IrishGenealogyNews: March 2023

Tuesday 28 March 2023

Irish genealogy, history and heritage events, 27 March to 9 April

Tuesday 28 March: The People of Belfast, with Aidan Campbell. Host: North of Ireland Family History Society, Belfast Branch. Online from 7pm. Hybrid meeting starts at 7:30pm. In-person venue to be confirmed. Free. All welcome. See details.

Tuesday 28 March Where to start your Irish family history research, with Claire Bradley. An in-person workshop hosted by Baldoyle Library, The Mall, Baldoyle, Co. Dublin. Starts 18:45. Free. All welcome. Booking required. Details.

Tuesday 28 March: Irish Land Commission Records, with Natalie Bodle. A hybrid meeting hosted by North of Ireland Family History Society, Causeway Coast & Glens Branch. In-person venue: Sandel Centre, Knocklynn Road, Coleraine Knocklynn Road, Coleraine. 8pm–10pm. Free. All welcome. For online access, email causeway @ nifhs.org for link.

Wednesday 29 March: The History of a Port City: Transport, Trade and an Archive, with Lar Joye. Part of the 'People, Places & their Heritage' spring lecture series hosted by the School of Histories and Humanities, Trinity College Dublin and the Dublin Cemeteries Trust. In-person. Venue: Milestone Gallery, Glasnevin Cemetery, Finglas Road, Dublin 11. Free. 7:30pm. All welcome.

Thursday 30 March Lilian Bland, the first woman in the world to design, construct and fly her own aircraft. A hybrid event with Guy Warner. Hosted by North of Ireland Family History Society, Ballymena Branch. In-person venue: Michelin Arts Workshop, Braid Arts Centre 1-29 Bridge Street, Ballymena. 7:15pm–8:45pm. For zoom link, email branch secretary at Ballymena@nifhs.org.

Thursday 30 March: Behind Old Ireland in Colour, an online presentation by John Breslin. Hosted by the Public Record Office of Northern Ireland. 7pm to 8pm. Free. All welcome. Need to book.

Saturday 1 April: A display of Artefacts of the Great War, with Eugene Power. Part of the 2023 Lifelong Learning Festival, and an in-person event hosted by Cork Public Museum, Fitzgerald Park, Mardyke, Cork. Part of the museum's 2023 lecture series. Starts at 1pm. Free but need to book by email (museum @ corkcity.ie) or phone 021-4270679).

Monday 3 April: The Boundary Commission, with John Dooher. A hybrid meeting hosted by North of Ireland Family History Society, Foyle Branch. In-person venue: Lecture Room, Derry's Central Library, 35 Foyle Street, Derry. For online link, email Foyle @ nifhs.org. Free. 7pm. All welcome. Details.

Wednesday 5 April: Spectral mansions: Henrietta Street and Dublin's tenement past, with Timothy Murtagh. Part of the 'People, Places & their Heritage' spring lecture series hosted by the School of Histories and Humanities, Trinity College Dublin and the Dublin Cemeteries Trust. In-person at: Milestone Gallery, Glasnevin Cemetery, Finglas Road, Dublin 11. Free. 7:30pm. All welcome.

Thursday 6 April: The Landed Gentry of Kinsale & the Great Famine, with Shannon Forde. An in-person event and the inaugural lecture of the Kinsale Cultural and Heritage Society. Venue: The Temperance Hall, Kinsale, Co Cork. 8pm. All welcome.

Thursday 6 April: Genealogy – where to start, with Ger Whelan. An in-person event hosted by Mount Merrion Historical Society. Venue: Fitzwilliam Rooms, The Community Centre, North Avenue, Mount Merrion, Dublin. 8pm. Admission: Members Free / Non-Members €4 / Students €2.

Friday 7 April Good Friday. Most businesses, libraries and archives will be closed in the Republic of Ireland until Tuesday 11th. In Northern Ireland, some businesses close; Libraries and archives (including PRONI) will work normal hours on Friday (and Saturday if that is a normal timetable opening) but will be closed on Monday 10th and Tuesday 11th. Check before you travel.

Saturday 8 April: Follow the Footsteps, an historical bus tour visiting key Irish Civil War site. An in-person event hosted by the Newcastle Liam Lynch Centenary Commemoration programme. 10:30am to 3pm. €15. Meet Newcastle Community Hall, Newcastle, Clonmel Co Tipperary. Need to book. All welcome.

Monday 27 March 2023

Rolling years of civil BMD registers added to IrishGenealogy.ie

An additional year of historic Births, Marriages and Deaths (index entry + register image) has been added to IrishGenealogy.ie, the state-managed, free database.

This update means the civil records now available to search and view on the site are:

Birth register index and images – 1864 to 1922
Marriage register index and images – 1845 to 1947
Death register index 1864 to 1972. Images 1871 to 1972 only.

Unfortunately, no sign yet of the register images for deaths from 1864 to 1870. They've been promised for several years now. Why don't they just get on with it, or give it out as a project to volunteers to complete?

With thanks to Kiltaglassan.

Accredited Genealogists Ireland announces new Member (MAGI)

Accredited Genealogists Ireland (AGI), the island-wide organisation that represents both the interests of people engaged professionally in genealogy and monitors the standard of their work, has another new member.

Gill Johnson MAGI

She is Gillian Johnson, who, having been through the Association’s Affiliate Programme, has now been admitted into Membership of Accredited Genealogists Ireland. As such, she can now use the coveted MAGI post-nominals.

For almost a decade, Gill has been working with Timeline, a Dublin-based genealogical research company run by fellow AGI Member, Nicola Morris. As an employee of Timeline, Gill has undertaken research for the BBC and RTE series of Who Do You Think You Are? She has also carried out research for the RTE series The Great House Revival

Gill graduated from Maynooth National University with an honours BA degree in Local Studies specialising in primary documents. Her thesis focused on the slums of Dublin.

She also completed the genealogy course delivered by Sean Murphy through the National Library of Ireland, and is a member of the AGI panel which provides the Genealogy Advisory Service for Dublin's National Archives.

Friday 24 March 2023

Two-week update: English, Scottish and Welsh genealogy records

Below is a summary of newly released and updated family history record collections for England, Scotland and Wales from the major genealogy databases. (Previous summary, 10 March.)

My regular summary of releases and updates relating to British collections is designed to help family historians whose Irish ancestors migrated, temporarily or permanently, to England, Scotland or Wales.

By default, it will also be useful to anyone carrying out research in those three nations, regardless of the origin of their ancestors.

The figures in parenthesis in the New Collections section are the numbers of records/images in the new record set.

Unless otherwise stated, the figures in parenthesis in the Updated Collections section reflect the number of records added to the collection in the recent update. In some instances, the supplier has not made this figure available. Where two figures are given, the first is the number of additions, the second is the new total.

Please note that I don't usually include updates of fewer than 1,000 records.

NEW COLLECTIONS

Ancestry

Westminster, London, England, Poor Law Registers, 1561-1900 (1,077,550)
Hampshire, England, Church of England Births and Baptisms, 1813-1921 (1,586,354)
Tyne & Wear, England, Non-Conformist Baptism, Marriages, Burials, 1710-1960 (512,140)

BritishNewspaperArchive - shared with FindMyPast (1,610,356 added pages / 65,674,044 total)

New titles in main collection ($£€)

	Camberley News	Grimsby Target
	Luton on Sunday	Wrexham Mail

FindMyPast

British Army, Local Armed Forces' Enrolment Forms, Anglo-Boer War 1899-1902 (64,888)

MyHeritage

Wales, Denbighshire, Wrexham Burials (37,655)

UPDATED COLLECTIONS

Ancestry

UK and Ireland, Find a Grave Index, 1300s-Current (73,715 / 16,712,454)
UK and Ireland, Newspapers.com™ Marriage Index, 1800s-current (7,442,038)
UK and Ireland, Families of Historic Properties

FamilySearch

England, Cumberland Parish Registers, 1538-1990 (483,919)

FindMyPast

British Army, East Surrey Regiment 1899-1919 (41,023/69,350 )
British Army, Queen's Royal West Surrey Regiment 1901-1918 (85,011/86,019)

TheGenealogist

Tithe records for Welsh counties linked to Map Explorer: Brecknockshire, Cardiganshire, Denbighshire, Flintshire and Monmouthshire. (420,000 plots)

Some of the above content contains affiliate links. This means I may earn a small commission if you buy via these links. This does not affect the price you pay as a consumer, but it does contribute to keeping Irish Genealogy News online. See Advertising Disclosure tab above.

Thursday 23 March 2023

Donegal Vindicator joins BritishNewspaperArchive and FindMyPast

The latest paper to join the online BritishNewspaperArchive (BNA) and its sister company FindMyPast is The Donegal Vindicator.

The title was founded in Ballyshannon in 1889 when John McAdam was invited by the Land League and supporters of Charles Stewart Parnell to set up a newspaper. His daughter, Eily McAdam, took over as editor in 1921. The premises was subsequently raided several times by the Free State Army and the IRA but the publication continued during the unrest of those years, and did not close until 1956.

It circulated mainly circulated in south Donegal and across the county's borders with Fermanagh, Leitrim and Sligo.

So far, some 560 editions are available to search. Their publication dates are 1889-1896, 1912, 1915 and 1930.

RootsIreland.ie adds Full Text Search function

A new edition of Irish Genealogy Matters, the newsletter of the Irish Family History Foundation that co-ordinates the island-wide network of local genealogy centres, has been published. You can view/download it here.

Full Text Search is available only from a county search page.

It brings news of a handy new function on the RootsIreland.ie database. It's a Full Text Search, and allows researchers to search for words (not names) that appear in various records.

This allows you to search for occupations (go easy on the blacksmiths), or status such as illegitimate, foundling and twin, or other information of interest

The Full Text Search option is only available to those with a subscription.

To access it, you need to be logged in, and making a one-county search. (The search will not be offered if you have not selected a specific county database.)

Click on 'Search' in the horizontal menu, and then select Full Text Search in the drop-down menu (see image). You then enter the word/words you want to search.

The new Full Text Search facility is an excellent addition to RootsIreland.ie and will really open up the database, especially to historians or researchers making selective topic searches.

Monday 20 March 2023

Irish genealogy, history and heritage events, 20 March to 2 April

Monday 20 March: Daughter of Laharna, a hybrid meeting with Patricia McNeill. Hosted by North of Ireland FHS, Larne Branch. In-person venue: Larne Museum & Arts Centre, 2 Victoria Rd, Larne. 7:15pm–8:45pm. Free. All welcome. For online link, email Larne@nifhs.org by 18 March.

Monday 20 March: Traditional Architecture in Offaly – history, materials and furtniture, from 1800, with Rachel McKenna. A hybrid event hosted by Offaly History. In-person venue: Offaly History Centre, Bury Quay, Tullamore. All welcome. 8pm. Email info @ offalyhistory.com for Online link.

Tuesday 21 March: National Archives of Ireland closed all day. Reopening 10am on 22nd.

Tuesday 21 March: The Photographic Guild: A circle of Cavan and Monaghan photographers in the 1890s, an online session with Orla Fitzpatrick. Host: PRONI. 12:30pm to 1:30pm. Free. Need to book.

Tuesday 21 March: Where to start your Irish family history research, with Claire Bradley. An in-person workshop hosted by Skerries Library, Strand St, Townparks, Skerries, Co. Dublin. Starts 18:45. Free. All welcome. Booking required. Details.

Tuesday 21 March: Cumann na mBan and women combatants in the Irish Civil War, 1922-23, with Dr John Borgonovo. An in-person event in the Tipperary People and Places series. Host: Tipperary Studies. Venue: The Source Gallery, Cathedral Street, Thurles. 7pm. Refreshments served 6:30pm. All welcome. Free.

Wednesday 22 March: Grangegorman Histories: People Places and Practices, with Philip Cohen. Part of the 'People, Places & their Heritage' spring lecture series hosted by the School of Histories and Humanities, Trinity College Dublin and the Dublin Cemeteries Trust. In-person. Venue: Milestone Gallery, Glasnevin Cemetery, Finglas Road, Dublin 11. Free. 7:30pm. All welcome.

Wednesday 22 March: Stradbally Photographic Archive, with Christine Kine. An in-person talk hosted by Waterford County Museum in Dungarvan. 7:30pm. At the door, €5. All welcome.

Thursday 23 March: Starting out on Irish Family History, with Audrey McKeown. First of a two-session afternoon course aimed at beginners. Online. Hosted by the North of Ireland Family History Society. 2:30pm. Second session on afternoon of Thursday 30 March. £20 for course. Details.

Thursday 23 March: Starting out on Irish Family History, with Audrey McKeown. First of a two-session evening course aimed at beginners. Online. Hosted by the North of Ireland Family History Society. 7pm. Second session on evening of Thursday 30 March. £20 for course. Details.

Thursday 23 March: Getting Started Workshop: Using Online Resources, an online workshop hosted by the Public Record Office of Northern Ireland. 12:30pm to 1:30pm. Free. All welcome. Need to register.

Friday 24 March: The Development of the Photograph: Information Sessions on Historic Photographs. An in-person event hosted at PRONI's Reprographics Studio, Titanic Boulevard, Belfast. 2:30pm to 3:30pm. Free. All welcome, but numbers are limited. Need to register.

Friday 24 March: It happened in March '23, an online presentation by Barry Lacey, historian in residence, reflecting on the Irish Civil War in 1923. Hosted by Wexford County Council. View YouTube video from 10am. Free. All welcome.

Saturday 25 March: The Military Effectiveness of the American Army's 69th Regiment in the Great War, with Will Bryant. An in-person event hosted by Cork Public Museum, Fitzgerald Park, Mardyke, Cork. Part of the museum's 2023 lecture series. Starts at 1pm. Free but need to book by email (museum @ corkcity.ie) or phone 021-4270679).

Saturday 25 March: Irish Records? They all went up in smoke . . .or did they? a two-hour online beginners workshop with Jill Williams FIGRS. Host: Scottish Genealogy Society. 2:30pm to 4:30pm. All welcome. Cost: £15 for non members and £10 for members. Need to book by 24 March. Details.

Saturday 25 March: Irish Family History Research Day, with the Ulster Historical Foundation. Hosts: British Isles Family History Society of Greater Ottawa (BIFHSGO). In-person event taking place at The Chamber, Ben Franklin Place, 101 Centrepointe Drive, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada 9am-4:30pm (doors open 8.15am). Cost: $40 for non-members; $30 for BIFHSGO members. Registration.

Thursday 30 March: Behind Old Ireland in Colour, an online presentation by John Breslin. Hosted by the Public Record Office of Northern Ireland. 7pm to 8pm. Free. All welcome. Need to book.

Friday 17 March 2023

FindMyPast uploads two new record-sets of Irish probate records

Since it's St Patrick's Day (have a great day, everyone), I haven't had much time to look over the latest FindMyPast Friday delivery, but here's a quick run-though.

The delivery sees additions to FindMyPast's Irish probate collection. One collection is new, the other sees the inclusion of an index to PRONI's Wills Calendars.

Ireland, Inland Revenue Wills & Administrations 1828-1879

Click for enlarged image from the Ireland Inland Revenue Wills records

This is a new collection of more than 300,000 records created by the Inland Revenue in London to determine tax obligations on Irish estatess. According to the blurb, the collection contains indexes for all years (1828-1879), with surviving registers for 1828-1839 that contain extracts from the original documents.

The indexes include the name of the deceased, the executor or administration of their will. The original documents were mostly destroyed in 1922.

Ireland Calendars of Wills & Administrations 1858-1965 (Northern Ireland)
This record-set is held within FindMyPast's Ireland Calendars Of Wills & Administrations 1858-1965 collection, now newly extended in date.

It covers the entire island up to 1920 but now sees the addition of some 261,256 new record transcriptions of will calendar entries for the District Probate Registries of Armagh, Belfast and LondonDerry from 1921 and 1965.

These calendars are held by the Public Record Office of Northern Ireland, and each transcription includes a link to PRONI's will calendar application.

Wednesday 15 March 2023

Any apothecaries in your Irish family history?

If you have apothecaries among your Irish ancestors you should be able to find them in this new collection on Ancestry. It's the Ireland, Apothecary Records, 1736-1920 collection and it's been sourced from the Royal College of Physicians of Ireland's Heritage Centre. It's an all-island record-set, with all 32 historical counties covered in its 42,000 record, and it's a beauty!

From the List of Apprentices book, 1812.
Click to view enlarged image.

Apothecaries formulated and dispensed materials to physicians, surgeons and patients (today, the terms pharmacist, druggist or chemist would be used) and they needed to be well-trained and regulated to perform this specialist role.

Their first Guild was set up in 1746, and the Apothecaries Hall Act of 1791 regulated training, introduced apprenticeships of seven years, awarded certificates for journeymen and Master Apothecaries. Only the latter could run a pharmaceutical shop.

Click the image, right, to view the first page, dating from 1812, of the Apprentices Book, full of lads in their mid-teens, and all providing details of their place of residence.

There are several types of registers, books and lists in the collection – Apothecaries Resident in Dublin, Apprentice Certificate Book, Inspection of Apothecary Shops (where you can find details of their workplaces, often their homes, with or without laboratories, and even notes relating to relocations); Rolls of Licentiates, etc – many of them dating back to the mid-18th century. Most are handwritten.

Watch out for some pretty wacky spelling in Ancestry's indexing of placenames!

MyHeritage opens irish collection to free access for St Patrick's Day

To mark St Patrick's Day on 17 March, MyHeritage has opened up its Irish collection to free access.

MyHeritage wouldn't ordinarily be my first stop for Irish research because most of its 14million Irish records are available free all year round on other sites such as the National Archives of Ireland's Genealogy database and FamilySearch.

However, having some of them in just one database AND free will be a plus for many people taking their first steps in Irish family history research.

Collections included are the 1901 and 1911 census, various vital records, a selection of census substitutes, a healthy number of street and trade directories, and a load of peerage/toff publications that have little value to the average family historian.

There's never any harm testing a collection to see if it has any treasure for you, so dip in. It's free... you just need to register... until Sunday 19 March.

Click the image to get started.

Monday 13 March 2023

Irish genealogy, history and heritage events, 13-26 March 2023

Monday 13 March: Finding Grace, an online event with Maurice Gleeson. Hosted by North of Ireland Family History Society, Newtownabbey Branch. All welcome. 7:00pm–8:30pm. Free. Details.

Monday 13 March: Family History Research at the National Library of Ireland, with Steven Skeldon. An online presentation on using the library’s services and collections . Hosted by the NLI. 3pm to 4pm. Free. All welcome. Need to book.

Monday 13 March: Irish Records, Resources, and Genealogy, a day-seminar presented by the Ulster Historical Foundation and hosted by the New York Genealogical and Biographical Society. In-person venue: NYGBS, 36 West 44th Street, 7th Floor, New York, NY 10036, USA. Also online. 10:00am-4:00pm. Free. All welcome but advance registration essential. Details

Tuesday 14 March: The Merchant, the Quakers and the Enslaved Boy, an online talk with Dr Jonathan Wright. Hosts: North of Ireland Family History Society, Lisburn Branch. 7:30pm–9pm. Free. All welcome. Non-members can email lisburn@nifhs.org for the link.

Tuesday 14 March: Researching your Irish and Scots-Irish Ancestors, a day seminar with the Ulster Historical Foundation. An in-person event hosted by Michigan City Public Library at 100 E. 4th Street, Michigan City, IN 46360, USA. 9:30am-4pm. Free. Lunch provided. Register here.

Wednesday 15 March: A History of Jewish Dublin, an in-person TeaTime Talk with Donal Fallon and Dr Melanie Brown. Venue: 14 Henrietta Street, Dublin 1. Tickets €3-€5. Book here.

Wednesday 15 March: Discover your Irish roots, a free Irish ancestry workshop with Paul Wilkins. Host: Birmingham Irish. In-person Venue: Birmingham Irish Association, 45, Alcester Street, Deritend, Birmingham, UK, B12 0PY. 11am–12pm. All welcome. Free. No need to book. Contact sinead @ birish.org.uk for more details if needed.

Wednesday 15 March: Cattle, butchers and the making of sanitary spaces in 19th century Dublin, with Juliana Edelman. First of the 'People, places & their heritage' spring lecture series hosted by the School of Histories and Humanities, Trinity College Dublin and the Dublin Cemeteries Trust. In-person. Venue: Milestone Gallery, Glasnevin Cemetery, Finglas Road, Dublin 11. Free. 7:30pm. All welcome.

Thursday 16 March: A surprise final event in the Julian Walters Winter Lecture Series. An in-person event. Venue: Dunhill Multi-Education Centre, Dunhill Enterprise Park, Ballyphilip. Dunhill, Co Waterford. 7:30pm. Light refreshments served. All welcome. Free.

Thursday 16 March: Researching your Irish and Scots-Irish Ancestors, an in-person seminar with the Ulster Historical Foundation. Hosted by the Midwest Genealogy Center and the and the Mid-Continent Public Library at 3440 S. Lee’s Summit Rd, Independence, MO 64055, USA. 3pm to 7pm. Registration

Friday 17 March: St Patrick's Day. Everywhere! Bank holiday across the island.

Saturday 18 March: Most libraries and similar venues across Ireland closed. Check before travelling.

Saturday 18 March: Irish Genealogy Workshop, presented by the Ulster Historical Foundation. Hosted by the Wisconsin Historical Society at Madison Memorial Library, 728 State St, Madison, WI, USA. Fully Booked.

Tuesday 21 March: National Archives of Ireland closed all day. Reopening 10am on 22nd.

Tuesday 21 March: The Photographic Guild: A circle of Cavan and Monaghan photographers in the 1890s, an online session with Orla Fitzpatrick. Host: PRONI. 12:30pm to 1:30pm. Free. Need to book.

Friday 24 March: The Development of the Photograph: Information Sessions on Historic Photographs. An in-person event hosted at PRONI's Reprographics Studio, Titanic Boulevard, Belfast. 2:30pm to 3:30pm. Free. All welcome, but numbers are limited. Need to register.

Saturday 25 March: Irish Family History Research Day, with the Ulster Historical Foundation. Hosts: British Isles Family History Society of Greater Ottawa (BIFHSGO). In-person event taking place at The Chamber, Ben Franklin Place, 101 Centrepointe Drive, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada 9am-4:30pm (doors open 8.15am). Cost: $40 for non-members; $30 for BIFHSGO members. Registration.

Friday 10 March 2023

New and updated genealogy records for England, Scotland & Wales

Below is a summary of newly released and updated family history record collections for England, Scotland and Wales from the major genealogy databases. (Previous summary, 24 February.)

By default, it will also be useful to anyone carrying out research in those three nations, regardless of the origin of their ancestors.

The figures in parenthesis in the New Collections section are the numbers of records/images in the new record set.

Please note that I don't usually include updates of fewer than 1,000 records.

NEW COLLECTIONS

Ancestry

Scotland, Burial Monument Inscriptions, 1507-2019 (619,169)
London, Girls' Day School Trust, 1873-1950 Students, teachers, headmistresses (17,778)

BritishNewspaperArchive (63,867,119 pages, all shared with FindMyPast)

New titles in main collection ($£€)

	Southern Press (Glasgow)	Cheshire Daily Echo
	Licensed Victuallers' Guardian	Govan Chronicle
	Situation and London Advertiser	Wellingborough News
	The Reporter (Stirling)

FindMyPast

Legacies of British Slavery 1883 Payments to colonial enslavers. (61,798)
Lancashire, Barrow-in-Furness Shipbuilding & Engineering Employees (96,374 )
United Kingdom, Commemorative Plaques (12,785)

MyHeritage

Scotland, Prison Registers, 1791–1937 (215,819)
Scotland, Crown Counsel Procedure Books (153,989)
Scotland, Mental Health Records (127,746)
England, Middlesex and Westminster Sessions of the Peace (82,679)

UPDATED COLLECTIONS

FindMyPast
Church register records from Notts, Derbys, Rutland, Leics, Lincs. (295,000+):

FreeBMD

England & Wales civil registration records (464,462 added / 287,549,647)

Thursday 9 March 2023

Tuck in to RootsIreland's glorious smorgasbord of Limerick records

RootsIreland has served up a mixed feast of more than 36,000 church records, gravestone inscriptions, will indexes, lists of freeholders, electoral registers, 18th-century lists of Catholic and Protestant heads of households, all for County Limerick.

And that's not all. There's more for dessert, as you'll see from the list below.

Heads of Catholic and Protestant households in various County Limerick parishes (Tuogh, Clonkeen, Nantinan, Clonagh, Rathkeale, Kilscannell, Croagh and Doondonnell) in 1766 (352 records)
Abbeyfeale RC baptisms 1901-1915 (1719 records)
Abbeyfeale RC marriages 1901-1915 (340 records)
Adare RC marriages 1901-June 1902 (7 records)
Ardagh RC baptisms 1901-1915 (609 records)
Ardagh RC marriages 1901-1915 (175 records)
Ballybricken RC baptisms 1901-1911 (199 records)
Ballybricken RC marriages 1901-1911 (50 records)
Bruff RC baptisms 1901-1915 (786 records)
Bruff RC marriages 1901-1915 (155 records)
Croom RC baptisms 1901-1915 (545 records)
Croom RC marriages 1901-1915 (200 records)
Donaghmore RC baptisms 1901-1915 (408 records)
Donaghmore RC marriages 1901-1915 (84 records)
Kilcolman & Coolcappa RC baptisms 1901-1915 (522 records)
Kilcolman & Coolcappa RC marriages 1901-1915 (109 records)
Shanagolden RC baptisms 1900-1915 (716 records)
Shanagolden RC marriages 1900-1915 (199 records)
Gravestone inscriptions St. John’s Church of Ireland (288 records)
Gravestone inscriptions St. Munchin’s Church of Ireland I (1378 records)
Gravestone inscriptions St. Molua’s, Ardagh (898 records)
Gravestone inscriptions Ardkilmartin, Kilmallock (190 records)
Index to wills of those with addresses in Limerick from Sir Arthur Vicars, Index to the Prerogative Wills of Ireland 1536-1810 (Dublin, 1897) (1117 records)
“List of Freeholders who voted in the 1760 Election in Limerick” by Noel Murphy in North Munster Antiquarian Journal, Vol. 52, (2012) taken from ‘The Freeholders of Limerick who voted in the 1760 Election with Place of Abode and Freehold Address. Monday 27th April. Thomas Vokes and Eaton Maunsell, Sheriffs’ (National Library of Ireland, MS 16092) (773 records)
Index to Limerick people referenced in “Information Wanted” Ads in the Irish-American, 1850-1871 from DeGrazia, Laura Murphy & Haberstroh, Diane Fitzpatrick, Irish Relatives and Friends (909 records)
The Burgess Roll of Burgesses of the City of Limerick of Persons Entitled to Vote at municipal elections between the 25th November 1896 and 24th November 1897 (556 records)
Return of National School teachers referencing Limerick as where educated or where teaching in 1905 (625 records)
Limerick’s evicted tenants from A List of Persons who have lodged applications with the Estates Commissioners as Evicted Tenants or as the Representatives of Evicted Tenants, and who have been noted as suitable for Holdings published by the Estates Commissioners Office in 1907 (181 records)
Owners of vehicles registered in county Limerick from The Irish Motor Directory and Motor Annual 1911-12 (107 records)
Owners of vehicles registered in county Limerick from The Irish Motor Directory and Motor Annual 1912-13 (112 records)
Owners of vehicles registered in county Limerick from The Irish Motor Directory and Motor Annual 1913-14 (310 records)
Owners of vehicles registered in county Limerick from The Irish Motor Directory and Motor Annual 1914-15 (263 records)
Index to Limerick’s World War I casualties (1070 records)
1925-1926 Register of Electors for Limerick (19,729 records)

To search these records, go to limerick.rootsireland.ie and login or subscribe as required.

To view the newly-updated list of County Limerick sources, click the logo above.

Tuesday 7 March 2023

National Library of Ireland launches redesigned website

The National Library of Ireland's website – nli.ie – has been overhauled and redesigned. The result is a bold reincarnation with lots of white space, big images and fonts, and a fresh, modern vibe.

The site receives more than one million views a year

It's certainly very different. Take a look around.

I'm not wild about having to scroll past the supersized pics and text that present in desktop mode, especially when all I want are some navigation links, but the mobile view is a lot less scary!

Rather more importantly, I'd suggest that the link to 'Search the Library's ecatalogue' should be more prominent, especially in the desktop version.

North of Ireland FHS announces Spring programme of classes

The North of Ireland Family History Society has announced its Spring programme of one- and two-session classes. They are listed below, and you can find more details about their content and cost (if any) on the NIFHS.org site.

Starting out on Irish Family History – two afternoon online sessions on Thursday 23 and 30 March starting at 2:30pm. Presented by Audrey McKeown, this short course will be ideal for beginners and refreshers.

Starting out on Irish Family History – two evening online sessions on Thursday 23 and 30 March starting at 2:30pm. Presented by Audrey McKeown, this short course will be ideal for beginners and refreshers.

DNA–Paternal and Maternal Matches – a single session class on Friday 21 April starting at 7pm BST. Online with Martin McDowell.

Tips for Breaking through Brickwalls – a single session class on Friday 5 May starting at 7:00pm BST. Online with Martin McDowell.

DNA Ethnicity Estimates – a single session class on Wednesday 17 May starting at 7pm BST. Online with Anne Johnston.

Using WikiTree – a single session class on Wednesday 31 May starting at 7pm BST. Online with Anne Johnston

Things I wish I had known when I started Irish Family History – a free, single class starting at 7pm BST. Online with NIFHS Volunteers.

Most sessions usually last about 90 minutes including time for questions.

Click the link above to find out more.

Monday 6 March 2023

St Patrick's Day is coming: enjoy 25% savings at RootsIreland

Marking St Patrick's Day, RootsIreland.ie is offering a 25% discount on its annual subscription package. The saving will be available until 11:59pm Irish Time on Friday 31 March.

Most Irish professional genealogists consider RootsIreland the single most useful database available to family historians. If holds the most complete and most accurate set of Roman Catholic church records online, plus millions of records from other religious denominations.

It also offers civil registration BMDs, census records and substitutes and headstone inscriptions.

At the most recent count, it holds more than 23 million records. More than one million of these have been added in the last couple of years with additions coming from counties Armagh, Clare, Cork, Dublin, Galway, Kerry, Kilkenny, Laois, Limerick, Mayo, Monaghan, Offaly, Sligo, Tipperary, Westmeath and Wicklow.

The site is managed by the Irish Family History Foundation and the database is 'fed' by its network of 34 genealogy centres across the island of Ireland, each of which offers an unparalleled amount of local knowledge to those tracing their ancestors. By taking out a subscription with RootsIreland, you are helping these centres to continue to provide a world-class service and securing many Irish jobs.

You'll find an overview of the records available in the database for each county here.

Cheers! Ancestry releases second Jameson distillery collection

Ancestry has uploaded a second collection of records from John Jameson & Son to its database: the All Ireland, Jameson Bottling Agreements with Publicans, 1909–1965 collection. Its contains 30,484 records of bottling agreements at a time when most of the company's whiskey wasn't bottled at the Bow Street distillery in Dublin, but was sold directly to retailers by the cask. The retailers, most of them publicans, had to sign legal agreements between the distillery and the bottler, who may have been the publican or a third party.

These renewable annual contracts were a means to ensure the whisky was not adulterated by the bottler, who was held accountable for the drink that was sold in them. They had to agree that the whisky would neither be tampered with nor diluted.

The records note some or all of the following: the date and place of production; the name of the bottler and place of distribution; the amount sold and dates of transactions. Images are available for distribution agreements and bills of sale.

Among the findings in this collection are names, addresses and signatures not only of bottlers and publicans, but also their chosen witnesses. Some of the latter were members of pub staff or otherwise connected with the business ie accountants, but sometimes members of family, neighbours or friends. In the example below, from a store in Inchicore Road, Dublin, the witness is a retired Dublin Metropolitan Police officer.

This new record set joins the Jameson Distillery's Staff Wage and Employment Books, 1862-1969, which hold details of staff employed at the original James Irish Whiskey distillery until 1971.

Irish genealogy, history and heritage events, 6 to 19 March

Monday 6 March: Operation Green – German WW2 plans for invading Ireland, with Ronnie Kilgore. A hybrid meeting hosted by the North of Ireland Family History Society, Foyle Branch. In-person at the Lecture Room at Derry’s Central Library, 35 Foyle Street, Derry, BT48 6AL. 7pm to 8:30pm. For online access, email Foyle@nifhs.org. All welcome. Free.

Monday 6 March: Scottish Surnames in Ulster, with Brian Turner. Hosts: North of Ireland Family History Society, Killyleagh Branch. In-person venue: Killyleagh Masonic Hall, 50 High Street, Killyleagh, Co. Down BT30 9QF. 8pm–9:45pm. Free. All welcome. Details.

Monday 6 March: The Goodbodys: Millers and Manufacturers, a lecture with Reggie Goodbody. Hosts: Ormond Historical Society. In-person venue: Abbey Court Hotel, Nenagh, Co Tipperary. 8pm.

Monday 6 March: Best practices for finding and researching Irish ancestors, with Michael Brophy. An online lecture hosted by Flint Memorial Library, North Reading, MA, USA. 7pm. Free. All welcome. Tel: 978-664-4942 to book.

Tuesday 7 March: Snooping on your ancestors' neighbours: how to juggle online census records, with John Grenham MAGI. An online event from NI Libraries' Heritage from Home Series 3. Starts 12:30pm. Free. All welcome. Need to register.

Wednesday 8 March: Burning the Big House, in Conversation with Professsor Terence Dooley. An in-person event hosted by the Irish Georgian Society at 58 William Street South, Dublin 2. 6pm. Admission: €12. Need to book.

Wednesday 8 March: The Disbandment of the Southern Irish Regiments, 1922, an online lecture by Timothy Bowman. Hosts: The Antrim and Down branch of the Western Front Association (WFA) and the Public Record Office of Northern Ireland. 7pm to 8pm. Free. All welcome. Need to book.

Wednesday 8 March: Searching for Irish Ancestors – Why the Irish left Ireland from the 1700s and went to Canada, an online talk by Penny Walters. Hosted by Ontario Genealogical Society, Huron Branch. 7:30 pm. Free. All welcome but registration required for zoom link.

Thursday 9 March: The Hermitage: A cottage orne in Abbeyside, Dungarvan, with Willie Fraher. An in-person event. Part of Julian Walton's Winter Lecture Series. Venue: Dunhill Multi-Education Centre, Dunhill Enterprise Park, Ballyphilip. Dunhill, Co Waterford. 7:30pm. Light refreshments served. All welcome. Free.

Thursday 9 March: Discover your Irish and Scots-Irish Ancestors, a day seminar, hosted by Jan Clizer Painting & Ulster Historical Foundation at Jacklin Arts & Cultural Center, 405 N William St, Post Falls, ID 83854, USA. 9am-4pm. Fee: $50pp. Details and registration.

Thursday 9 March: Ireland, Scotland, and the Hundred Years War: A New Vista, with Dr Simon Egan. An in-person event hosted by the Public Record Office of Northern Ireland and the Ulster Society for Irish Historical Studies. Venue: Irish Studies room, QUB, 27 University Square, Belfast BT7. 6pm to 7pm. Free. All welcome.Need to book at Eventbrite.

Saturday 11 March: Lt Michael Higgins, Leinster Regiment &nash; a family reminiscence, with Denis Kirby. An in-person event hosted by Cork Public Museum, Fitzgerald Park, Mardyke, Cork. Part of the museum's 2023 lecture series. Starts at 1pm. Free but need to book by email (museum @ corkcity.ie) or phone 021-4270679).

Saturday 11 March In Search of My Irish Ancestors, a virtual conference organised and hosted by the Society of Australian Genealogists. 10am to 5pm AEDT. View or download programme. Need to register. Members $70.00; Non-members $110. Full details.

Saturday 11 March Finding Your Ancestors in Irish Church Records, a seminar presented by the Ulster Historical Foundation. Hosted by the New England Historic Genealogical Society in partnership with TIARA. 9am–4:30pm ET. In-person at Gasson Hall, Boston College, Chestnut Hill, MA, USA. Fee: $125, includes lunch and refreshments. Programme and Registration.

Saturday 11 March: 'Family Matters', the Cork Genealogical Society Conference 2023. An in-person event hosted by the Society. Venue: Clayton Hotel, Silversprings, Cork City. 9:30am–5pm. £25, includes light lunch. Need to book at corkgenealogicalsociety.com.php

Sunday 12 March: Irish Family History Day 2023, hosted by the Ulster Historical Foundation and sponsored by the Fréamh Éireann Genealogy Group & Féile Inc. An in-person programme at the Gaelic American Club, 74 Beach Road, Fairfield, CT 06824, USA. 10am–2pm (doors open 9:30am). Cost: $30, includes soup and sandwich). Details and registration.

Monday 13 March: Finding Grace, an online event with Maurice Gleeson. Hosted by North of Ireland Family History Society, Newtownabbey Branch. All welcome. 7:00pm–8:30pm. Free. Details.

Wednesday 15 March: A History of Jewish Dublin, an in-person TeaTime Talk with Donal Fallon and Dr Melanie Brown. Venue: 14 Henrietta Street, Dublin 1. Tickets €3-€5. Book here.

Friday 17 March: St Patrick's Day. Everywhere! Bank holiday across the island.

Friday 17 March: St Patrick's Day. Everywhere! Bank holiday across the island.

Saturday 18 March: Many venues closed (Libraries closed in ROI; open in NI.) Check before travelling.

Friday 3 March 2023

Ports, Past and Present collection joins Digital Repository of Ireland

The Digital Repository of Ireland (DRI) has announced the addition of another collection to its care. Called the Ports, Past and Present Project, the collection holds a series of documentary films exploring the landscape, history and memories of poeple who live and worked in five very different Celtic port towns in Wales and Ireland that are connected by the ferry routes that serve them.

The Ports, Past and Present project was carried out between 2020 and 2023, and worked to enhance engagement among port town communities with their own rich heritage and to use it to promote tourism and deepen a sense of shared identity.

This was completed through the co-production, with communities, of over 200 online heritage stories, high-quality documentary films, 12 creative commissions, community-focused events, and the creation of tourism networks and a heritage tourism app.

The collection consists of 353 items and sub-collections.

If you have any family connections to people who may have worked or lived near the ports of Dublin, Rosslare, Holyhead, Fishguard and Pembroke Dock, you'll enjoy a dive into the Ports, Past and Present website. The archive material can also be viewed via the DRI here.

The Project was funded by the European Regional Development Fund through the Ireland Wales Co-operation Programme and is a collaboration between University College Cork (UCC), University of Wales Centre for Advanced Welsh and Celtic Studies, Aberystwyth University and Wexford County Council. .

Thursday 2 March 2023

Irish Registry of Deeds Index Project: February update

The volunteer-managed Irish Registry of Deeds Index Project has been updated and now offers 538,443 indexed entries for researchers to search, free of charge. The entries have been transcribed from 55,754 memorials of deeds.

Additionally, the Grantor Index has been updated.

Nick Reddan FIGRS, the Australia-based founder and manager of the Registry of Deeds Index Project, has highlighted one of the memorials indexed in this most recent upload. It was registered on the 9th of April 1726 'at 1 o'clock in ye afternoon', and records Margrett Bermingham nee Donaldson's giving over her rights to the estate in order to prevent an argument with her aunts and uncles. It appears her father, who died when she was a minor, had either mislaid or concealed his father's will, giving Margrett, his only heir, an advantage over his siblings.

Click the image, above right, to view the indexed details of this Memorial (no. 31428). Beneath the tabulated landing page, you'll find a button inviting you to 'Go to image number 424 in the memorial book'. Click on this to view and read the Memorial on the FamilySearch site.

Irish Genealogy News - Pages

Tuesday 28 March 2023

Monday 27 March 2023

Friday 24 March 2023

NEW COLLECTIONS

UPDATED COLLECTIONS

Thursday 23 March 2023

Monday 20 March 2023

Friday 17 March 2023

Wednesday 15 March 2023

Monday 13 March 2023

Friday 10 March 2023

NEW COLLECTIONS

UPDATED COLLECTIONS

Thursday 9 March 2023

Tuesday 7 March 2023

Monday 6 March 2023

Friday 3 March 2023

Thursday 2 March 2023