Two more Irish newspaper titles join online BNA

The British Newspaper Archive (BNA) has added another two Irish titles to its online database. They are:

The Dundalk Examiner and Louth Advertiser: This weekly paper, launched in 1880 as an extension of the Newry Examiner and Nationalist in tone, circulated in the northern half of Ireland. The initial upload to the BNA comes with all 208 editions published in 1902, 1903, 1908 and 1909. The BNA plans to add editions spanning 1881 to 1930.

The National Teacher, and Irish Educational Journal: All weekly editions for 1892 have joined the archive. The strapline beneath the fabulously confident masthead indicates the paper's intent and audience: 'The only Journal in Ireland owned by the National Teachers and representatives of their interests – A weekly Record of Educational movements and a medium of Discussion and Correspondence for Irish National Teachers'.

These additions mean there are now 116 Irish titles in the British Newspaper Archive.

FindMyPast releases second tranche of US marriages

FindMyPast.com has released a second tranche of United States marriage records.

Like the first instalment, this second batch holds 10million records, a significant proportion of them coming from Indiana, New York, Illinois, Maine and Pennsylvania. One million of them are making their online debut.

The records include marriage date, bride and groom names, birthplace, birth date, age, and residence as well as father’s and mother’s names. As a result, this release adds about 30million names to the collection.

This release marks the second stage of an ambitious project that will see Findmypast, in partnership with FamilySearch International, digitize and publish at least 100 million records from more than 2,800 counties across America. The collection will span 1650–2010 and is expected to be completed by the end of 2017.

The records are available to search with a 'US & Canada' or World subscription package. The 'US & Canada' package is offered only by FindMyPast.com; The World package is offered by all four FindMyPast territories. You can find out more by clicking on your 'local' territory flag below.

	FindMyPast Ireland		FindMyPast USA
	FindMyPast UK		FindMyPast Australia/NZ

New book – 1348: A Medieval Apocalypse – explores the Black Death in Ireland

Through the lives of eight people, Finbar tells
the story of a chaotic and gruesome period
of Irish history

A new book exploring the Black Death in medieval Ireland has been published by historian and podcaster Finbar Dwyer, founder of the popular IrishHistoryPodcast.ie.

1348: A Medieval Apocalypse – the Black Death in Ireland is Fin's second book. It focuses on the lives of eight people who experienced the chaos of the time. Among them are James Butler, 2nd Earl of Ormond; Gyle de Burgh, the wife of sir Richard Mandeville; Johanna Stackpoll (a previously unknown Dublin widow unearthed through Fin's research); and Friar John Clyn, a priest and chronicler from Kilkenny.

A five-minute sample of the latter's tale is told in a preview podcast – The Great Mortality – here.

The book is available in audio, hardback and eBook and costs €9.99, €7.49 and €19.99 respectively. It is available only at IrishHistoryPodcast.ie.

Kilmainham Gaol ceremonies to mark the executions of each of the Leaders of the 1916 Rising

Stonebreakers Yard, Kilmainham Gaol

As part of the Ireland 2016 Centenary programme, official ceremonies to commemorate the executions of the fourteen Leaders of the 1916 Rising will take place between the 3rd and the 12th of May at the Stonebreakers Yard, Kilmainham Gaol, Dublin 8.

There will be individual ceremonies to commemorate each execution on the centenary date of the execution and the ceremonies will be attended by a Minister of the Government and relatives of each of the Leaders.

Each ceremony will comprise of a number of elements including the reading of the trial documents relating to the charge against the accused man, the plea that was entered, the verdict of the court and the witness statements provided.

A member of the Capuchin Friars will also attend and deliver a reading from the memoirs of the individual Friar who attended each of the men prior to their execution.

There will also be a wreath laying service with a Military colour party, Military Police wreath bearer and a Piper’s lament.

The dates for the ceremonies are:

Tuesday 3 May: Patrick Pearse, Thomas Clarke, Thomas MacDonagh

Wednesday 4 May: Joseph Plunkett, Edward Daly, Michael O’Hanrahan, William Pearse

Thursday 5 May: John MacBride

Sunday 8 May: Con Colbert, Eamonn Ceannt, Michael Mallin, Sean Heuston

Thursday 12 May: Seán MacDiarmada, James Connolly

Speaking in advance of the commemorations, the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, Heather Humphreys TD, said: “These ceremonies will be deeply personal occasions for the relatives of those who were executed 100 years ago. Their deaths led to a change in public opinion on the Rising and precipitated a period of political and social unrest in Ireland which could not have been predicted in the run up to the events of Easter 1916. It is my hope that these ceremonies will provide relatives with a solemn and respectful opportunity to remember the lives of their family members.”

Kilmainham Gaol will remain closed to the public until 2pm on each of the dates when the ceremonies are to be held..

Save 20% on Ancestry DNA: Ireland and UK only

Ancestry is offering family historians in Ireland and the UK a 20% discount on its DNA testing kits. The discount brings the price per kit down to £79. Shipping costs are £20 for a single kit and £10 for every additional kit.

The text of the company's own advert (not shown here) says this is a 'NEW LOWER PRICE', which may mean this is a permanent reduction in price.

On the other hand, it also says 'Save 20%', which suggests a higher standard price.

I've asked for clarification, but in the meantime I'd suggest anyone really keen to buy at this price treats this offer as a temporary one and places their order without delay.

Richmond Barracks and Goldenbridge Cemetery to open to the public in June

Richmond Barracks was officially opened at a special ceremony in Inchicore, Dublin 8, today. This was where the leaders of the Irish Revolution, along with over 3000 Irish rebels, were held in the aftermath of the 1916 Rebellion before they were sentenced.

Today's ceremony took place in the gymnasium where the rebels were sorted and the leaders identified. Those who were court martialled on Tuesday 2 May 1916 included Pádraig Pearse, Thomas Mc Donagh, and Thomas Clarke.

The Barracks won't open to the public until next month, when it will become an interactive multi-media tourist attaction tracing the story of the site from military barracks, to housing estate to school.

In addition to the interactive exhibition, the site houses a landscaped garden area and a tea room, and tours of the facility will include the adjacent 2-acre Goldenbridge Cemetery, which will open to the public for the first time. Goldenbridge opened for burials in 1828 following the Catholic Emancipation and was Dublin's first RC cemetery.

Richmond Barracks has been redeveloped by Dublin City Council is one of the nine 'Permanent Reminders' of the Ireland 2016 Centenary Programme.

Ireland Genealogy Projects Archives: end April updates

Pountney Johnston family
Mount Jerome Cemetery, Dublin
Photo courtesy Yvonne Russell and IGP
Click/tap image for larger image

The items below, all submitted by volunteers, have been added to Ireland Genealogy Projects - Archives in the second half of April.

CORK Genealogy Archives - Obituaries & Funeral Entries
Funeral Entry: Barham, Nicholas 1640

DONEGAL Genealogy Archives - Vital Records
Deaths from 1869 (Updated)

DUBLIN Genealogy Archives - Headstones
Grangegorman Military Cemetery, WWII & Vets (Updated)
Mount Jerome Cemetery - Part 126

GALWAY Genealogy Archives - Land
Encumbered Estate of CHARLES BLAKE, Esq (Ballyfruit) 1852

LIMERICK Genealogy Archives - Cemeteries
Rockstown Graveyard Memorials

MAYO Genealogy Archives - Headstones
Annagh Cemetery, Glenhest
Taugheen Cemetery, Claremorris

MEATH Genealogy Archives - Obituaries & Funeral Entries
Funeral Entry: Moony, Thomas 1638 & Nugent, James 1634

ROSCOMMON Genealogy Archives - Headstones
Ballintober Cemetery

SLIGO Genealogy Archives - Headstones
Carrentemple New Cemetery

WATERFORD Genealogy Archives - Cemeteries
Kilrush Memorials

WESTMEATH Genealogy Archives - Headstones
St. Mary's RC Church & Plaques, Streete

Irish genealogy and history events, 2–15 May

Wednesday 4 May: Women, War and Revolution in Ireland, with Dr Margaret Ward. Part of the Remembering 1916 lunchtime lecture series at the Ulster Museum. Venue: Lecture Theatre, Ulster Museum, Botanic Gardens, Belfast, BT9 5AB. 1pm to 2pm. Free. All welcome. Booking online.

Wednesday 4 May: The misfortune of the Irish? James Connolly, the 1916 Rising, and the cause of labour, with Dr Donal O Driscoil. First of University College Cork's Reconsidering the Rising Spring Public Lectures. Venue: Ground Floor Theatre, Geology & Geography Building, UCC (off Donovan Rod, near main gate on Western Road), Cork City. 6pm. Free. All welcome. No booking.

Wednesday 4 May: Grandpa the sniper, with Frank Shouldice. Host: Kilmovee Spring Lecture Series. Venue: The Thatch Cottage, next to the Community Centre, Kilmovee, Co Mayo. Doors open 7:30pm. Lecture starts 8pm. Admission €5/€3. Includes light refreshments. All welcome.

Thursday 5 May: Purdysburn Hospital: the legacy of a villa colony with Stephen Hamilton. Host: North of Ireland Family History Society, Belfast branch. Venue: Holywood Arches Library, Holywood Road, Belfast, BT4 1NT. 7:30pm. Free. All welcome.

Thursday 5 May: 1916 and Partition, with Dr. Sarah Campbell. Part of the Road to the Rising lecture series hosted by Tyneside Irish Cultural Society. Venue: Tyneside Irish Centre, 43 Gallowgate, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK. 7:30pm. All welcome. Details.

Friday 6 May: What were your family doing in 1916? Host: Eneclann/FindMyPast. Venue: Thurles Library, The Source, Cathedral St, Thurles, Co. Tipperary. Noon to 4pm. Free. Talks and one-to-one consultations. Booking may be required: T 0504 29720.

Saturday 7 May: Irish Genealogical Research Society Open Day. Lecture: Genealogy & Famine Roads, with Charles Egan. Workshop: Irish Church Records workshop, with Claire Bradley; Expert Q&A. Followed by AGM. Venue: Westminster City Archives, 10 St Ann’s Street, London SW1P 2DEA. A relaxed and friendly gathering for members (£25) and non-members (£30) includes light lunch and refreshments. Details and booking.

Saturday 7 May: Great War Genealogy Day. Hosts: The Western Front Association and the Gallipoli Association. Venue: Blanchardstown Library, The Civic Centre, Blanchardstown Centre, Dublin 15. 10am to 5pm.  Bookings (20 minute slots) at the library desk or  01-8905563.

Saturday 7 May: Glasnevin Cemetery's 1.5m burial records, a workshop with Lynn Brady. Host and Venue: Glasnevin Cemetery Museum, Finglas Road, Dublin 11. 3pm. Free, but you need to reserve your place by email to booking@glasnevintrust.ie

Monday 9 May: Introduction to newspaper archives, with Catherine Morrow. Host: North of Ireland Family History Society, Newtownabbey branch. Venue: Drama Theatre, Glengormley High School, 134 Ballyclare Road, Newtownabbey, BT36 5HP. 7pm. Free. All welcome.

Monday 9 May: Researching the Rising - Workshop, with Dr Emma Edwards. Host and venue: National Library of Ireland, Kildare Street, Dublin 2. Part of the Bealtaine 2016 Festival. Suitable for anyone looking to embark on a research project or to enhance research skills in navigating the catalogue, accessing the various collections and interpreting the sources. 2pm. Places limited; booking required via learning@nli.ie or 01 6030 278.

Monday 9 May and Tuesday 10 May: The Country House and Landed Estate in Time of Revolution - conference. Host: Centre for the Study of Historic Irish Houses and Estates. Venue: Renehan Hall, South Campus, Maynooth University, Co Kildare. Download pdf conference programme, including booking details.

Tuesday 10 May: Early Irish farming, with John Dolan. Host: Tallaght Historical Society. Venue: County Library, Tallaght, Co Dublin. All welcome. 7pm.

Wednesday 11 May: DNA and family history research, with Patrick Larkin. Host: Western Family History Association. Venue: Lackagh Parish Centre, Lackagh, Co Galway. 8pm. Free. All welcome.

Wednesday 11 May: Models for Movers: Irish Women's Emigration to America, with Ide B. O'Carroll, a discussion on this unique collection of women's oral histories spanning three waves of C20th emigration to America. Host: The CUNY Institute for Irish-American Studies. Venue: Room 5382, CUNY Graduate Center, 365 Fifth Avenue, New York City, USA. Free. All welcome. 7–9pm.

Thursday 12 May: ‘Women of the South’: Radicals and Revolutionaries – a HistoryIreland Hedge School, with editor Tommy Graham (chairman), Dr. John Borgonovo, Professor Linda Connolly, Dr. Mary McAuliffe and Dr. Claire McGing. Venue: Farmgate Cafe, the English Market, Cork City. 6pm. Free. Register.

Thursday 12 May: Book launch: "Revolt in Wicklow- A History of County Wicklow 1913-1923", edited by Henry Cairns, with contributions from Jim Rees, Dr. Ruan O' Donnell, Eva O' Cathaoir, Henry Cairns, John Finlay, James Scannell and Robert Butler. Host: Old Bray Society. Venue: Bray Town Hall, Co Wicklow. 7pm.

Friday 13 May: This month's Late Opening at the Representative Church Body Library. Venue: RCBL, Braemor Park, Churchtown, Dublin 14. The Reading Room remains open until 7:30pm. No appointment is necessary.

Saturday 14 May: Mayo family history, with the Mayo Genealogy Group. Host and venue: National Museum of Ireland - Country Life, Turlough, Castlebar, Co Mayo. Free. 11:30am to 1pm. All welcome.

Saturday 14 May: Genealogy for intermediates, with Audrey Leonard, John Schade and Lois Mackin. Host: Irish Genealogical Society International. Venue: Minnesota Genealogical Society (MGS) Library, 1185 Concord St N, South St Paul, MN, USA. 10:30am. $15 IGSI members/$20 non-members. Details.

Dúchas adds Schools Collection for County Clare

The National Folklore Collection's free website, Dúchas.ie, has added manuscripts written by pupils at schools in County Clare in 1937–39.

Part of the Schools Collection, the new material comprises stories collected from 170 Co Clare schools under a project run across the 26 counties of the Irish Free State in 1937–39. The pupils collected stories – topics included folk legends, weather lore, local history, proverbs, pastimes, trades and crafts – from their local communities, and recorded the names of their informants, often grandparents or older members of their family or neighbours.

See the Schools Collection for County Clare.

The Schools Collection's online availability is now completed for the following counties: Clare, Donegal, Dublin, Galway, Kerry, Kildare, Kilkenny, Laois, Leitrim, Limerick, Louth, Mayo, Monaghan, Sligo, Tipperary, and Waterford. It is expected that the manuscripts for the remaining counties will be online by the end of 2016.

Ancestors from the Beara Peninsula of Cork and Kerry?

If you have ancestors from the Beara Peninsula, which is shared between Counties Cork and Kerry, you'll want to check out a database launched yesterday on AmericanAncestors.org, the website of the New England Historic Genealogical Society (NEHGS).

After many months' work, volume 1 of Riobard O'Dwyer's remarkable Annals of Beara has been indexed, and browsable images from volumes 2 and 3 included in the new online collection.

You can find out more in this informative blogpost from the NEHGS.

AmericanAncestors.org holds more than one billion records. You'll need a subscription to view this new Irish database but (free) Guest User access is available to a small number of collections. Details here.