westmeath: The bishop and the newspaper editor, by Michael Nolan. Details.
  • Tristernagh Priory, Co. Westmeath: Colonial monasticism in medieval Ireland, by Tadhg O’Keeffe. Details.
  • Thomas Bermingham: Nineteenth-century Irish land agent and ‘Improver’, by Cathal Smith. Details.
  • The Walker Testimonial and symbolic conflict in Derry, by Heather Stanfiel. Details.
Each volume runs to 64 pages, is illustrated and is currently on offer from the publishers at €8.95.

http://www.fourcourtspress.ie/books/browse/new-titles/
Newly published titles from Four Courts Press

Tuesday 18 September 2018

National Archives of Ireland: October closures

National Archives of Ireland, Dublin
Preparatory work for the major redevelopment of the National Archives of Ireland (NAI) is about to commence. This project, which is funded by the Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht under Project Ireland 2040, will see the development of new purpose built storage facilities at the NAI's premises in Bishop Street, Dublin 8.

The warehouse* which has been used as an interim storage facility must be emptied to facilitate enabling and construction works for the development of new archival storage vaults. This first element of the project will entail the transfer of some 95,000 archival boxes off-site to ensure their continued preservation and to eliminate any risk of damage through being retained in direct proximity to the construction works.

In order to allow staff to carry out preparatory works for the transfer, it will be necessary to close the NAI and its Reading Room to the public from Monday 22 October to Friday 26 October inclusive.

With Monday 29 October being a bank holiday in the Republic of Ireland, the Reading Room's normal opening hours will resume on Tuesday 30 October.

* The warehouse currently holds records which have been digitised and are not required for daily production in the reading room, in addition to various series of records which are closed to public inspection or which have yet to be catalogued.

10% discount for returning FindMyPast customers

Regular readers of Irish Genealogy News will be aware of FindMyPast's current 30% discount on subscriptions taken out by brand-new customers (see blogpost).

If previous customers felt a little miffed at being excluded, they might like to consider a 10% saving on the company's top-level annual subscriptions. Not as generous, sure, but still worth having if you were thinking of signing up again after a spell away.

Both discounts will run until Sunday 23 September.

To take advantage of the 10% saving, follow the most appropriate link below:


Not a first-time subscriber to FindMyPast Ireland?
Get 10% off a 12-month World subscription
Not a first-time subscriber to FindMyPast USA/Canada?
Get 10% off a 12-month Ultimate British & Irish subscription
Not a first-time subscriber to FindMyPast UK?
Get 10% off a 12-month Pro subscription
Not a first-time subscriber to FindMyPast Australia/NZ?
Get 10% off a 12-month World subscription


Irish Registry of Deeds Index Project: latest update

Nick Reddan FIGRS, founder and manager of the Registry of Deeds Index Project, has updated the Project's online database with records contributed by volunteers during the last four weeks.

The database how holds some 287,134 index records from 31,634 memorials of deeds.

Additionally, the Townland and Grantor Indexes have been topped up with more than 6,000 volunteer transcriptions from the FamilySearch images collection.

All are free to access.

Monday 17 September 2018

North of Ireland FH Society launches 11th branch

https://www.nifhs.org/
The North of Ireland Family History Society will be holding the inaugural meeting of the South Tyrone branch tomorrow, Tuesday 18 September, from 7:30pm to 9pm.

This new branch – the Society's 11th – will focus on all aspects of genealogy, from beginner level topics to using DNA to further progress your family history research, and intends to meet at the Killymaddy Centre, 190 Ballygawley Road, Dungannon BT70 1TF (click image for map) on the third Tuesday of each month.

Everyone is welcome to come along, so please share with friends and family from the area.

Clare County Library: latest Local Studies additions

Clare County Library's Local Studies team has prepared and uploaded the following files to the library's website:

Chichester House List of Claims 1700

More than 160 successful claims from County Clare have been abstracted by the team from the list of claims considered by the trustees of Chichester House, Dublin, for the Williamite Confiscations.

The transcription spreadsheet is arranged, as in the List of Claims, with the following details:
  • Individual claim number
  • Name of claimant
  • Extent or nature of the claim
  • Deed on which claim is based
  • Place name of the claimed land(s)
  • County and barony of the claimed lands
  • Name of former Jacobite owner or proprietor.
Brief details of this scheme are included, together with a link to Google Books, where the full document is available to view, free of charge.


1918 Kilrush ITGWU (Irish Transport and General Workers’ Union) Contributions

Details of more than 360 contributions received by the Kilrush Branch of the Irish Transport and General Workers' Union have been transcribed by the Local Studies team from the 19 October 1918 edition of the Clare Champion newspaper.

The surname and amount of contribution are included in each entry. Some additionally have a first name or initial (many are only Mr/Mrs/Miss) and about 65 entries include a street name or townland of residence. A very small number note the occupation of the contributor.


RC Baptism Records (Complete) for Quin and Clooney Parish

In addition to the above items created by the Local Studies team, transcriptions of the Catholic Baptism Registers from Quin and Clooney parish have been donated by researcher Sheila Duddy and added to the website.

The records date from 1816 to 1880 and hold details of more than 8,500 baptisms, nearly all of them revealing all of the following information:
  • Child's first name
  • Father's first name and surname
  • Mother's first name and maiden name
  • Place of residence
  • Names of sponsors.
The resulting spreadsheets are arranged in chronological order, in alphabetical order of father's surname, and in alphabetical order of mother's surname.



Irish family history & heritage events, 17-30 September

A busy fortnight of Irish familiy history events
Monday 17 September: NLI Reading Room and Manuscript Room closed. Venue: National Library of Ireland, Kildare St, Dublin 2. On-going closures to facilitate extensive redevelopment of premises. All other services/exhibitons/cafe, incl. Genealogy Advisory Service, operate as normal. Details.

Monday 17 September: All at Sea: PRONI Maritime Records, with Stephen Scarth. Host: North of Ireland Family History Society, Larne Branch. Venue: Larne Bowling & Lawn Tennis Club, 112-120 Glenarm Road, Larne, BT40 1DZ. 7:30pm. No need to book. All welcome, but donation appreciated.

Tuesday 18 September: The Mixed Vocations of (Fr.) Gerald O’Donovan (1871–1942), with Dr Chrissie Van Mierlo. Host: University of Nottingham Irish Studies talks series. Venue: Five Leaves Bookshop (down the alley opposite the Tourist Info Centre), 14a Long Row, Nottingham, UK. 7pm – 8:30pm. Admission: £3 including refreshments. Email to confirm attendance: events@fiveleaves.co.uk.

Wednesday 19 September: Newspapers as a source for genealogical research, with Georgina Scally MAGI. Georgina will look at the range of information that can be gleaned from newspapers as well as looking at where to find newspapers on both paid and free databases and in hard-copy format. Host: Accredited Genealogists Ireland and the National Archives of Ireland. Venue: NAI, Bishop Streeet, Dublin 8. 6pm. Free. No need to book.

Wednesday 19 September: Lost Heroes, with Richard Edgar. 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. Talk postponed due to Storm Ali.

Wednesday 19 September: The sinking of the Leinster, with Cormac Lowth. Host: Dun Laoghaire Borough Historical Society. Venue: Royal Marine Hotel, Dun Laoghaire, Co Dublin. 8pm. All welcome. Entrance Fee: €3.

Friday 21 September: Constructing a Legend: Irish ‘Wild Geese’ in Louis XIV’s Army 1689-1714, with Pádraig Lenihan. Host: The New York Military Affairs Symposium. Venue: South Lounge, 2nd Floor, The Soldiers Sailors Club, 283 Lexington Avenue, New York City, USA (between 36th and 37th Streets). 7pm to 8:45pm. Free. All welcome.

Friday 21 September: National Archives of Ireland - delayed opening. Reading Room will be open to the public from 2pm to 5pm only. NAI, Bishop Street, Dublin 8.

Friday 21 September: Culture is catching
Friday 21 September: Culture Night. This major annual all-island event includes arts, music, history, heritage and science for all ages and encourages more people to visit cultural venues and to experience culture in their local areas. Free, but booking required for some events. Programme.

Friday 21 September to Sunday 23 September: Remembering the Armada, an annual festival commemorating the armada and its shipwrecks of 1588. Friday evening sees the official opening of the Spanish Armada Interpretive and Visitor Centre at the Courthouse, Grange, Co Sligo. Saturday sees four lectures presented. Also: guided walks, music and dance performances. See programme for more details.

Saturday 22 September: Ireland civil registration - Post Famine research using civil records, an Intermediate level genealogy workshop with Miles Davenport. Host and venue: McClelland Library's Norton Room, 1106 N. Central Avenue, Phoenix AZ 85004, USA. 10:30am–1pm. Fees: Non-Members $20 / Members $15. Need to book.

Saturday 22 September: Researching your Irish ancestors, with Jill Williams FIGRS at the Edinburgh Irish Heritage and Culture Day. Host: The Consulate General of Ireland, Scotland GAA and Conradh na Gaeilge Glasgow. Venue: The Grange Club, Portgower Place, Edinburgh, Scotland, EH4 1HQ. Noon to 6pm. Details.

Saturday 22 September: Introduction to renealogy research, a special workshop led by Rosemary Sibbett. Host: North of Ireland Family History Society, North Armagh branch. Cost £10. 11am to 3pm. Venue: Bleary Community Centre, 1 Deans Road, Bleary, Craigavon, Co Armagh, BT66 7AS. To book place or for more information email secnafhs@gmail.com

Monday 24 September: 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 24 September: Using the National Library, a Research Workshop, suitable for anyone looking to embark on a research project or to enhance research skils in navigating the catalogue, accessing the various collections and interpreting the sources. 3pm. Kildare Street, Dublin 2. Places are limited so booking required. To reserve a place email learning@nli.ie or phone 01 6030 259/346.

Tuesday 25 September: The 1718 Migration, with Andrew Kane. Host: North of Ireland Family History Society, Causeway Coast & Glens branch. Venue: Guide Hall, Terrace Row, Coleraine, Co Derry. 8pm. All welcome. Free.

Tuesday 25 September: Key sources for the family historian in Northern Ireland, with Anne Johnston. Host: North of Ireland Family History Society, Belfast branch. Venue: C S Lewis Room, Holywood Arches Library, 4-12 Holywood Road, Belfast, BT4 1NT. 7:30pm. All welcome. Free.

Tuesday 25 September: The West Clare photographs in the National Library's Lawrence Collection, with Elizabeth Kirwan. Host:Kilrush and District Historical Society. Venue: Teach Ceoil, Grace Street, Kilrush, Co Clare. 8pm. All welcome. Free to members; €5 for non-members.

Wednesday 26 September: Irish family history assistance in the Library. Host: Genealogical Society of Victoria. Venue: GSV Library, Level 6, 85 Queen Street, Melbourne, Australia. Free for members. $20 non-members. 10am to 4pm. Consultations: One-hour appointments with a research consultant also available. See details.

Wednesday 26 September: Presbyterianism in Dublin and the south of Ireland: an unfamiliar history, with Linde Lunney. Host: Dublin Festival of History. Venue: Royal Irish Academy, Dawson Street, Dublin 2. 1pm. Free. All welcome.

Thursday 27 September: Michael Collins and Guerrilla War in the War of Independence, with Joseph E A Connell Jr. Host: Bray Cualann Historical Society. Venue: Royal Hotel, Bray, Co Wicklow. 8pm. All welcome. Free for members; €5 for non-members.

Friday 28 September: The Influenza Epidemic in North Wexford, with Dr Ida Milne. Host: North Wexford Historical Society. Venue: Methodist Church Hall, Market Square, Gorey, Co Wexford. 7:30pm. Members free. Non-members €5. All welcome.

Friday 28 September: Conflict and Consensus: soldiers and citizens in Waterford City, 1820-1920, with Dr. Aoife Bhreatnach. Host: Waterford Archaeological & Historical Society. Venue: St. Patricks Gateway Centre, Patrick Street, Waterford City. 8pm. All welcome. Members free; non-members €5.

Sunday 30 September 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.

Sunday 16 September 2018

Ireland Genealogy Projects Archives: mid-Sept update

Move over Florence!

No matter living in the direct path of the hurricane, Ireland Genealogy Projects Archives' Co-ordinator Christina Finn Hunt rushed 'in case we have a power outage' to issue this mid-month's update of the headstone photos and church records she'd uploaded to the free online repository. That's dedication.

http://www.igp-web.com/IGPArchives/ire/limerick/photos/tombstones/abington-2/target25.html
Love and regret, a 1796 headstone in Abington
Cemetery, Murroe, Co Limerick. Photo courtesy of
Valerie Ackroyd and IGP Archives.
Click image for enlarged view.
CAVAN Genealogy Archives - Headstones
St. Patrick's (R.C.) Graveyard, Drumalee

CLARE Genealogy Archives - Headstones
Freagh (Drumminaphonta) Graveyard

DONEGAL Genealogy Archives - Headstones
Convoy, St. Ninians (CoI) Graveyard
Frosses, St. Mary's (R.C.) Graveyard (Updated)

DUBLIN Genealogy Archives - Headstones
Mt Jerome, Dublin - Part 208 & 209
Mt Jerome - Little Angels (Updated)

DUBLIN Genealogy Archives - Headstones
Rathfarnham Church Interior Memorials
St Patrick's Cathedral (Plaques/Interior) Pt 2

FERMANAGH Archives - Church Records
Aghadrumsee Burials, Clones Parish 1858-1866
Aghadrumsee Marriages, Clones Parish, 1829-36
Galloon Burial Index (CoI) 1860-1881
Galloon Register, Dio. of Clogher Burials, (CoI) 1860-1881

LIMERICK Genealogy Archives - Headstones
Abington Cemetery - Old Section, Parts 1 & 2, Murroe

MAYO Genealogy Archives - Headstones
Aughaval Cemetery, Part 2, Westport

MEATH Genealogy Archives - Headstones
St. Columba's (CoI), Kells

MONAGHAN & FERMANAGH Genealogy Archives - Church Records
Clones Parish Registers, Baptisms, 1838-1841

Friday 14 September 2018

Irish family history courses starting this autumn

September brings the start of a new term of evening classes in all manner of academic, hobbyist and vocational subjects, including family history.

Below are some of the genealogy courses scheduled to begin across the island during the autumn.

Northern Ireland

Belfast
Irish family history sources, a 10-week genealogy course taught on Tuesday (7-9pm) by the Ulster Historical Foundation, covering census, civil & church records, estate papers, wills, school registers & land & valuation records. Starts 18 September. Venue: Central building, Stranmillis University Collage, Belfast. Part of the college's LifeLong Learning programme. Course fee: £59. Download pdf programme and see page 18.

Belfast
Irish Genealogy Essentials, a 5-day intensive course run by the Ulster Historical Foundation will be held from 5-9 November.  It is ideal for those relatively new to genealogy but also for those who have already made some progress and wish to move on to lesser-known sources. The programme consists of a week of intensive learning and a day and a half of guided research in the Public Record Office of Northern Ireland. Venue: The Corn Exchange, 31 Gordon Street, Belfast, BT1 2LG.  Cost: £449.99.  Details.

Newtownabbey, Co Antrim
The North of Ireland Family History Society offers a range of 15 short courses, all starting between now and early December. Venue: Honneyman Room, NIFHS Research Centre, Unit C4, Valley Business Centre, 67 Church Road, Newtownabbey, Co. Antrim, BT36 7LS. The fee for each course is £7 for 1 session, £12 for 2 sessions and £15 for 3 sessions; each session lasts 2 hours. All courses open to members and non-members. Details.


Republic of Ireland

Dublin City
Introduction to Genealogy, with Sean Murphy. Host and venue: National Library of Ireland, Kildare Street, Dublin 2. The 8-week course will be presented on Wednesday afternoons, 2pm to 4:30pm, and will start on 10 October. Full details of the course syllabus (pdf). Course fee: €100. Participants are expected to have experience of using computers and should bring a laptop, tablet or other Internet-connected device to classes. For more information or to book a place on the course, contact Ciara Kerrigan by emailing: ckerrigan@nli.ie.

Dublin City (and online)
Diploma in Family History, with John Grenham MAGI FIGRS. Classroom-based and online, the course runs over 10 weeks, on Thursday from 6:30pm to 9:30pm. The next course starts on Thursday 27 September. Venue: City Colleges, Wicklow House, 84-88 South Great George's Street, Dublin 2. The Institute of Commercial Management is the awarding body. Course fee from €845 online/€945 classroom, with instalment plans available. Details.

Malahide, Co Dublin
Irish Genealogy – how to research your family history, with Claire Bradley. This beginner level evening class (7:30-9:30pm) begins with Irish sources such as the census, and birth, death and marriage records, and progresses to parish registers, newspapers, wills, land and military records. No prior knowledge is required but ability to use a computer and the internet is essential. Venue: Malahide Community School. Starts 2 October. Course (no.205) fee €110. Enrolment details.

Cork City
Genealogy: How to trace your family tree, with Tony McCarthy. Hosted by University College Cork's Adult Continuing Education programme. A 10-week evening course held on Tuesdays from 2 October to 4 December. 7-9pm. Venue: Western Gateway Building, Room 304, UCC. The course provides an introduction to the top ten Irish genealogical sources, methodology and historical/social context. Fee €230. Enrol by Monday 18 September. Details.

Ennis, Co Clare
Ancestral connection: DNA and online sources for family history research, an eight-week course with Lorna Moloney. Tuesdays 7-9pm, from 2 October to 20 November. Although an Adult Continuing Education course hosted by University College Cork, the sessions will be held at Woodstock Hotel, Ennis, Co Clare. Course fee: €200. Details.

Thursday 13 September 2018

Presbyterian Historical Society of Ireland's Library & Archives reopens

The Presbyterian Historical Society of Ireland's Library and Archive has reopened its doors following relocation to a new home on the Ground Floor of Assembly Buildings, Fisherwick Place in Belfast's city centre.

You'll find opening hours and contact details for the new location – the telephone number has changed – on the PHSI's website.

Wednesday 12 September 2018

Ancestry DNA rolls out enhanced ethnicity estimates

Ancestry DNA has announced that it has started the roll out of enhanced ethnicity estimates relating to Europe and Asia from today.

The new 'increased precision' estimates will be delivered through a new algorithm that analyzes longer segments of genetic information to break down the specifics of geographic ethnicity.

The announcement, in a blogpost by the company's Chief Scientific Officer Dr Catherine Bell, provides an example that the new new algo will more clearly define Scandinavia as Norway and Sweden (begging the question: What about Finland and Denmark?), will distinguish between France and Germany, rather than just Western Europe, and will break down Asia East into six regions: Japan; Korea and Northern China; China; Southeast Asia—Dai (Tai); Southeast Asia—Vietnam;  and Philippines.

If you've already taken an Ancestry DNA test, your enhanced results may now be available to view. Mine are.

Read the full blogpost and accompanying short video.

NEHGS: Latest additions to MA Catholic registers

AmericanAncestors.org, the online database of the New England Historic Genealogical Society, has continued to add to its Massachusetts: Catholic Archdiocese of Boston Records, 1789-1900 collections, as follows:

Indexed collection
Six new volumes from Saint Columbkilles of Brighton have been uploaded to the searchable database, adding 16,649 new records and 59,984 searchable names. The volumes include Baptism and Marriage registers from 1857 to 1900 and Confirmation registers from 1855 to 1900.

Seven new volumes from Our Lady of Victories in the Bay Village Historic District of Boston have also been uploaded to the database, adding more than 9,000 new records and more than 39,000 searchable names. The volumes include Baptism registers from 1880 to 1900, Marriage registers from 1884 to 1900, Deaths from 1889 to1900 and a miscellaneous collection of records dated 1880-1890. This parish closed in 2016.

Seven new volumes from St. James in Haverhill are highly likely to be crammed with Irish immigrants (there are a good few of my own extended family). The parish was established in 1850, and was originally called St Gregory; the name change caqme in 1884 with the building of a larger church. This update adds 21,538 new records, from Baptism registers 1851-1900, Marriage registers, 1850-1900, Deaths registers 1885-1900, and First Communions and Confirmations from 1884 to 1900. These additions provide another 67,652 new names to the database.

These three collections are available to Individual-level (and above) NEHGS members only.

Browse collection
Six new parishes have been added to the image-only database via 23 volumes, as follows:
  • Assumption of the Blessed Virgin (Lawrence) – Baptisms, Marriages and Confirmations 1887-1900
  • Blessed Sacrament (Jamaica Plain) Baptisms, Marriages and Confirmations 1892-1900
  • St. Augustine (Lawrence) Baptisms 1879-1886
  • St. John the Evangelist (Cambridge) Baptisms and Marriages 1893-1900, plus Confirmation for 1894 only.
  • St. Joseph (Roxbury) Baptisms 1845-1900, New England Hospital Baptisms 1885-1900, Confirmations 1862-1889, Marriages 1845-1900.
  • St. Mary (Ayer) Baptisms 1856-1900, Marriages 1857-1900.

If you have questions about navigating the browse database, watch the NEHGS how-to video.

If you're not an NEHGS member, you can access the browseable collection with a free Guest account. This is easy to set up via the Sign Up button.

Tuesday 11 September 2018

History of Ireland: a free 4-week online course

Book of Kells, Folio 27v, with the four evangelists:
(Clockwise from top left): a man (Matthew), a lion
(Mark), an eagle (John) and an ox (Luke).
Public Domain via Wikipedia
A new, free, online course exploring the history of Ireland through the Book of Kells, one of the world’s most famous and beautiful medieval manuscripts, has been developed by Trinity College Dublin.

Designed by academics from the School of Histories and Humanities, the School of Religion and staff from the Library, it uses the Book of Kells as a means to explore the landscape, history, theology, and politics of early medieval Ireland and examine how that past is understood in modern Ireland.

The ninth-century Book of Kells, with its lavishly decorated pages retelling (in Latin) the four gospels, is one of Ireland’s greatest cultural treasures. The quality of the book's artwork and the number of illustrations that run throughout its 680 pages set it apart from other manuscripts dating from the same period.

The Book of Kells: Exploring an Irish Medieval Masterpiece course will be run in partnership with FutureLearn, The Open University's online learning platform, and will give members of the public the opportunity to learn more about this precious manuscript through a four-week course.

The course, which starts on Monday 8 October, is aimed at anyone with an interest in Ireland, medieval studies, history, art, religion and popular culture.

New customers only: 30% off ANY FindMyPast package

Discount expires at 23:59pm BST Sunday 23 September
To new customers only, FindMyPast is offering a 30% discount on any and all FindMyPast subscriptions taken out from today until 23 September.

Monthly, Annual, Ultimate, World, Pro, Ireland, Australia & NZ.... you name it, you can make a great saving.

This is a pretty rare opportunity. More typically, FindMyPast offers sizeable discounts only on its premium subs or on short-term (usually one-month) subs.

Choose your preferred subscription by following the links below to the most appropriate FindMyPast 'territory' and see which package best suits your research needs.


FindMyPast Ireland –
30% off any subscription

FindMyPast USA/Canada –
30% off any subscription
FindMyPast UK –
30% off any subscription

FindMyPast Australia/NZ –
30% off any subscription

UPDATE, 13 September 2018, 1:04pm: I have only just learned that this offer is available only to brand-new customers of FindMyPast. I was not sent full T&Cs for this particular offer, and the company did not highlight this important restriction when issuing details of the discount. My apologies to those researchers who have tried, unsuccessfully, to take advantage of the discount. I have updated the blogpost, and its headline, accordingly.

UPDATE, 18 September 2018:
FindMyPast is offering a 10% saving on any subscriptions to previous customers. See blogpost.

Monday 10 September 2018

Church of Ireland parish registers to be digitised

Absolutely huge news for Irish genealogy! The Minister for Culture, Heritage, and the Gaeltacht, Josepha Madigan TD, has announced a capital grant of up to €100,000 for the digitisation of Church of Ireland Parish Registers under the Cultural Digitisation Scheme. These register records, some dating back to the early 1600s, are held by the Representative Church Body (RCB) Library in Churchtown, Dublin.

The RCB Library holds the Church of Ireland parish registers for baptism, marriage and burial. This collection includes 1,110 sets of parish records, approximately 840 of which contain varying quantities of public records which have not yet been digitised.

Speaking today, Minister Madigan said: “I am delighted to provide funding for the RCB Library’s project to digitise Church of Ireland Parish Registers, as part of the wider cultural Digitisation Scheme.

“This digitisation project will make it possible for people all over the world to access these unique records as they represent an important body of evidence about the Church’s history.

"Digitisation of this type also provides a vital channel to connect with our Diaspora – which is estimated to be up to 70 million people worldwide – and in turn encourages cultural tourism.”

Dr Susan Hood, RCB Librarian and Archivist, said: “The RCB Library is most grateful for this significant commitment to the project to digitize Church of Ireland parish registers. This will enable us to commence the massive task of making these records accessible and discoverable for all, by creating digital surrogates of original records (some of which are the oldest such records on the island of Ireland) and thereby facilitating the long-term preservation of the original.

“It is extremely good news not just for the Library, but the Church at large and indeed the generations of clergy and record keepers who have kept these records safe. With the right imaging equipment and technical support, which this funding will make possible, we will be enabled to begin imaging of collections of parish registers already in the custody of the Library.”

UPDATE, 11 September: Ultimately, the digitised records will be indexed and made available on the state-managed IrishGenealogy.ie. See Church of Ireland press release here.

Irish genealogy, history & heritage, 10-23 September

Monday 10 September Delayed opening at NLI. All National Library of Ireland sites will be closed until 11am. Thereafter, both the NLI Reading Room and Manuscript Room in Kildare Street, Dublin 2, will remain closed as part of the ongoing Monday closures to facilitate extensive redevelopment of the premises. All other services/exhibitons/cafe, including Genealogy Advisory Service, will operate as normal from 11am onwards. Details.

Monday 10 September Oceanic: White Star's "Ship of the Century", with Mark Chirnside. Host and venue: Public Record Office of Northern Ireland, 2 Titanic Boulevard, Titanic Quarter, Belfast BT3. 7:30pm to 9pm. All welcome. Free. Need to book.

Monday 10 September: Welcome and Introduction to Family History Research Recording, with Branch Members. Host: North of Ireland Family History Society, Newtownabbey Branch. Venue: Drama Theatre, Glengormley High School, 134 Ballyclare Road, Newtownabbey, BT36 5HP. 7pm. Donation appreciated. All welcome.

Monday 10 September: The Pilgrim's Tale, with Dr Denis Casey. Host: Friends of Medieval Dublin Lunchtime Lectures series. Venue: Wood Quay Venue, Dublin City Council, Wood Quay, Dublin 8. Free. All welcome. 1:05pm to 1:50pm.

Tuesday 11 September: The Enemy Within - the Spanish Flu in Mayo 1918-19, with Noel Campbell. Host and venue: The National Museum of Ireland - Country Life lis located at Turlough Park, Castlebar, Co. Mayo. 2:30pm to 3:30pm. This is a free event but booking is required. Details.

Tuesday 11 September: The Easter Rising – some connections to the English Midlands, with Professor James Moran. Host: University of Nottingham Irish Studies talks series. Venue: Five Leaves Bookshop (down the alley opposite the Tourist Info Centre), 14a Long Row, Nottingham, UK. 7pm – 8:30pm. Admission: £3 including refreshments. Email to confirm attendance: events@fiveleaves.co.uk.

Tuesday 11 September: Valuation Records, with Valerie Adams. Host: North of Ireland Family History Society, Lisburn Branch. Venue: Bridge Community Centre, 50 Railway Street, Lisburn BT28 1XP. 7:30pm – 9:30pm. Free. All welcome.

Tuesday 11 September: Using the Irish Newspaper Archive effectively, with Andrew Martin. Host: Genealogical Society of Ireland. Venue: Dun Laoghaire Further Education Institute, Cumberland Street, Dun Laoghaire, Co Dublin. 8pm. €3 donation requested. All welcome.

Wednesday 12 September: Samson and Banana: Circus Stories of Belfast, Derry and Ireland, with Richard McMinn and the Belfast Circus School. Host and venue: Public Record Office of Northern Ireland, 2 Titanic Boulevard, Titanic Quarter, Belfast BT3. 2pm to 5pm. All welcome. Free. Need to book.

Wednesday 12 September: Tracing your ancestors on the Internet, with Noreen Higgins. Host: Ardmayle Historical Society. Venue: St John the Baptist, Castlemoyle North, Ardmayle, Co. Tipperary. 8pm. All welcome. Refreshments will be available.

Thursday 13 September: Facing Armageddon? Ireland and the War in 1918, a half-day conference exploring the final year of WW1 in Ireland. Host: Antrim and Down Branch of the Western Front Association. Venue: Public Record Office of Northern Ireland, 2 Titanic Boulevard, Titanic Quarter, Belfast BT3. 2pm to 5pm. All welcome. Free, but need to book.

Thursday 13 September: The Spanish Flu Pandemic, 1918-19, with Dr Ida Milne. Host: County Longford Historical Society. Venue: Longford Arms Hotel, 25 Main St, Deanscurragh, Longford. 8pm. All welcome. Free.

Thursday 13 to Sunday 23 September 13: In the footsteps of Irish Palatine ancestors, a bus tour following the Irish Palatines who left Ireland in 1760, went to New York, moved to the Camden Valley, then fled to Quebec and eventually ended up in Ontario as loyalists. Host: Ontario Genealogical Society - Irish Palatine Special Interest Group (IP-SIG). Bookings through Great Canadian Holidays at 1-800-461-8687, extension 280. Details.

Saturday 14 September: Family Network Confeference. Host: U3A Peak District. Venue: The Palace Hotel, Buxton, UK, SK17 6AG. Jill Williams FIGRS will be answering research queries on the Irish Genealogical Research Society stand from 8:30am to 5pm. Details.

Monday 17 September: 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 17 September: All at Sea: PRONI Maritime Records, with Stephen Scarth. Host: North of Ireland Family History Society, Larne Branch. Venue: Larne Bowling & Lawn Tennis Club, 112-120 Glenarm Road, Larne, BT40 1DZ. 7:30pm. No need to book. All welcome, but donation appreciated.

Tuesday 18 September: The Mixed Vocations of (Fr.) Gerald O’Donovan (1871–1942), with Dr Chrissie Van Mierlo. Host: University of Nottingham Irish Studies talks series. Venue: Five Leaves Bookshop (down the alley opposite the Tourist Info Centre), 14a Long Row, Nottingham, UK. 7pm – 8:30pm. Admission: £3 including refreshments. Email to confirm attendance: events@fiveleaves.co.uk.

Wednesday 19 September: Newspapers as a source for genealogical research, with Georgina Scally MAGI. Georgina will look at the range of information that can be gleaned from newspapers as well as looking at where to find newspapers on both paid and free databases and in hard-copy format. Host: Accredited Genealogists Ireland and the National Archives of Ireland. Venue: NAI, Bishop Streeet, Dublin 8. 6pm. Free. No need to book.

Wednesday 19 September: The sinking of the Leinster, with Cormac Lowth. Host: Dun Laoghaire Borough Historical Society. Venue: Royal Marine Hotel, Dun Laoghaire, Co Dublin. 8pm. All welcome. Entrance Fee: €3.

Friday 21 September: National Archives of Ireland - delayed opening. Reading Room will be open to the public from 2pm to 5pm only. NAI, Bishop Street, Dublin 8.

Friday 21 September: Culture Night. This major annual all-island event includes arts, music, history, heritage and science for all ages and encourages more people to visit cultural venues and to experience culture in their local areas. Free, but booking required for some events. Programme.

Friday 21 September to Sunday 23 September: Remembering the Armada, an annual festival commemorating the armada and its shipwrecks of 1588. Friday evening sees the official opening of the Spanish Armada Interpretive and Visitor Centre at the Courthouse, Grange, Co Sligo. Saturday sees four lectures presented. Also: guided walks, music and dance performances. See programme for more details.

Saturday 22 September: Ireland Civil Registration - Post Famine Research Using Civil Records, an Intermediate level genealogy workshop with Miles Davenport. Host and venue: McClelland Library's Norton Room, 1106 N. Central Avenue, Phoenix AZ 85004, USA. 10:30am–1pm. Fees: Non-Members $20 / Members $15. Need to book.

Saturday 22 September: Researching Your Irish Ancestors, with Jill Williams FIGRS at the Edinburgh Irish Heritage and Culture Day. Host: The Consulate General of Ireland, Scotland GAA and Conradh na Gaeilge Glasgow. Venue: The Grange Club, Portgower Place, Edinburgh, Scotland, EH4 1HQ. Noon to 6pm. Details.

Thursday 6 September 2018

FindMyPast is offering free access this weekend

FindMyPast is offering free access to more than 2.7 billion records this weekend, and it's available in all the FMP territories. It will run from 9am (Irish and British time) on Friday 7 September to 23:59pm on Monday 10 September. Free access has now expired. See 30% offer that follows! Here.


Researchers will be able to explore censuses, parish registers, passenger lists and military records and much more.

You need a registered account to gain access to the records. If you don't already have one, it's quick and easy to set up an account, and it doesn't cost you anything. Nor are financial details required. Just choose the most appropriate flag below, follow the simple registration instructions and you'll be able to dive straight in to the database.

The free collection includes the following:
  • The largest collection of Irish family history records available online
  • Home Office records, Police files, England & Wales Crime, prisons & punishment records and original documents from the British India Office
  • Civil birth, marriage and death records dating back to the early 19th century
  • The largest online collection of UK parish records, dating back to the early 1500s
  • The most comprehensive online collection of British Military service records
  • The 1939 register, one of the most important twentieth century genealogical resources for England and Wales.
  • Passenger lists for ships sailing to and from Europe, Australia, New Zealand, North America and beyond
  • The largest online collection of England & Wales Electoral registers, containing more than 220 million names
  • The exclusive Catholic Heritage Archive, a ground-breaking initiative that aims to digitize the historical records of the Catholic Church in North America, Britain and Ireland for the very first time


FindMyPast Ireland –
Free Access

FindMyPast USA/Canada –
Free Access
FindMyPast UK –
Free Access

FindMyPast Australia/NZ –
Free Access

Note: British, Irish, US and World Newspapers, the PERiodical Source Index and UK Electoral Registers & Companies House Directors 2002-2018 are not included in the free access collection.



Genetic Genealogy Ireland conference, Dublin, 2018

Genetic Genealogy Ireland (GGI) will be returning to Dublin as part of the Back To Our Past (BTOP) fair, 19–21 October. You can view the lecture schedule below.

As previously, the lectures are sponsored by FamilyTreeDNA and organised by volunteers from the International Society of Genetic Genealogy (ISOGG). A new stream of lectures exploring the important issues of privacy, data protection and ethics has been incorporated into the schedule this year.

"There is a need for public discussion on the issues raised by new DNA developments as they occur," says GGI organiser Maurice Gleeson," and this is reflected in the programme for 2018."

Click for enlarged view and more from the GGI organisers



Clare Library adds RC records for Kilfenora parish

Clare County Library's Local Studies department has added transcriptions of Roman Catholic baptism and marriage registers for Kilfenora Parish.

The transcribing was carried out and the records donated by researcher Sheila Duddy, as follows:

RC Marriage Register, Kilfenora Parish, 1842–1880
Records presented in chronological order, in alphabetical order of groom's surname and in alphabetical order of bride's surname.

RC Baptism Register, Kilfenora Parish, 1836–1880
Records presented chronological order, in alphabetical order of the father's surname and in alphabetical order of the mother's surname, in each of three date groupings; 1836–1854, 1854–1876 and 1876–1880.

As with all records presented on this excellent Local Studies' website, the transcriptions are free to view.