If you've got ancestors from Carlow or West Cork, Wednesday 16th June could be the day you knock down a few brick walls.
Church records from these areas will be launched online at www.IrishGenealogy.ie on that date, joining the existing line up of Dublin and Kerry records.
Friday, 21 May 2010
Monday, 17 May 2010
1901 census of Ireland online on 3rd June
The National Archives will be releasing the 1901 census of Ireland online and free on Thursday 3rd June.
Now isn't that the best news you've heard all year?!
You'll be able to search the census index, and view images of the census returns, at www.census.nationalarchives.ie.
Now isn't that the best news you've heard all year?!
You'll be able to search the census index, and view images of the census returns, at www.census.nationalarchives.ie.
Tuesday, 11 May 2010
Online Civil Registration Index - fault continues
Unfortunately, the fault which has been affecting the online index to Ireland's civil registration records for the last two weeks (see news report of 28 April) has not yet been corrected. In fact, the results returned by the site's search facility seem to be getting more bizarre. Clearly the 'location' filters are completely scrambled. The birth of one of my cousins, for example, is currently showing up as registered in South Australia when the happy event actually took place in Dublin!
The good news is that engineers are working on the problem. The bad news is that it may take the entire month to reload the Irish collection so that it functions properly.
The good news is that engineers are working on the problem. The bad news is that it may take the entire month to reload the Irish collection so that it functions properly.
Thursday, 6 May 2010
Dublin Family History Event - 8 May 2010
This Saturday, 8th May, there's an Irish genealogy event being held in Dublin.
Some of the reasearch team for Who Do You Think You Are will be providing answers in two 2-hour sessions, the first at 11am, the second at 2pm, at the Neptune Rowing Club, Conyngham Road, Island Bridge, Dublin 8.
The event is part of a fundraising drive for St Laurence's National School in Chapelizod and tickets cost €12 per person, or €20 for two people.
For more details, see Eneclann.ie.
Some of the reasearch team for Who Do You Think You Are will be providing answers in two 2-hour sessions, the first at 11am, the second at 2pm, at the Neptune Rowing Club, Conyngham Road, Island Bridge, Dublin 8.
The event is part of a fundraising drive for St Laurence's National School in Chapelizod and tickets cost €12 per person, or €20 for two people.
For more details, see Eneclann.ie.
Irish ancestors in the British Army?
If your Irish ancestors fought for the British Army between 1760 and 1913, you'll be interested to check out the Chelsea Pension records just released by Find My Past.
The Chelsea Pension records hold details of more than 1.4million servicemen. Of these, 17.6% (nearly a quarter of a million) were Irish. Don't be misled by the term 'pension'. It doesn't necessarily follow that the soldiers were elderly. They became eligible for a pension after just 12 years service or even earlier if they were wounded.
And although the pensions were administered by the Royal Hospital of Chelsea, the great majority of pensioned soldiers were not hospital residents.
These records provide rich detail and colour to your ancestors’ lives at a level that is rarely found elsewhere. There are usually four or eight pages of details per soldier. In addition to regimental details, you might find physical descriptions such as chest size or distinguishing marks such as tattoos. You’ll also see the individual’s signature.
Discharge records may also give details of wives and children, medical history and disciplinary record.
Whereas most military records provide information about officer class soldiers, these records include papers from the ordinary rank and file. Since few Irish soldiers were officers, this collection is particularly pertinent to Irish genealogy research.
The first batches to go online are those covering 1873-1900. These contain the records of 410,000 soldiers.
The rest of the collection will be released as follows:
Records for 1901-1913 (303,000 records), by June 2010
Records for 1855-1872 (65,000 records), by July 2010
Records for 1760-1854 (184,000 records), by April 2011
Records for 1806-1915 (500,000 records), by Nov 2011
When this collection is fully uploaded, Find My Past plan to start scanning the records of the Royal Hospital Kilmainham (the Dublin equivalent of the Chelsea Hospital). These date from 1744 to 1863.
The Chelsea Pension records hold details of more than 1.4million servicemen. Of these, 17.6% (nearly a quarter of a million) were Irish. Don't be misled by the term 'pension'. It doesn't necessarily follow that the soldiers were elderly. They became eligible for a pension after just 12 years service or even earlier if they were wounded.
And although the pensions were administered by the Royal Hospital of Chelsea, the great majority of pensioned soldiers were not hospital residents.
These records provide rich detail and colour to your ancestors’ lives at a level that is rarely found elsewhere. There are usually four or eight pages of details per soldier. In addition to regimental details, you might find physical descriptions such as chest size or distinguishing marks such as tattoos. You’ll also see the individual’s signature.
Discharge records may also give details of wives and children, medical history and disciplinary record.
Whereas most military records provide information about officer class soldiers, these records include papers from the ordinary rank and file. Since few Irish soldiers were officers, this collection is particularly pertinent to Irish genealogy research.
The first batches to go online are those covering 1873-1900. These contain the records of 410,000 soldiers.
The rest of the collection will be released as follows:
Records for 1901-1913 (303,000 records), by June 2010
Records for 1855-1872 (65,000 records), by July 2010
Records for 1760-1854 (184,000 records), by April 2011
Records for 1806-1915 (500,000 records), by Nov 2011
When this collection is fully uploaded, Find My Past plan to start scanning the records of the Royal Hospital Kilmainham (the Dublin equivalent of the Chelsea Hospital). These date from 1744 to 1863.
Thursday, 29 April 2010
Latest on the 1901 Irish census online
Catriona Crowe, the National Archives of Ireland's senior archivist responsible for the digitisation of the Irish Census, told me today that the 1901 census is now ready to upload and publish online, slightly ahead of schedule. However, approval for launch has to be confirmed by the Minister responsible, and this has yet to be received. The earliest possible launch date is 28 May. The latest 30 June.
It's on it's way!
Wednesday, 28 April 2010
Irish Civil Registration Indexes - Online fault
The online Irish civil registration index is not working correctly. The free search facility, which is a 'pilot' collection of the Family Search website (run by the Church of Latter Day Saints / Mormons), has been returning some strange and confusing records for a few days.
It appears there is a fault caused during a recent upgrade of the site. Marriage records appear to be the worst affected, and the 'place' filter (for registration districts) is either not working or appears to have no command of geography!
Since it was launched just under 18 months ago, this online facility has become a favourite tool for Irish genealogy researchers, especially for those who cannot get to the physical index books at the GRO Research Room in Dublin. While it is 'out of action', you might like to see if any of the alternative sources of birth, marriage and death records could be of help to you. You can find details on Irish Genealogy Toolkit's Civil Registration pages.
Irish Genealogy News will keep you up to date with any developments and will confirm when the online problem has been rectified.
It appears there is a fault caused during a recent upgrade of the site. Marriage records appear to be the worst affected, and the 'place' filter (for registration districts) is either not working or appears to have no command of geography!
Since it was launched just under 18 months ago, this online facility has become a favourite tool for Irish genealogy researchers, especially for those who cannot get to the physical index books at the GRO Research Room in Dublin. While it is 'out of action', you might like to see if any of the alternative sources of birth, marriage and death records could be of help to you. You can find details on Irish Genealogy Toolkit's Civil Registration pages.
Irish Genealogy News will keep you up to date with any developments and will confirm when the online problem has been rectified.
Thursday, 1 April 2010
Irish Genealogy Toolkit Update
If you're curious to know more about Irish surnames, you'll find the three pages I've just added to my website fascinating.
You can find out how the Mac/Mc and O' prefixes evolved, learn how many of the best-known Irish last names in fact originate in France and how very few evolved from placenames. Some of the most quoted myths about the surnames of Ireland are also debunked.
Getting more specific, you can also find out about the 20 most common surnames (in 1890) as well as 10 randomly-chosen but well-known family names.
Find out more about Irish names
You can find out how the Mac/Mc and O' prefixes evolved, learn how many of the best-known Irish last names in fact originate in France and how very few evolved from placenames. Some of the most quoted myths about the surnames of Ireland are also debunked.Getting more specific, you can also find out about the 20 most common surnames (in 1890) as well as 10 randomly-chosen but well-known family names.
Find out more about Irish names
Monday, 15 March 2010
Ancestry adds Famine Relief Papers 1844-1847
Ancestry.com has released the Famine Relief Commission Papers 1844-1847. This collection is not going to be a mainstream Irish genealogy resource but it will be of interest to anyone studying the Great Hunger and it could be useful to those whose ancestors held some form of official or local establishment position. It contains letters and other documents from members of local relief committees, lieutenants of counties, the clergy, and other citizens and touches on a broad spectrum of issues. Among these are reports of local food prices and relief efforts, requests for funds, lists of subscribers who had (or had failed) to donate to relief funds, queries about work projects or seed corn, names of committee members.
More than 10,000 names appear in the collection and there is a free index, so it's worth checking out even if your ancestors are unlikely to have held an official post.
Thursday, 11 March 2010
1901 census of Ireland – three months to go
The digitisation of the 1901 census of Ireland is on course for a mid-June release, according to Catriona Crowe, senior archivist of the National Archives.
At a seminar at the National Library of Ireland today, she announced that the project would meet the deadline set late last year (30 June) but due to lack of staff resources, the records will be released without checks. This is disappointing because the handwriting and condition of the original 1901 census returns don't make for easy interpretation at the best of times. Still, for the majority of searches, it will probably be fine so I, for one, won't be complaining. I'd rather see an imperfect release of these records than no release.
Also talking at the seminar was John Grenham whose book, Tracing your Irish Ancestors, is considered the 'bible' of Irish genealogy. He has been involved in the recent launch of the www.irishgenealogy.ie site which currently contains church records for Dublin and Kerry. He announced that the site would have County Carlow records added within the month, and those for South West Cork shortly after.
And yes, all these records – both the 1901 Irish census and the church records – will be available online with completely free access.
At a seminar at the National Library of Ireland today, she announced that the project would meet the deadline set late last year (30 June) but due to lack of staff resources, the records will be released without checks. This is disappointing because the handwriting and condition of the original 1901 census returns don't make for easy interpretation at the best of times. Still, for the majority of searches, it will probably be fine so I, for one, won't be complaining. I'd rather see an imperfect release of these records than no release.
Also talking at the seminar was John Grenham whose book, Tracing your Irish Ancestors, is considered the 'bible' of Irish genealogy. He has been involved in the recent launch of the www.irishgenealogy.ie site which currently contains church records for Dublin and Kerry. He announced that the site would have County Carlow records added within the month, and those for South West Cork shortly after.
And yes, all these records – both the 1901 Irish census and the church records – will be available online with completely free access.
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