Monday 22 April 2019

Irish genealogy and history events, 22 April to 5 May

Monday 22 April: Easter Monday. All National Library of Ireland exhibitions in Dublin, except Seamus Heaney: Listen Now Again, will be open Noon to 5pm. All other areas of the Library closed, as are all repositories and archives in the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland.

Tuesday 23 April: Bank Holiday in Northern Ireland only. PRONI, the NIFHS Research Centre, and all repositories and local libraries closed.

Tuesday 23 April: Disappearing Workplaces, with Mary Muldowney. Key C19th industries in Dublin and what happened to them in the C20th. Host and venue: Central Library, Henry St, North City, Dublin 1. 1pm. Admission free. Booking required: centrallibrary@dublincity.ie or 01 873 4333.

Thursday 25 April: Members Interests Night. Host: North of Ireland Family History Society, Ballymena branch. Venue: Michelin Arts Workshop, Braid Arts Centre, 1-29 Bridge Street, Ballymena, BT43 5EJ. 7:15pm. All welcome.

Friday 26 April: Getting Started workshop. Host & venue: PRONI, Titanic Blvd, Belfast. Advice on searching for records, practical demonstration on using the Public Search Room, handle original documents in the Reading Room. 11am to 1pm. Free, but need to book. Details and booking.

Friday 26 April: Waterford Crystal – The creation of a global brand, with Johnn M Hearne. Host: Waterford Archaeological and Historical Society. Venue: St Patrick's Gateway Centre, Patrick Street, Waterford City. 8pm. Free for members. Non-members €5. Tea and coffee served after lecture.

Friday 26 and Saturday 27 April: Family Tree Live, exhibitors, lectures, workshops, DNA, one-to-one consultations. Researchers with Irish connections should be sure to visit the stands of the Irish Genealogical Research Society (IGRS) and North of Ireland Family History Society (NIFHS). Online booking for lectures ends 22 April. See FamilyTreeLive for details. Venue: Alexandra Palace, Muswell Hill, London, UK.

Sunday 28 April: The Fitzmaurices – the Lords of Kerry and Lixnaw, with speakers including Rosemary Raughter, Kay Caball and Dr John Knightly. Host: Lixnaw Heritage & Historical Group. Venue: The Ceolann, Lixnaw, north Co Kerry. 10:30am to 3pm. Refreshments will be served. Free. All welcome. More information: 087 1335243.

Monday 29 April:: NLI Reading Room and Manuscript Room closed all day to facilitate the Library's continuing redevelopment of the premises. Venue: National Library of Ireland, Kildare Street, Dublin 2. All other services/exhibitons/cafe, including Genealogy Advisory Service, operate as normal.

Monday 29 April: Huguenots in Beara, with Penny Durell. Host: Beara Historical Society. Venue: Twomey’s Lounge, Bank Place, Castletownbere, Co Cork. 8:30pm.

Tuesday 30 April Henry Joy and Mary Ann McCracken – A Belfast tragedy, with Dr David Hume. Host: NIFHS, Belfast Branch. Venue: C S Lewis Room, Holywood Arches Library, 4-12 Holywood Road, Belfast, BT4 1NT. 7:30pm. Free. All welcome.

Tuesday 30 April Saying ‘No’ to Irish Nationalism - Reflections of a Revisionist, with Eoghan Harris. Host: Waterford Treasures. Venue: Garden Room, Medieval Museum, Waterford City. 7:30pm. Tickets €5. Booking is highly recommended. Details.

Wednesday 1 May: Revolution within the Revolution? 1919 and the generation of 1916, with Professor Roy Foster. Host: The Decade of Centenaries: Ireland in 1919 - Spring lecture series. Venue: Irish Cultural Centre, 5 Black's Road, Hammersmith, London W6 9DT. 7–9pm. All welcome. Tickets £5.92, via Eventbrite.

Wednesday 1 May: AGM, Tyrone Branch of the North of Ireland Family History Society. Venue: Local History Section, Omagh Library, 1 Spillars Place, Omagh, BT78 1HL. Free. 7:30pm. Details.

Thursday 2 May to Saturday 4 May: Invasion 1169, a national conference marking the 850th anniversary of the Anglo-Norman Invasion of Ireland. Featuring an international panel of experts discussing recent research on the impact and significance of this event in late C12th-Ireland. Host: TCD. Venue: Edmund Burke Theatre (Arts Building), Trinity College Dublin. Admission free. All welcome. Registration and details.

Thursday 2 May to Sunday 5 May: Cloughjordan Honours Thomas McDonagh, a weekend of lectures, screenings, dance and music, guided walks, language sessions. Host and venue: Thomas McDonagh Museum, Lower Main Street, Cloughjordan, Co. Tipperary. Details and programme.

Friday 3 May: 850 Years of Oppression? a History Ireland Hedge School. Part of the Invasion 1169 conference (see above for details and booking). Venue: TCD, Dublin 2. Attendance is free but booking is recommended.

Saturday 4 May: Making the Most of Your Autosomal DNA Results, with Anne Johnston. First of two 2-hour Saturday classes (second one on 11 May). Host: North of Ireland Family History Society. Venue: Honneyman Room, NIFHS Research Centre, Unit C4, Valley Business Centre, 67 Church Road, Newtownabbey, BT36 7LS. 2-4pm, on both dates. Cost: £14 for the 2 sessions, payable at the first class. These courses are open to members and non-members. Further details.

Sunday 5 May: In Pursuit of the Heiress, a day programme of lectures at Dromana House and Gardens. Julian Walton: “The drawbacks and dangers of heiress hunting, with Julian Walton; The decorative life of Marie Antoinette – the glittering road to the guillotine, with Judy Brittain; The Abduction of Mary Pike and that fateful night in Vernon Mount, Cork, with Dr Kieran Groeger; and The Irish ‘Wild Geese: In search of fortune in the Habsburg Empire, with Dr Dagmar O'Riain-Raedel. Host: Dromana House, Lismore, Co Waterford. 10:30am to 4pm. Refreshments, lunch and afternoon tea included. Tickets €70pp or €125 for 2 persons. Enquiries and booking email: info@dromanahouse.com or tel (086)8186305.