TNA launches Northern Ireland: Pathways to Peace & Reconciliation

The National Archives (TNA), the UK's main repository, has launched a new web portal that will bring together government files relating to the situation in Northern Ireland from 1994 up to and including the signing of the Belfast (Good Friday) Agreement in 1998.

The new website – Northern Ireland: Pathways to Peace and Reconciliation – is the first phase of a digitisation project to make Troubles-related records held at TNA more readily available to all, virtually and free of charge. Click image, right, to explore.

Commenting on the digitisation project, MP and Secretary of State for Northern Ireland Chris Heaton-Harris said: “I welcome the launch of this online initiative which demonstrates the Government’s commitment to making accessible as much information as possible about an important period of Northern Ireland’s complex history. By encouraging reflection and consideration of our Troubled past, we can hopefully recognise the progress made since the signing of the Belfast (Good Friday) Agreement and towards a shared and more prosperous future.”

I doubt there will be much of immediate genealogical value in this digital holding but it will earn its place as a public record collection for the short period it covers and, as such, will be a useful reference for future genealogists.

Irish genealogy, history and heritage events: 29 May to 10 June

Monday 29 May Late May Bank Holiday in Northern Ireland. Repositories and libraries closed.

Tuesday 30 May: The Workhouse System in Ireland, with Dr Robyn Atcheson. A hybrid event hosted by North of Ireland Family History Society, Causeway C&G Branch. 8pm to 10pm. Details.

Tuesday 30 May: A History of Housing in Dublin –Bally-far-out: Housing Since the 1950s. An in-person event. The last in a series with historian Donal Fallon exploring the social and architectural hsitory of housing in the capital. Hosted by Culture Connects at Richmond Barracks, Inchicore, Dublin 8. 6:30pm. Tickets free but booking essential.

Tuesday 30 May: Preserving your family papers, with Rene Franklin. Hosted by Kilrush and District Historical Society. A hybrid event. In-person venue: Teach Ceoil, Grace Street, Kilrush, Co Clare. 8pm. All welcome. KDHS lectures are free to members, EUR5 for non-members, payable on the night only. Details.

Wednesday 31 May: Photographs as historical sources, an NLI/HistoryIreland Hedge School. An in-person event at the National Photographic Archive, Temple Bar, Dublin 2. 7pm - 8pm. All welcome. Free, but need to book.

Wednesday 31 May: Exhibition launch: ‘hearts ne’er waver’: The Women Prisoners of the Irish Civil War. Opens today to in-person visitors and will run in parallel with 'Voices', an exhibition by artist margo McNulty inspired by the Civil War women prisoners. Venue: Kilmainham Gaol Museum, Inchicore, Dublin 8. 9:30am to 5:30pm. Free. All welcome and no booking required. Details.

Thursday 1 June: Exploring Climate Change and Culture and Heritage, a one-day conference to explore the solutions needed to protect Ireland's culture and heritage from the impacts of climate change. Hosted by the Royal Irish Academy. In-person venue: RIA, Dawson Street, Dublin 2. 10am to 4:30pm. Free event but booking is essential.

Thursday 1 June: Director's Tour of the National Library of Ireland. Meet new Director Dr Audrey Whitty on this in-person tour of the Library, its magnificent Reading Room and more, and explore its links to some of Ireland's greatest writers and thinkers. Venue: NLI, 7/8 Kildare Street, Dublin 2. 6pm to 7pm. Meet in Front Hall. Entry free and no booking required. Details.

Saturday 3 June: Remembering Women in the Revolutionary Years, a Drogheda Perspective 1922-23, an in-person event hosted by Drogheda Civic Trust. Venue: St. Peter's Church of Ireland, Peter Street, Drogheda. Co Louth. 9:30am to 1pm. All welcome. A light lunch is included. Free. Need to book.

Saturday 3 June: Most branch librairies closed in Republic due to this being a bank holiday weekend.

Monday 5 June Bank Holiday in Republic of Ireland. All repositories and many businesses closed. Most reopen Tuesday.

Thursday 8 June: Middle-Class Life in Victorian Belfast, an in-person event with Alice Johnson. Host: Public Record Office of Northern Ireland, Titanic Boulevard, Belfast. 1pm to 2pm. Free but need to book. All welcome.

Thursday 8 June: Introduction to the Valuation Archives at Tailte Éireann, an in-person event hosted by Dublin Culture Club. Venue: Tailte Éireann, Irish Life Centre, Abbey Street Lower, Dublin 1 / Valuation Division in Block 2. 3:30pm. Meet in main reception 3:20pm. Free. Need to book as tickets are limited. Details.

Thursday 8 June: The Empire Writes Back: The Form and Function of Gaelic in Eighteenth-Century Letters. An in-person event hosted by Royal Irish Academy. Venue: RIA, 19 Dawson Street, Dublin 2. 5pm to 7pm. Free. All welcome. Booking essential.

Saturday 10 June: National Library of Ireland's Reading Rooms and Readers Ticket Office open to in-person visitors from 9:30 to 1pm. Kildare Street, Dublin 2.

Saturday 10 June: Hunt Family Research - an Adventure in Protestant and Catholic Family Relations, with Kate Nelson. Hosted online by the Irish Genealogical Research Society's Ireland Branch. Zoom All welcome. 14:30 - 16:00. Tickets (£5 non-members/Members free) must be booked. Details.

Saturday 10 June: Book launch: Kilcomin Graveyards, County Offaly, by Stephen Callaghan. An in-person event hosted by Offaly Heritage at Shinrone Community Centre, The Green, Shinrone, Co. Offaly. 8pm. All welcome. Free. No booking required.

Saturday 10 June: Burning the Big House: The Story of the Irish Country House in a time of War & Revolution. A talk by Terence Dooley. An in-person event hosted at Farmleigh House & Estate, White's Road, Phoenix Park, Dublin. 3pm to 4pm. Sold Out.

English, Scottish and Welsh genealogy updates: 2-week summary

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, 5 May.)

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

• Hampshire, England, CofE Baptisms, Marriages and Burials, 1536-1812 (1,999,963)

BritishNewspaperArchive, shared with FindMyPast

• Citizen (Letchworth)
• Morayshire Advertiser
• Buteman and Advertiser for the Western Isles
• The Loftus Advertiser
• Downham Market Gazette
• Bayswater Chronicle
• Saturday/Football Telegraph (Grimsby)
• Grimsby & County Times

FindMyPast

• Scotland, People of Nairnshire (4,000) Nairn, Auldearn, Ardclach, Cawdor & Croy, Dalcross
• Lancashire,Oldham Inquisitions 1905-1917
• Greater Manchester Rate Books, Browse (215,002)

MyHeritage

• E&W, Metropolitan Police Register of Habitual Criminals 1881–1925 (135,646)
• United Kingdom Merchant Navy, Index, 1820–1960s) (571,917)

OldScottish

• Crown Office Criminal Cases from 1890-1899 – Index (21,000)

ScotlandsPeople

• Prison Registers – Edinburgh & Largs (80,000)

TheGenealogist

• Removal of Graves and Tombstones See Article.

UPDATED COLLECTIONS

Ancestry

• Edinburgh, Scotland, Extent Rolls, 1580-1847
• Norfolk, England, CofE Births and Baptisms, 1813-1922
• Norfolk, England, CofE Marriages and Banns, 1754-1938
• Surrey, England, CofE Baptisms, 1813-1921

DeceasedOnline

• Reading Cemeteries – 3 cemeteries, one crematortium (total names 264,561)

FamilySearch

• England, Cumberland Parish Registers, 1538-1990 (1,025 / 520,893)

FindMyPast

• Hampshire Baptisms (235,160 / 864,903)
• Hampshire Marriages (208,258 / 250,823)
• Hampshire Burials (239,466 / 1,004,814)
• Scotland Registers & Records, 1290–1850
• Anglo Boer War, 1899-1902 (19,117)
• Manchester Rate Books, 1790-1949 (4.9m /

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.

All-island annual BMD reports, 1864-2011, now online

The Central Statistics Office (CSO) and Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA) have made available the series of Annual Reports on Marriages, Births and Deaths in Ireland from 1864 to 2000 inclusive.

They are full of detail about our ancestors social, educational, wealth, health and religious lives across the period, and I find them a not always comfortable mix of fascinating, surprising and shocking information about the times our ancestors lived through.

These reports have been scanned and converted into PDFs and can be freely downloaded here.

Annual reports for the years 2001 to 2011 are already available in the Births, Deaths and Marriages Archive on the CSO website.

Tipperary Studies adds Borrisokane workhouse registers

Tipperary Studies, the local history department of Tipperary Libraries, has new additions to its digital archives: Admission registers for Borrisokane Workhouse.

They date from 1894 to 1923.

One of the striking differences in admissions from this period compared with those from earlier decades is the number of tradesmen using the workhouse for overnight stays while travelling for work.

The registers are now available to view/download in pdf format free of charge in the Tipperary Studies' Digital Archive collection.

RootsIreland uploads pre-1810 lease abstracts from Co. Monaghan

RootsIreland.ie has uploaded 579 Lease Abstracts for the Manor and Lordship of Monaghan. They span 1679–1810.

These leases not only name the people who have agreed the lease, they often include mention of other people and their properties. As such they are a useful census sustitute for the county.

For an example of the records provided in this small collection, I ran a search this morning for surname Smyth and found a lease drawn up by the Earl of Clermont in July 1792; it related to the townland of Nart in the civil parish of Kilmore.

It mentions the lessee, James Smyth, and his sons, Patrick, aged 10, and Owen, aged 8. The term of the lease was to run for the lives of the three men, plus an extra 31 years. Details of the rent, exemptions, and penalties were also noted.

For an up-to-date menu of searchable online sources for Monaghan, including several other census substitutes collections, click the Monaghan Genealogy logo above.

To login or subscribe to the database, click here.

Irish genealogy, history and heritage events, 22 May to 4 June

Monday 22 May: Famine in Borrisoleigh and the Cullohill evictions of 1850, with John Connors. An in-person event hosted by Borrisoleigh Historical Society. 8pm. Venue: Borrisoleigh Community Centre, Pallas Street, Borrisoleigh, Thurles, Tipperary.

Tuesday 23 May: Documenting Dublin’s history: John T. Gilbert as a book collector, with Dr Maire Kennedy. The 26th Annual Sir John T. Gilbert Commemorative Lecture. Hosts: Dublin City Council.  In-person venue: Oak Room, Mansion House, Dawson Street, Dublin 2. 7pm (Doors open 6:40pm.) Booking essential for in-person attendance. The lecture will live-streamed on Dublin City Libraries’ YouTube page (no need to sign up.) Details and booking at eventbrite.

Tuesday 23 May: From Marino to Crumlin: Housing in the Free State, with historian Donal Fallon. A free, in-person event hosted by Dublin City Libraries. Venue: Richmond Barracks, Inchicore, Dublin 8. 6:30pm. All welcome. Details and booking.

Wednesday 24 May: Identifying and (De)constructing Mutative Ethnicities in the Tuke-Irish immigrant communities, 1875-1920, with Regina Donlon. An online lecture in the Migration History Seminar Series. 5pm to 6:15pm. Free tickets. All welcome. Need to register.

Wednesday 24 May: Granny’s Greatest Hits, with Dáibhí O Cróinín. An in-person event at the Irish Cultural Centre, 5 rue des irlandais, 75005 Paris. 7:30pm. Free. Reservation recommended. Details and tickets.

Thursday 25 May: AGM, followed by Researching your WW1 Ancestors, with Alan Rosborough. A hybrid event hosted by North of Ireland Family History Society, Ballymena Branch. Venue: Michelin Arts Workshop, Braid Arts Centre, 1-29 Bridge Street, Ballymena. Free. All welcome. 7:15pm–8:45pm BST. Also online; email Ballymena @ nifhs.org for link.

Thursday 25 May: Getting Started Workshop: Using Online Resources, an online presentation from the Public Record Office of Northern Ireland. 12:30pm to 1:30pm. Free. Need to book.

Friday 26 and Saturday 27 May: Reform, Repeal, and Repression: Irish Women and the State, the Women's History Association of Ireland's 2023 Conference. An in-person event hosted at University College Cork. 9:30 – c5pm both days. Full programme of lectures both days. Free, but you'll need to reserve your places here.

Saturday 27 May: National Library of Ireland's Reading Rooms and Readers Ticket Office open to in-person visitors from 9:30 to 1pm. Kildare Street, Dublin 2.

Monday 29 May Late May Bank Holiday in Northern Ireland. Repositories and libraries closed.

Tuesday 30 May: The Workhouse System in Ireland, with Dr Robyn Atcheson. A hybrid event hosted by North of Ireland Family History Society, Causeway C&G Branch. 8pm to 10pm. Details.

Tuesday 30 May: A History of Housing in Dublin –Bally-far-out: Housing Since the 1950s. An in-person event. The last in a series with historian Donal Fallon exploring the social and architectural hsitory of housing in the capital. Hosted by Culture Connects at Richmond Barracks, Inchicore, Dublin 8. 6:30pm. Tickets free but booking essential.

Wednesday 31 May: Photographs as historical sources, a HistoryIreland Hedge School hosted by the National Library of Ireland. An in-person event at the National Photographic Archive, Temple Bar, Dublin 2. 7.00pm - 8.00pm. All welcome. Free, but need to book.

Thursday 1 June: Exploring Climate Change and Culture and Heritage, a one-day in-person conference. Hosted by the Royal Irish Academy. 10am to 4:30pm. Free. All welcome. Free event but booking is essential. Venue: The Royal Irish Academy, 19 Dawson Street, Dublin 2.

Saturday 3 June: Remembering Women in the Revolutionary Years, a Drogheda Perspective 1922-23, an in-person event hosted by Drogheda Civic Trust. Venue: St. Peter's Church of Ireland, Peter Street, Drogheda. Co Louth. 9:30am to 1pm. All welcome. A light lunch is included. Free. Need to book.

RootsIreland uploads more RC records to its East Galway database

Some 6,000 Roman Catholic baptism records have been added to RootsIreland's East Galway collection. These additions follow last month's upload of 2,785 headstone inscriptions gathered from four burial grounds in the area (see blogpost).

Click to view the full menu of genealogy collections

Today's upload sees the existing holding of register records extended with more recent baptisms, many of them now spanning an extra decade.

The date spans for the 19 parishes are now as follows (with the number of additional years in parenthesis):

• Abbey & Duniry: (5 extra years) now 1870–1914
• Ahascragh/Killosolan & Caltra: (4) 1840–1921
• Aughrim & Kilconnell: (3) 1828–1920
• Ballinasloe / Creagh & Kilclooney: (10) 1820–1921
• Beagh (Shanaglish): (11) 1851–1921
• Bullaun, Grange & New Inn: (12) 1828–1921
• Clonbern & Kilkerrin (Kilkerrin/Clonberne): (12) 1892–1921
• Clonfert, Meelick & Eyrecourt: (10) 1884–1919
• Fahy & Quansboro: (12) 1871–1921
• Fohenagh & Kilgerrill: (4) 1827–1921
• Glinsk & Kilbegnet: (12) 1836–1921
• Kilchreest: (4) 1855–1921
• Killeenadeema & Aille: (11) 1836–1919
• Leitrim: (1) 1815–1921
• Loughrea (St Brendan’s): (12) 1810–1921
• Mullagh & Killoran: (10) 1851–1919
• Portumna: (4) 1830–1921
• Tynagh: (4) 1816–1921
• Woodford: (4) 1821–1921

See the full line-up of RootsIreland's online records for East Galway by clicking the local centre's logo above, or start searching here.

Irish genealogy, history and heritage events, 15–28 May

Monday 15 May: Update on the Ballycarry & Islandmagee DNA Projects, with Martin McDowell & Anne Johnston. Follows branch AGM. Hosted by North of Ireland Family History Society, Larne Branch. 7:15pm–8:45pm. Free and all welcome. See details for in-person venue and online link.

Monday 15 May: Hope & History, with Paul McFadden. A hybrid event hosted by North of Ireland Family History Society, Foyle Branch. 7pm. In-person venue: Lecture Room, Derry’s Central Library, 35 Foyle Street, Derry, BT48 6AL. All welcome. To attend online, see details.

Tuesday 16 May: A History of Housing in Dublin – The First Suburbias: Townships and Victorian Dublin. An in-person event. The second in a series with historian Donal Fallon exploring the social and architectural hsitory of housing in the capital. Hosted by Culture Connects at Richmond Barracks, Inchicore, Dublin 8. 6:30pm. Tickets free but booking essential.

Tuesday 16 May: How to start researching your family tree with Fingal Libraries' resources, an in-person talk with Claire Bradley. Venue: Swords Library, Rathbeale Rd, Commons West, Swords, Co Dublin. 6:30pm TO 7:30pm. Free. Need to book: T: 8905582, E swordslibrary @fingal.ie.

Wednesday 17 May: Window on the Irish soul – a century of Irish stamps, with Stephen Ferguson. An in-person event in the Library of the Royal Irish Academy, 19 Dawson St, Dublin 2. 1pm to 2pm. Free. All welcome. Book to reserve your seat. Admission at the door subject to availability.

Wednesday 17 May: Researching your WW1 Ancestors, with Alan Rosborough. Talk follows AGM. Host: North of Ireland Family History Society, Ballymena Branch. A hybrid meeting. In-person at Michelin Arts Workshop, Braid Arts Centre, 1-29 Bridge Street, Ballymena, Co Antrim. 7:15pm to 8:15pm. For online link, see details. All welcome.

Wednesday 17 May: The Dolphin's Barn Brickworks, an in-person talk with Cathy Scuffil, Dublin City Historian in Residence. Host and venue: Walkinstown Library, Percy French Rd, Dublin 12. 2pm. Free. All welcome. Bookings and details by email to walkinstown Library @ dublincity.ie or telephone 01 222 889.

Thursday 18 May: From Workhouse to White House: causes and consequences of the Great Hunger, an online lecture to mark the National Famine Commemoration 2023, with Professor Christine Kinealy. Host: National Library of Ireland. Free. 7.00pm - 8.00pm. Need to book.

Thursday 18 May: Negotiating Grief in the Archives: Gender, Loss and the Irish Free State, with Lindsey Earner-Byrne. An in-person event hosted by the Public Record Office of Northern Ireland. Venue: Public Record Office of Northern Ireland 2 Titanic Boulevard, Titanic Quarter, Belfast BT3 9HQ. 6pm to 7pm. Free. All welcome. Need to book.

Friday 19 and Saturday 20 May: 7th Annual Irish Military Seminar, an in-person event at Riverbank Arts Centre, Main St, Newbridge, Co. Kildare. A series of free talks (and a book launch) over two days. All welcome. All events are free but booking is essential. Hosts: County Council and the County Kildare Decade of Commemorations Committee. Full event details and booking here

Saturday 20 May: How to start researching your family tree with Fingal Libraries' resources, an in-person talk with Claire Bradley. Venue: Balbriggan Library, George's Square, Balbriggan, Co Dublin. 11:30pm TO 12:30pm. Free. Need to book: T: 8704401, E balbriggan library @fingal .ie.

Saturday 20 May: Cork Local History Symposium, in honour of Ronnie Herlihy. Venue: O'Rahilly Building, University College Cork. 9:30am to 4:30pm. Nine presentations/discussions. Lunch and refreshments provided. Free. All welcome. No need to book. Programme.

Sunday 21 May: National Famine Commemoration will take place at the site of the Workhouse in Milford, Co. Donegal.

Monday 22 May: Famine in Borrisoleigh and the Cullohill evictions of 1850, with John Connors. An in-person event hosted by Borrisoleigh Historical Society. 8pm. Venue: Borrisoleigh Community Centre, Pallas Street, Borrisoleigh, Thurles, Tipperary.

Tuesday 23 May: Documenting Dublin’s history: John T. Gilbert as a book collector, with Dr Maire Kennedy. The 26th Annual Sir John T. Gilbert Commemorative Lecture. Host: Dublin City Council. In-person venue: Oak Room, Mansion House, Dawson Street, Dublin 2. 7pm (Doors open 6:40pm.) Booking essential for in-person attendance. The lecture will live-streamed on Dublin City Libraries’ YouTube page (no need to sign up.) Details and booking at eventbrite.

Wednesday 24 May: Identifying and (De)constructing Mutative Ethnicities in the Tuke-Irish immigrant communities, 1875-1920, with Regina Donlon. An online lecture in the Migration History Seminar Series. 5pm to 6:15pm. Free tickets. All welcome. Need to register.

Wednesday 24 May: Granny’s Greatest Hits, with Dáibhí O Cróinín. An in-person event at the Irish Cultural Centre, 5 rue des irlandais, 75005 Paris. 7:30pm. Free. Reservation recommended. Details and tickets.

Thursday 25 May: AGM, followed by Researching your WW1 Ancestors, with Alan Rosborough. A hybrid event hosted by North of Ireland Family History Society, Ballymena Branch. Venue: Michelin Arts Workshop, Braid Arts Centre, 1-29 Bridge Street, Ballymena. Free. All welcome. 7:15pm–8:45pm BST. Also online; email Ballymena @ nifhs.org for link.

Friday 26 and Saturday 27 May: Reform, Repeal, and Repression: Irish Women and the State, the Women's History Association of Ireland's 2023 Conference. An in-person event hosted at University College Cork. 9:30 – c5pm both days. Full programme of lectures both days. Free, but you'll need to reserve your places. Details.

Saturday 27 May: National Library of Ireland's Reading Rooms and Readers Ticket Office open to in-person visitors from 9:30 to 1pm. Kildare Street, Dublin 2.

More Baptism records join RootsIreland's South Tipperary database

RootsIreland.ie has uploaded 11,500 baptismal records to its South Tipperary database. They have been transcribed from the baptism registers for the Roman Catholic parish of Boherlahan & Dualla, directly to the north of Cashel parish.

These are the first records from the parish to reach the database, and they span 1810 to 1900. (Here's hoping some marriage records will join the baptisms in the not too distant future.)

These additions have been transcribed by the South Tipperary Genealogy Centre, which is located in Brú Ború Cultural Centre, at the base of the historic Rock of Cashel. The genealogy centre's database holds comfortably more than half a million civil and sacramental records.

Take a look at the full menu of online sources here, or learn more about the Centre by clicking the logo above.

Cork Graveyard Database adds records from 23 more burial grounds

Skibbereen Heritage's excellent Cork Graveyard Database has been updated with another tranche of burial records. The upload means the total number of records in the database has now hit 57,500, most of them relating to deaths that occurred in the 20th century until about 10 years ago, while the number of burial grounds covered has risen to 112.

All of them have been kindly made available to Skibbereen Heritage Centre by Cork County Council, who are now responsible for each of the sites and hold the original registers.

As with the last update in December 2021, the geographical area covered by the collection has been significantly expanded since the database started out as the South West Cork Graveyard Database. It now extends southwards and eastwards from the Beara Peninsula's County Cork parishes to Macroom, Glanmire, Ballincurrig, Killeagh and Youghal. Click the map, below, for an enlarged view of the area and to find out more about each graveyard.

The database can be searched by name and graveyard. Individual named results may provide details such as the marital status and age of the deceased, their residence and occupation, and their dates of death and burial. A precise plot or description of their grave is also provided in most cases.

For all except the Skibbereen Funeral Register and Cape Clear burial lists, a pdf of the original register page can be downloaded.

Click to explore the graveyard locations included in the database

Irish genealogy, history and heritage events, 8 - 21 May 2023

Until 24 July: Ulster-Scots and the Declaration of Independence, an in-person exhibition, launched on 21 April and hosted by the Public Record Office of Northern Ireland, Titanic Boulevard, Belfast. Free. All welcome. No need to book. Visit during PRONI's normal opening hours.

Monday 8 May Bank Holiday in Northern Ireland only; most repositories will be closed.

Monday 8 May: Protestant and Irish – The minority’s search for place in independent Ireland, a talk with Dr Ida Milne and Dr Ian d'Alton. Host: Celbridge Historical Society. Venue: Community Library, St Patrick's Park, Celbridge, County Kildare. An in-person event. 7.45-8.45pm. Free. All welcome. Details.

Monday 8 May Ireland's Sarajevo: How the assasination of Field Marshall Sir Henry Wilson MP changed the course of Irish history, with Ronan McGreevy. A hybrid event hosted by Offaly History Society. 8pm. In-person venue: Offaly History Centre, Bury Quay, Tullamore, Co Offaly. For online link, email info @ offaly history .com. All welcome. Charge on the night €2 members / €5 non-members.

Monday 8 May to Tuesday 9 May: 21st Annual Historic Irish Houses Conference. In-person event hosted by the Centre for the Study of Historic Irish Houses and Estates. Venue: Maynooth University, Co Kildare. This year's theme is 'Picturing the Country House'. In-person prices start at €30.00. Online option, with recordings available for one month, €50. Details and programme.

Tuesday 9 May: Launch of the Strathclyde Institute for Genealogical Studies, a free online showcase event. Tahitia McCabe, the Head of the new Institute, will be joined by Professor Sir Jim McDonald, Principal and Vice Chancellor of the University of Strathclyde and guest speaker Professor Turi King. 5:30pm–7pm. Details.

Tuesday 9 May: A History of Housing in Dublin – Tenement Beginnings. The first in a series of four talks with historian Donal Fallon exploring the social and architectural hsitory of housing in the capital. Hosted by Culture Connects at Richmond Barracks, Inchicore, Dublin 8. 6:30pm. Tickets free but booking essential. Sold Out.

Tuesday 9 May: The Londonderry Militia (1793-1816), with Al Bodkin. Hosted by North of Ireland Family History Society, Lisburn Branch. This talk follows the branch's AGM. In-person venue: Bridge Community Centre, 50 Railway St, Lisburn, County Down. Free. All welcome. 7:30pm–9pm. Details.

Tuesday 9 May: Do-it-Yourself Heraldry – The design, assumption and registration of armorial bearings, with Martin Goldstraw. An online event hosted by the Genealogical Society of Ireland (GSI). All welcome. Free. Request access from Membership @Familyhistory .ie. 8pm. Talks will be posted on YouTube asap after the event.

Wednesday 10 May: Sport in Victorian Tipperary, an in-person event with Dr Pat Bracken, author of Sport in County Tipperary, 1840-1880. Venue: Roscrea Library, Birr Road, Roscrea, Co. Tipperary. 8pm. Free. All welcome. No booking required. Refreshments provided.

Wednesday 10 May: The Irish Women Workers’ Union 1911-1984, a TeaTime Talk with Dr James Curry. An in-person event hosted by Dublin Historians/Dublin City Council at 14 Henrietta Street, Dublin 1. 6:00pm. Tickets €5 / €3 concession. Details and booking here.

Thursday 11 May: William Goff Beale of 57 Grand Parade, first of a series of lectures commemorating 130 years of Cork City Libraries. Hosts: Cork City Libraries Service. In-person venue: City Library, 61 Grand Parade, Cork City. Free.

Saturday 13 May: National Library of Ireland's Reading Rooms and Readers Ticket Office open to in-person visitors from 9:30 to 1pm. Kildare Street, Dublin 2.

Saturday 13 May: Tracing Your Belfast Ancestors, an online event with Chris Paton. Hosted by the Society of Genealogists. 2pm-3pm. £10 non-members / £6.50 for SoG members. Booking.

Saturday 13 May: IGRS Ireland Branch Open Day, an in-person and free event from 10am to 4pm. Hosted by the Irish Genealogical Research Society. Venue: Dublin City Library and Archive, 139-144 Pearse Street, Dublin 2. Lunch, at own expense, from 12pm to 1pm. All welcome. No booking required. Details. Four talks will be presented, as follows:

• Codebreaker: The untold Story of Richard Hayes, with Marc McMeniman
• Troubled Waters: Wales, Ireland and the Irish Sea in the long C18th, with Dr. Mary-Ann Constantine
• The Youghal Witch Trial, with Rosaleen Underwood, MAGI
• Killester Garden Village and the Irish WW1 ex-servicemen and families who lived there, with Áron Crampton.

Monday 15 May: Update on the Ballycarry & Islandmagee DNA Projects, with Martin McDowell & Anne Johnston. Follows branch AGM. Hosted by North of Ireland Family History Society, Larne Branch. 7:15pm–8:45pm. Free and all welcome. See details for in-person venue and online link.

Monday 15 May: Hope & History, with Paul McFadden. A hybrid event hosted by North of Ireland Family History Society, Foyle Branch. 7pm. In-person venue: Lecture Room, Derry’s Central Library, 35 Foyle Street, Derry, BT48 6AL. All welcome. To attend online, see details.

Tuesday 16 May: A History of Housing in Dublin – The First Suburbias: Townships and Victorian Dublin. An in-person event. The second in a series with historian Donal Fallon exploring the social and architectural hsitory of housing in the capital. Hosted by Culture Connects at Richmond Barracks, Inchicore, Dublin 8. 6:30pm. Tickets free but booking essential.

Tuesday 16 May: How to start researching your family tree with Fingal Libraries' resources, an in-person talk with Claire Bradley. Venue: Swords Library, Rathbeale Rd, Commons West, Swords, Co Dublin. 6:30pm TO 7:30pm. Free. Need to book: T: 8905582, E swordslibrary @fingal.ie.

Wednesday 17 May: Window on the Irish soul – a century of Irish stamps, with Stephen Ferguson. An in-person event in the Library of the Royal Irish Academy, 19 Dawson St, Dublin 2. 1pm to 2pm. Free. All welcome. Book to reserve your seat. Admission at the door subject to availability.

Wednesday 17 May: Researching your WW1 Ancestors, with Alan Rosborough. Talk follows AGM. Host: North of Ireland Family History Society, Ballymena Branch. A hybrid meeting. In-person at Michelin Arts Workshop, Braid Arts Centre, 1-29 Bridge Street, Ballymena, Co Antrim. 7:15pm to 8:15pm. For online link, see details. All welcome.

Thursday 18 May: From Workhouse to White House: causes and consequences of the Great Hunger, an online lecture to mark the National Famine Commemoration 2023, with Professor Christine Kinealy. Host: National Library of Ireland. Free. 7.00pm - 8.00pm. Need to book.

Thursday 18 May: Negotiating Grief in the Archives: Gender, Loss and the Irish Free State, with Lindsey Earner-Byrne. An in-person event hosted by the Public Record Office of Northern Ireland. Venue: Public Record Office of Northern Ireland 2 Titanic Boulevard, Titanic Quarter, Belfast BT3 9HQ. 6pm to 7pm. Free. All welcome. Need to book.

Friday 19 and Saturday 20 May: 7th Annual Irish Military Seminar, an in-person event at Riverbank Arts Centre, Main St, Newbridge, Co. Kildare. A series of free talks (and a book launch) over two days. All welcome. All events are free but booking is essential. Hosts: County Council and the County Kildare Decade of Commemorations Committee. Full event details and booking here

Saturday 20 May: How to start researching your family tree with Fingal Libraries' resources, an in-person talk with Claire Bradley. Venue: Balbriggan Library, George's Square, Balbriggan, Co Dublin. 11:30pm TO 12:30pm. Free. Need to book: T: 8704401, E balbriggan library @fingal .ie.

Saturday 20 May: Cork Local History Symposium, in honour of Ronnie Herlihy. Venue: O'Rahilly Building, University College Cork. 9:30am to 4:30pm. Nine presentations/discussions. Lunch and refreshments provided. Free. All welcome. No need to book. Programme.

Sunday 21 May: National Famine Commemoration will take place at the site of the Workhouse in Milford, Co. Donegal.

Ancestry makes UK collection (+ some Irish records) free until 8 May

Ancestry UK is opening up its UK collection to free access. The record sets available includes several – particularly those relating to Irish men and women who served in the British Army – that will be useful to researchers with family connections to Ireland.

There are also a further 36 collections identified in their titles with the terms 'Ireland', 'Irish' and 'UK & Ireland' worth checking out.

Click the image, right, to see the full list of records available for free access. You'll find the list below the search fields. You can search the whole collection by name, dates etc, or explore individual relevant data resources, as preferred.

The free access doors are now open and will remain so until Monday 8 May. If you don't already have one, you'll need to register for a free account. No financial information is requested.

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.

What's new for English, Scottish & Welsh records: 7-day summary

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, 28 April.)

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

• East Sussex, England, Wills and Probate, 1518-1858 (183,021)
• West Sussex, England, Marriage Licences, Wills and Probate, 1521-1858 (155,661)
• Scotland, Red Books of Scotland, 1600-1939 (90,571)
• Hampshire, England, Church of England Burials, 1813-1921 (304,643)
• Cupar, Fife, Scotland, World War II Evacuation Indexes, 1939-1945 (445)

BritishNewspaperArchives and FindMyPast

• New titles in main collection ($£€)
• Devizes and Wilts Advertiser
• Marlborough Times
• Campbeltown Courier

National Library of Scotland

• England and Wales maps showing 20th century boundaries (1,300+)
• England and Wales, wider landscape maps, (1914-1942) (100+)

UPDATED COLLECTIONS

Ancestry

• Birmingham, Church of England Baptisms, 1813-1922
• Wiltshire, Church of England Marriages and Banns, 1754-1916
• Nottinghamshire, Church of England Baptisms, 1813-1919
• Nottinghamshire, Church of England Marriages and Banns, 1754-1937
• Nottinghamshire, Church of England Burials, 1813-1994
• Nottinghamshire, Church of England Baptisms, Marriages and Burials, 1538-1812

FamilySearch

• England, Cumberland Parish Registers, 1538-1990 (9,181 added)

FindMyPast

• Sussex Baptisms (269,119 / 2,101,213)
• Sussex Marriages (268,217 / 1,145,495)
• Sussex Burials (301,731 / 1,199,856)

FreeBMD

• England and Wales civil registration index (now 291,400,830 distinct records, bearing 387,215,691 names)

National Library of Scotland

• Project GREMLIN 44 Scottish Estate Maps incl Earlstoun Estate (1815-17) and nearby Holm Estate (1799) in Kirkcudbrightshire.

TheGenealogist

• War Memorials Boer War, WW1, WW2, and other conflicts (56,924 / 665,000+)
• Lloyd George Domesday Survey: Hitchen, Herts. land tax survey (33,000 records added)

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.

MyHeritage offers free access to UK collection until Monday 8 May

MyHeritage has opened up its collection of 1.1billion UK historical records to free access this long weekend. The free period will expire on Monday 8 May (precise time not advised).

The collection holds some 630 record-sets, including birth, marriage, and death indexes, census records, church register transcriptions and some images, wills and probate records, court and prison records, military records, and more.

It spans several centuries of history in England, Scotland, Wales, the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man.

To view the UK catalogue, click the logo.

If you don't already have an account with MyHeritage, you will need to sign up. This is a free, easy and fast process.

Running alongside this free access period is a discount on MyHeritage DNA test kits. The price of the test has been reduced to £35 with free shipping on two or more kits. For the same price as the kits-only offer, you might prefer to add on 30 days of free access to the full MyHeritage database. Take a look at the two offers here.

Significant reforms announced to Ireland's Civil Registration System

Minister for Social Protection Heather Humphreys has announced a series of significant reforms to the Republic of Ireland's registration system for births and deaths. The main changes to be introduced under the Civil Registration (Electronic Registration) Bill 2023 are as follows:

• Families will be able to register births and deaths online for the first time.
• The time frame in which a death must be registered will be reduced from 3-months to 28 days, including those cases where a coroner has not yet concluded their enquiries.
• The criteria for stillbirth registration will be amended, and access extended to the Register of Stillbirths.

It'll be a while before these changes start to impact family history research, but if you're interested to know details of the upcoming changes, see the Department of Social Protection's press release here.

Ancestry uploads two new Irish record collections

Ancestry has delivered two new Irish record collections to its database. They are as follows:

Ireland, King James' Irish Army List, 1689:
This collection is an assortment of biographical accounts from the 1689 Irish Army, levied by King James II. The original accounts were compiled in a book by John D'Alton, originally published in 1861.

Records may include the name of soldiers, their rank and regiment, their military achievements and even those of other family members.

Many Irish surnames have been anglicised so be flexible with spellings and variations.

Ireland, Patient & Staff Hospital Registers, 1816-1919: It's another beauty from the Royal College of Physicians of Ireland. This collection includes records from three hospitals:

• Royal National Hospital for Consumption (Newcastle, Co Wicklow)
• Sir Patrick Dun's Hospital, a hospital and school for physicians on Grand Canal Street, Dublin
• Westmoreland Lock Hospital, a specialist clinic and hospital for the treatment of sexually transmitted diseases (from 1819, women only)

It consists of administrative and financial papers, discharge registers, returns of deaths, maternity ward registers, newspaper cuttings, architectural plans and papers, staff registers, minute books, visitors books, letters, and much more.

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.

Irish genealogy, history and heritage events, 1 - 14 May

Until 24 July: Ulster-Scots and the Declaration of Independence, an in-person exhibition, launched on 21 April and hosted by the Public Record Office of Northern Ireland, Titanic Boulevard, Belfast. Free. All welcome. No need to book. Visit during PRONI's normal opening hours.

Monday 1 May: May Day Bank holiday across the island. All libraries and archives, businesses and educational institutions closed.

Wednesday 3 May: The ‘arms dump’ that ended the Civil War in May 1923, with Dr Mary Muldowney. An in-person event hosted by Dublin City Libraries at Dublin Central Library, Ilac Centre, Henry Street, Dublin 1. 1pm. Free. All welcome but booking is required by T 01-2228300 or E centrallibrary@dublincity.ie.

Wednesday 3 May: Great Famine Voices Roadshow, with Caroilin Callery, an in-person lecture hosted by the National Famine Museum, Strokestown Park, Co Roscommon at the London Irish Centre, 50-52 Camden Square, London NW1 9XB, UK. Free. 7pm (doors 6:30pm) Free. Need to book/reserve your seat.

Thursday 4 May: History of the Abbey Theatre, with Mairead Delaney. 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 5 May: Tips for Breaking through Brickwalls, an online class with Martin McDowell. Host: North of Ireland Family History Society. 7pm. All welcome. £10. Need to book.

Saturday 6 May: Stories beyond the stones – Commonwealth War Graves Commission Graves in County Cork, with Fiona Forde. 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 8 May Bank Holiday in Northern Ireland only; most repositories will be closed.

Monday 8 May Protestant and Irish – The minority’s search for place in independent Ireland, a talk with Dr Ida Milne and Dr Ian d'Alton. Host: Celbridge Historical Society. Venue: Community Library, St Patrick's Park, Celbridge, County Kildare. An in-person event. 7.45-8.45pm. Free. All welcome.

Monday 8 May to Tuesday 9 May: 21st Annual Historic Irish Houses Conference. In-person event hosted by the Centre for the Study of Historic Irish Houses and Estates. Venue: Maynooth University, Co Kildare. This year's theme is 'Picturing the Country House'. In-person prices start at €30.00. Online option, with recordings available for one month, €50. Details and programme.

Tuesday 9 May: Launch of the Strathclyde Institute for Genealogical Studies, a free online showcase event. Tahitia McCabe, the Head of the new Institute, will be joined by Professor Sir Jim McDonald, Principal and Vice Chancellor of the University of Strathclyde and guest speaker Professor Turi King. 5:30pm–7pm. Details.

Tuesday 9 May: A History of Housing in Dublin – Tenement Beginnings. The first in a series of four talks with historian Donal Fallon exploring the social and architectural hsitory of housing in the capital. Hosted by Culture Connects at Richmond Barracks, Inchicore, Dublin 8. 6:30pm. Tickets free but booking essential.

Tuesday 9 May: The Londonderry Militia (1793-1816), with Al Bodkin. , follows the branch AGM. Hosted by North of Ireland Family History Society, Lisburn Branch. This talk follows the branch's AGM. In-person venue: Bridge Community Centre, 50 Railway St, Lisburn, County Down. Free. All welcome. 7:30pm–9pm. Details.

Tuesday 9 May: Do-it-Yourself Heraldry – The design, assumption and registration of armorial bearings, with Martin Goldstraw. An online event hosted by the Genealogical Society of Ireland (GSI). All welcome. Free. Request access from Membership@Familyhistory.ie. 8pm. Talks will be posted on YouTube asap after the event.

Saturday 13 May: National Library of Ireland's Reading Rooms and Readers Ticket Office open to in-person visitors from 9:30 to 1pm. Kildare Street, Dublin 2.

Saturday 13 May: Tracing Your Belfast Ancestors, an online event with Chris Paton. Hosted by the Society of Genealogists. 2pm-3pm. £10 non-members / £6.50 for SoG members. Booking.

Saturday 13 May: IGRS Ireland Branch Open Day, an in-person and free event from 10am to 4pm. Hosted by the Irish Genealogical Research Society. Venue: Dublin City Library and Archive, 139-144 Pearse Street, Dublin 2. Lunch, at own expense, from 12pm to 1pm. All welcome. No booking required. Details. Four talks will be presented, as follows:

• Codebreaker: The untold Story of Richard Hayes, with Marc McMeniman
• Troubled Waters: Wales, Ireland and the Irish Sea in the long C18th, with Dr. Mary-Ann Constantine
• The Youghal Witch Trial, with Rosaleen Underwood, MAGI
• Killester Garden Village and the Irish WW1 ex-servicemen and families who lived there, with Áron Crampton.

Ireland Genealogy Projects Archives adds to 10 county collections

Last month, volunteers submitted and uploaded files to no less than ten county collections held by Ireland Genealogy Projects Archives. I've been publishing monthly lists of donated materials to IGP Archives, where they are all free to view, for almost as long as Irish Genealogy News has been online – about 13 years – and I can't remember a previous occasion when the geographical coverage has been this extensive in just one month.

Ruins in St Iberius Old Graveyard in Co. Wexford.
Photo courtesy of Ireland Genealogy Project Archives
and photographer Michelle Meadows-Rousseau.

So well done all of you generous volunteers, for giving your time to this important online archive, for the benefit of Irish genealogists all over the world.

Here's the summary:

CORK Genealogy Archives - Headstones
Holy Rosary Cemetery (RC), Midleton, Part 9

LondonDERRY Genealogy Archives - Headstones
St Mary's Graveyard, Tamnaherin Part 2 (Completed)

DUBLIN Genealogy Archives - Headstones
Kilbarrack Graveyard, Sutton - Part 5b Completed

FERMANAGH Genealogy Archives - Church Records
Ballinmallard Marriages (CoI) 1845-1920
St John's Church Marriages (CoI), Killesher 1845-1921

FERMANAGH Genealogy Archives - Headstones
Breandrum Cemetery, Enniskillen

KILDARE Genealogy Archives - Headstones
Confey Graveyard, Leixlip, Section Q

LIMERICK Genealogy Archives - Headstones
Kilfergus Graveyard, Glin (A-C)

MONAGHAN & FERMANAGH Genealogy Archives - Land Records
Tithe Applotment Index, Clones Parish 1823-1837 Monaghan / Fermanagh

TYRONE Genealogy Archives - Church Records
Upper Bodoney (CoI) Marriages, 1845-1920

WESTMEATH Genealogy Archives - Headstones
St Brigids RC Graveyard, Raharney

WEXFORD Genealogy Archives - Headstones
St Iberius Old Graveyard, Broadway