It being Halloween in a few days, MyHeritage is offering free access to all its death, burial, cemetery and obituary collections.
That's a total of more than 881 million records across 370 collections.
Should keep you quiet while the mayhem and spookiness plays out! The free access will continue into Wednesday 1 November. I don't know the precise time.
Click the image for the free access page.
The National Archives of Ireland (NAI) has been closed until Tuesday 31 October following a water leak on the top floor of the Bishop Street, Dublin, building. The leak was discovered this morning at 7:20am and emergency control plans were immediately activated.
This afternoon, Catherine Martin, TD, Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media visited the site to view the damage and reported that the situation was brought under control in a timely fashion.
NAI Director Orlaith McBride said that NAI staff and conservation team had been on-site all day assessing the extent of the damage. "The special archival storage boxes and folders used by the National Archives are designed to withstand a high degree of water ingress; any damaged boxes from the affected areas have been removed to secure storage and are undergoing further examination."
She confirmed that Census 1926 records have not been affected, and added that most of the NAI's records have already been moved to secure storage off-site in secure storage elsewhere in anticipation of a major redevelopment project which should be starting fairly soon.
The National Archives building will remain closed to the public until 10am Tuesday to allow essential works to be completed.
Below is a three-week summary of newly-released and updated family history record collections for England, Scotland and Wales from the major genealogy databases. (For previous list, see blogpost.)
My regular summary of releases and updates relating to British collections is designed to help researchers 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 parentheses in the New Collections section are the numbers of records (or images, if browse-only) in the new record set.
Unless otherwise stated, the figures in parentheses 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 so the figure is the new total. 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.
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.
I looked at many from across the period of the register and didn't find any that carried the names of sponsors. However, the obsessive noting of the child's status as either 'legitimate' or 'illegitimate' continued right through to 1922. Twins were noted, as was the name of the clergyman. I found just one baptism register entry with a later note recording the child's marriage in 1947 and just one (see below) that noted a place name; I'd hazard a guess the latter is the phonetic pronunciation* of the mother's townland/parish of origin).
To access these records, go to galwaywest.rootsireland.ie and login or subscribe as required. If you have a subscription, you can access this particular database by selecting Galway West, Baptisms, and Search (in the menu strip) and typing Galway Union Workhouse into the Full Text Search.
The Griffith's Valuation database is currently unreachable online at AskAboutIreland.ie – the most popular free site for Irish family historians to search this important collection.
How long this has been the case, I don't know, but I was notified of it yesterday lunchtime*.
The techies are dealing with it and hope to have the material back up and available soon.
* h/t to Dublin-based pro genealogist Claire Bradley.
UPDATE 17 October: The database is back online, which is good news. I'd like to say it's running fine, but it isn't for me. It's very very slow. Maybe that's because so many people are using it after its time offline... I don't know. It's just about usable, if you're feeling patient. Presumably it'll settle.
It was probably inevitable, but from a family historian's perspective, it's bad news. The newly uploaded tranche of burial records relating to Glasnevin cemetery in Dublin, are to be removed from the free to access FindAGrave database.
I understand this move follows pressure from Dublin Cemeteries Trust, the organisation that 'oversees the staff of almost 100 staff across five locations in the delivery of two core services: Funeral Services and Heritage & Education Services'*, and generates income from the sale of its burial records. Researchers will not be surprised they were somewhat miffed when the records started appearing on the FAG site during September, potentially diverting a significant stream of income away from their coffers.
During that month, the number of records on the FAG database relating to cemeteries in the care of DCT rose from fewer than 50,000 to more than 755,000
The records are still online as I type, but I imagine their removal will be faster than their upload.
*quote from DCT website
The Public Record Office of Northern Ireland is stretching out its centenary in fine style this year by extending the reach of some of its record collections. On this occasion, two more record sets have joined Ancestry and are free to explore on that database. They are as follows:
Ireland, Ulster, Dissenters Petitions, 1775
Penal Laws were introduced in the late 17th century across the island to restrict the religious, political and economic activities of 'dissenters' so that they could not threaten the Protestant (Anglican or Church of Ireland) monopoly of power. While the primary target of these restrictions was the majority Roman Catholic population, the laws applied equally to Presbyterians.
Members of both congregations were barred from all political life and many professions, including the military; they coud not hold land on long leases and could not legally marry unless the ceremony was performed by Church of Ireland clergy.
Presbyterian anger grew throughout the 18th century and finally boiled up in 1774 when a new law excluded them from voting at vestry meetings of the Church of Ireland. In protest, they petitioned Parliament in October and November 1775. The act was repealed the following year.
The original petitions were lost in the 1922 fire at the Four Courts in Dublin. Fortunately, some 4,603 transcripts, copied by genealogist Tenison Groves, have some survived. They exist for five of the six counties that make up what is now Northern Ireland. They can be accessed in PRONI's ecatalogue under T808/ 15307 (see also PRONI's full description of the collection, and are now searchable in a new index created by Ancestry. See right for a sample search result.
Ireland, Londonderry Corporation Minute Books, 1673-1901
This browse-only collection is now viewable through a series of 23 volumes that each cover multiple years of meetings held by the LondonDerry Corporation between 1673 and 1901.
The handwritten books include summaries of Common Council meetings. For genealogists, the material allows you to discover or confirm whether your ancestor was a municial official in LondonDerry, was a prominent business owner or represented an organisation that liaised with the local government.
This release on Ancestry brings the full collection of material together online for the first time. Previously, the books dated 1673–1841 were held by PRONI while later volumes were homed at the Foyle Valley Railway Museum in Derry.
A new online collection from ClareArchives – the Corofin Board of Guardians Records – is now digitised and available to view on the Digital Repository of Ireland (DRI).
Corofin Union was created in 1850 consisting of the electoral divisions of Ballyeighter, Boston, Corofin, Glenroe, Killinaboy, Kiltoraght, Muckanagh, Rath and Ruan. A workhouse was built in 1852 with accommodation for 600 people.
The documents span 1850 to 1924 and contains details of workhouse financial administration and population, including the 'sick and luncatics', as well as noticies of marriages; costings of provisions and essentials such as clothes; listings of cess (tax) payments; and matters relating to school inspections. Other correspondence relates to decisions made on the general running of the workhouse, tenders and contracts for its maintenance, staff recruitment and remuneration, and disciplinary matters.
The online collection includes an abstract of letters received from the Local Government Board with a note of decisions reached and orders made. These deal with the general running of the workhouse, tenders and contracts for maintenance, workhouse staff recruitment, remuneration and disciplinary matters.
You can view and download pdfs of the Corofin Board of Guardians collection on the DRI.
A planning application for refurbishment works and new extension at the National Library of Ireland (NLI) in Dublin was submitted last month to Dublin City Council (DCC). If approved, the project will ultimately result in the conservation, refurbishment and adaptation of the West Wing of the building into a new publicly accessible cultural space.
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| Proposed development at NLI is outlined in red |
These new public areas will be housed over six levels and 1,600 square metres, providing new exhibition and event spaces, a bespoke learning centre, a café, and other retail/public facilities. Access to this extension will be via the rear courtyard. The proposed development is expected to result in a 35% increase of visitors (to 83,000 annually) to the NLI.
The West Wing, built during the Victorian era, was formerly a storage area for 350,000 books, newspapers and periodicals. Its refurbishment will have a strong focus on sustainability and sensitivity to its architectural heritage.
You can review the applications and make observations on the online DCC planning portal here.
If approved, works are expected to take about 18 months.
Below is a three-week summary of newly-released and updated family history record collections for England, Scotland and Wales from the major genealogy databases. (For the previous list, see 18 September blogpost.)
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 parentheses in the New Collections section are the numbers of records (or images, if browse-only) in the new record set.
Unless otherwise stated, the figures in parentheses 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 so the figure is the new total. 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.
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.
It brings plenty of news from around the Irish Family History Foundation's network of genealogy & heritage centres, most of whom transcribe and upload local records to the RootsIreland database.
A run-down of the 110,000 records to have joined during the database during the course of this year is provided. There are news of recent events in Wicklow and Kilkenny, and announcements of an Emigration Symposium to be held in Garvagh, County Derry, on Saturday 28 October, involving members of the IFHF, and an upcoming online genealogy course from the Ulster Historical Foundation starting in November. The digital release of County Kildare's Grand Jury records is also covered, as is the launch next year of an important new book.
You can download the pdf newsletter by clicking the image, right.
Tipperary Studies has digitised and published historical records from two more National School in the county. They date back to late 19th century and from Killenaule and Graystown National Schools (NS). They bring to seven the number of school collections now available through the TipperaryStudies Digital Archive.
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| Some of the names in the 1871 register |
The Girls’ school register from 1871 to 1919 is the earliest collection from Killenaule, while from Graystown NS, both the Boys' and Girls' registers date from 1919 to 1923.
These records provide a comprehensive view of the students who attended the schools, their enrolment dates, attendance records, and potentially glimpses into their academic achievements. Genealogists and local historians will find these records invaluable for tracing family connections, studying patterns of migration, and understanding the social and cultural context of the schools.
TipperaryStudies is the local studies department of Tipperary Libraries and is engaged in a long-term project to digitise relevant historical material records that it either holds or can 'borrow' for digitisation purposes from local businesses, agencies and individuals. These latest registers and books wsre kindly loaded to for digitisation by Killenaune NS. View the Schools Collection here.
This summer, a three-part project to preserve the history of Mount Saint Lawrence, Limerick’s largest burial ground (and the second largest in Ireland outside Dublin) reached fruition when an updated database of the cemetery's Transcribed Burial Registers went live.
It marks the completion of a project that started in 2008 when the increasing frail original burial registers were scanned by Limerick Archives and made available to download as PDFs from the limerick.ie website.
This free online access has allowed the precious original materials to be preserved.
The team then began to manually transcribe these handwritten registers, which hold records of more than 70,000 burials for individuals from all walks of life since the cemetery opened in 1855.
This transcription phase of the project was carried out by Limerick Archives together with staff and students from the History department of the City's Mary Immaculate College. A free text-only database was created.
With advanced graveyard mapping technology available by this time, a plot map was created. This process saw all 13,000+ headstones and memorials being photographed and gps tagged. The Archives and College team then transcribed the full inscriptions on these markers, and the results were uploaded into the another free online resource: the MSL Grave Marker Database.
Merging details from the manual transcription database and the plot map, the new Transcribed Burial Registers Database (2023) now provides details of the deceased's name, age, address and grave location. It is free to access.
For more resources, including the 2015 publication of City and Cemetery – a History of Mount St Lawrence, a video tour of the cemetery, and YouTube recordings from a 2014 conference (Beyond the Grave) featuring many historians and genealogists, see LimerickArchives.ie
MyHeritiage is inviting researchers who have already taken DNA tests with Ancestry, FamilyTreeDNA (FamilyFinder) and 23andMe to upload their DNA data to MyHeritage free of charge.
The standard fee for 'unlocking' a dna data file is £35 and it is rare for MyHeritage to waive it.
Aside of the financial saving if you take up this offer, there's another important benefit to sharing your data: you'll find new matches with cousins who are in the MyHeritage database of 7.3million people. Many of them will not have tested with a second company.
You'll need to take action quickly if you want to take advantage of this offer: if you delay past 11:59pm on Sunday 8 October, you'll miss the boat.
UPDATE, 9 October: MyHeritage has extended the period of this offer. You can upload your DNA data to MyHeritage, free, until Sunday 15 October.Researchers with links to the nine historical counties of Ireland's province of Ulster will be delighted to learn about a new book to be published by Ulster Historical Foundation (UKF): The Townland Atlas of Ulster, by UHF research consultant Andrew Kane.
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| The Townland Atlas of Ulster will be published by the Ulster Historical Foundation in the next 18 months. Click image to learn more. |
The book will run to 384 pages include some 130 full colour maps and will provide an invaluable guide to the newcomer to the island's townland system as well as filling a long time need for a comprehensive townland atlas for the area's 16,000 townlands. While the maps will show the locations and extent of landed estates, and civil, Anglican and Roman Catholic parish boundaries, the text will explain the relevance of each different land division and what records were kept at each level.
There will also be notes on each estate to enable them to be found in primary records.
Such material has never been collated for the entire province before.
This important new reference work will be published in 2024–25 financial year with the ISBN 978-1-909556-89-8.
Click the image to find out more about the sources being studied by the author and how the book will provide a consistent naming system to facilitate easier access to the 17th-century materials for those who have not had the privilege of exploring them in detail.
No less than fourteen different packages of records – a mix of headstone photos and inscriptions from seven burial grounds, church register transcriptions from four congregations, and tabular renditions of 1860s Revision books for two parishes in the Ballymote ED – were added to Ireland Genealogy Projects Archives during September. Eight counties are represented, two of them from Northern Ireland. Details below.
CORK Genealogy Archives - Headstones
Holy Rosary Cemetery (RC) Part 15
DONEGAL Genealogy Archives - Church Records
Ballylennan Presbyterian Marriages 1845-1921
2nd Ballylennan Presbyterian Marriages, 1845-1878
DOWN Genealogy Archives - Church Records
Kilkeel RC Parish Baptisms - 1845-1846
DUBLIN Genealogy Archives - Headstones
Kilbarrack Graveyard 6b, Sutton, Dublin
KILDARE Genealogy Archives - Headstones
Confey Graveyard, Leixlip - Sections T & U
Confey Graveyard, Leixlip - Sections V-X
MONAGHAN Genealogy Archives - Headstones
St. Marys RC Graveyard, Urbleshanny
Latlurcan Graveyard (additional)
SLIGO Genealogy Archives - Headstones
Ahamlish Cemetery Old Part 3, Grange (Text added)
Ahamlish Cemetery Part 2 & 3 (Text added)
SLIGO Genealogy Archives - Land
Revised Valuations for Ballymote E.D. Clooneen - Corhober
Derroon, Keenaghan, Maghera & Rathdoony More - c1860-63
TYRONE Genealogy Archives - Church Records
Douglas Presbyterian Marriages 1845-1921
Most, but not all, were resident in the six counties that now make up Northern Ireland.
If you're getting a sense of groundhog day, I'm not surprised. It was only six weeks ago that a new index to this collection appeared in Ancestry's database, and the records themselves have been freely searchable online via the Public Record Office of Northern Ireland's website (here) since 2012 – it went 'live' on the centenary of its creation.
It's appearance on both Ancestry and now FindMyPast marks PRONI's 100th anniversary, and the two new indexes link to PRONI's images.
All three databases are free to search by name and address.
