Monday 24 May 2021

Irish genealogy and history events, 24 May to 6 June

Monday 24 May: Northern Ireland's repositories, museums and other heritage sites can reopen after Lockdown. See details for Public Record Office of Northern Ireland here. Revised arrangements for General Record Office of Northern Ireland have not yet been published, although the offices are due to reopen today. Keep an eye on the GRONI website, here. The Linen Hall Library also reopens, with a brand new cafe. Some venues and sites will not reopen for a few days, while other may not be ready to do so until later.

Tuesday 25 May: People Power and Places: Grand Jury Records and Local History, ad afternoon seminar presented as part of the Beyond 2022: Ireland's Virtual Record Treasury Research Project in association with Local Government Archivists and Records Managers. 2:30pm–5pm. Free. All welcome. Details and registration.

Tuesday 25 May: ‘Burning the Books’: Series finale of 'Out of the Ashes'. Lecture with Richard Ovenden, Bodley’s Librarian, Oxford, followed by Ovenden in conversation with Helen Shenton, College Librarian and Archivist of Trinity College Dublin. Hosted by Beyond 2022 in association with Local Government Archivists and Records Managers. Free. 7pm–8:30pm. Online. All welcome. Details and registration.

Tuesday 25 May: Past Lives: Exploring histories of Family, an online workshop and part of the Limerick Lifelong Learning Festival 2021. Host: University of Limerick. Includes the following presentations: The marginalisation of ex-servicemen in the Limerick District Lunatic Asylum, 1900-1925, with Stuart Clancy; The Earl Grey Orphans of Kilrush Union Workhouse, 1848-1850, with Sharon Dilger-Kelly; The South Limerick Volunteers, with Padraig Hogan. 4pm to 5pm. Details.

Tuesday 25 May: Burning of the Custom House, with Liz Gillis, final lecture in the centenary programme. Online. Free on Facebook at 8pm. (Recording will be on YouTube in due course.)

Tuesday 25 May: Kilstifeen and phantom island traditions of the west coast, with Críostóir Mac Cárthaigh, National Folklore Collection, UCD. Host: Kilrush and District History Society. Online. 8pm. Free. Link.

Thursday 27 May: WWI: Exploring the Irish Experience, a virtual exhibition tour. Host: National Library of Ireland. All welcome. Free, but need to book tickets. 11am.

Thursday 27 May: Climate shocks and climate change: Climate and society in 18th-century Ireland, with Professor James Kelly. The J.C. Beckett Memorial Lecture. Host: The Ulster Society of Irish Historical Studies (USIHS) and the Public Record Office of Northern Ireland (PRONI). Online. 7-8pm. Free, but need to register.

Thursday 27 May: United Irishmen Émigrés of Erin, with Stephen McCracken. Host: North of Ireland Family History Society, Ballymena Branch. Lecture follows Annual General Meeting. 7:15pm. Online. Free. Open to non-members. For joining details, email https://www.nifhs.org/branches/ballymena/.

Thursday 27 May and Friday 28 Mary Silences and Inconvenient Truths in Irish Culture and Society – the 19th International AEDEI Conference. A virtual event hosted by the University of Vigo via its free TV streaming service. Free. All welcome. Programme and details.

Monday 31 May: Spring Bank Holiday in Northern Ireland (does not apply in RoI)

Monday 31 May: Blundell Castle, a public lecture exploring the wider historical and social context of this and other similar castles, plus presentation on recent community programme works at Blundell. Hosted by the Irish Archaeology Field School and Irish Heritage School. 6pm to 7:30pm. Online. Free. Need to register. Details.

Wednesday 2 June: Irish Ancestors and Irish Lives, with Roz McCutcheon FIGRS and Jill Williams FIGRS. Start of a six-week online course (ends 7 July) exloring the 17th-19th century social/political contexts of Irish life and where to find relevant genealogical and historical sources. Host: Society of Genealogists. Six two-hour sessions, 6pm to 8pm. £112.50/£90. Full details.

Thursday 3 June: Coming out of the pandemic: Onomastic research 2021 and beyond. The Deirdre Flanagan memorial lecture 2021. Host: Ulster Place Name Society. Online. Free. All welcome.Registration

Friday 4 June: Celtic Crosses, Identity and Symbolism in late 19th and early 20th Century Belfast, with Bronagh Patricia Murray. Part of the annual HeroNI Lecture Series. Host: DfC Historic Environment. 1pm. Free. Details.

Friday 4 June: All the Bridgets: The Genealogy of an Irish Workhouse, with Clare Doyle. A First Friday Talk hosted by the Irish Workhouse Centre, Portumna. Online. 8pm. €5. Booking.

Saturday 5 June to Sunday 6 June: Ontario Genealogical Society conference 2021. Additional single evening events held each day 31 May to 3 June, plus a full day Ancestry Day on Friday 4th. Main programme, with two streams of lectures, on both days of the weekend. Lectures in both streams will be recorded and available to all delegates for 30 days post-conference. Details.