Four more Irish collections join the free FamilySearch database

FamilySearch has added four Irish record collections to its database. While the original documents are held by the National Archives of Ireland, previously-microfilmed copies were digitised by FindMyPast and Ancestry some years ago. They have been available online only through those subscription-based sites until now, so there will be many researchers pleased to see them arrive in a free-to-access database.

The collections are as follows:

Dublin, Workhouses Admission and Discharge Registers, 1840-1919. This collection holds some 1,533,207 indexed entries for individual inmates registered at the Dublin North, Dublin South, and Rathdown Poor Law Union workhouses in County Dublin. Digital images of register pages accompany each indexed search result.

Dublin, Poor Law Unions Board of Guardians Minute Books, 1839-1924. The Board of Guardians records include handwritten details of meeting minutes, disciplinary matters, case histories, correspondence, contracts, and the hiring of foster mothers and wet nurses. Nearly 893,000 records have been indexed and each one links to an image of the relevant book pages.

Ireland, Court of Chancery Bill Books, 1627-1884. The Court of Chancery was an equity court based in Dublin presided over by the Lord Chancellor of Ireland. It aimed to provide flexible remedies to disputes between parties. The bill books relate to financial disputes, and the indexed collection contains 1,217,591 records. The images can be accessed only at FamilySearch affiliated libraries or Family History Centers.

Ireland, National School Registers, 1847-1954. These 297,029 records are sourced from 24 of the 26 counties now making up the Republic of Ireland (those for Northern Ireland are held by PRONI). Most are from rural schools. There are no records for schools in counties Westmeath and Carlow. To meet Data Protection laws, some records have been redacted.

From St Patrick's Dublin 1881 School Register recording age, religion, address and occupation of the child's father.

Ireland Genealogy Projects Archives: September updates

This beautiful headstone is a fine example of the modern
letter cutter's art. It was designed and worked by Ken
Thompson, an internationally respected sculptor and stone
carver, and father of the 12-year-old Katy whose resting
place it marks in Churchtown Graveyard, Co Cork.
Photo courtesy of Angela Gallagher and IGP Archives.

Below is a list of the files uploaded to Ireland Genealogy Projects Archives last month. As you can see, they were all packages of headstones – thanks to Ireland having enjoyed a fairly decent summer, I suppose.

As always, the photos and inscriptions were donated to IGPA by volunteers in the hope that they will help researchers learn more about their ancestors and their family's story.

CAVAN Genealogy Archives - Headstones
- First Bailieborough Presbyterian Church, Corglass

CORK Genealogy Archives – Headstones
- Churchtown South Graveyard

DONEGAL Genealogy Archives – Headstones
- New Glenties Graveyard (Part 1), Inishkeel

DUBLIN Genealogy Archives – Headstones
- Kilbarrack Graveyard, Sutton, Section 4
- Deansgrange, St. Kevin's Section, Part 5

FERMANAGH Genealogy Archives – Headstones
- St Mary's RC Graveyard, Teemore, Part 2
- Blackbog RC Cemetery, Edenclaw Little, Ederney
- (updated)

KILDARE Genealogy Archives – Headstones
- Confey Graveyard, Leixlip, Part 2

IFHF's latest 'Irish Genealogy Matters' newsletter published

The Irish Family History Foundation (IFHF), which co-ordinates the island-wide network of local Genealogy Centres, has published its latest editon of Irish Genealogy Matters to keep us up to date with recent and current developments within the group.

The digital-only publication provides a breakdown of the 106,000 records uploaded to the RootsIreland.ie's database – all transcribed by the Centres' genealogists – and details of a major conference being organised for 2023 by Armagh Ancestry, the IFHF's Centre for that county.

It also brings news that the North Mayo Heritage Centre has uploaded to YouTube a series of free videos relating to the journey undertaken by so many from 1845 to the US and how the process of emigration developed and changed into the 20th century.

In addition, the Ulster Historical Foundation (the Centre for counties Antrim and Down) announces the organisation's provision of the Irish stream for this year's British Institute, which begins next week, and the launch of two new books.

There is also news about the launch of the online Mannion Collection in Cork City, and a heart-warming tale from Cavan Genealogy where a visiting client was matched with a cousin who works in the same building as the genealogy centre.

To download your free copy of the newsletter, click the image above.

Irish genealogy, history and heritage events: 3 - 16 October

Monday 3 October to 16 October: Dublin Festival of History 2022 continues. This annual free festival, brought to you by Dublin City Council, and organised by Dublin City Libraries, in partnership with the Dublin City Council Culture Company, offers 130+ events, some online, some in-person, including talks, exhibitions, tours, all free. Some are already fully booked. Programme.

Monday 3 October to Friday 7 October: History Week, a programme of lectures, exhibitions, tours, podcasts and screenings hosted by Clare County Library. Most events online; some in-person; all are free. View programme.

Monday 3 October: War Graves of the City & County, with Mark Walmsley. A hybrid event hosted by North of Ireland Family History Society, Foyle Branch. 7pm to 8:30pm. All welcome. In-person venue: Lecture Room of Derry City’s Central Library, 35 Foyle Street, Londonderry BT48 6AL. Online: Those wishing to attend online should e-mail the branch secretary at foylenifhs.org and they will be sent the link.

Tuesday 4 October: Women and the Years of Revolution: Not just "victims" or "heroines", an online lecture with Professor Louise Ryan. Host: London Irish Centre. All welcome. Tickets £5. 7pm – 8.30pm (incl Q&A). Need to book

Tuesday 4 October: Memorials and Transcripts at the Registry of Deeds: A New Guide. An in-person presentation with Dr Patrick Walsh outlining a new ‘typology’ to deeds which aims to assist researchers in identifying and interpreting C18th-deeds held in the Irish Registry of Deeds. Host: the Property Registration Authority of Ireland. 6pm to 7pm. Details and booking. The talk will conclude with the formal launch of 'Guide to the Registry of Deeds Memorials and Transcripts' via the prai.ie website.

Tuesday 4 October: Research Open Day at the Royal Irish Academy. A programme of presentations and demonstrations relating to the RIA's many projects. An in-person event at Academy House, 19 Dawson Street, Dublin 2 from 10am to 4:45pm. Free. All welcome. See full programme.

Wednesday 5 October: Guardians of the Peace: The Early Years of the Irish Police Force, an online talk by Conor Brady. Host: Dublin Festival of History. Free. 6pm to 7pm. All welcome. Need to register.

Wednesday 5 October: The 1718 migration to New England, an online talk with Dr William Roulston. Part of the Heritage from Home 3 lecture series. Hosts: Libraries NI and the Ulster Historical Foundation. 12:30pm to 1:30pm. Free. All welcome. Need to register.

Thursday 6 October: Democracy and the Legacy of Revolutionary Violence, the Annual Edmund Burke Lecture 2022, and in-person event with Professor Michael Ignatieff. Host: The Trinity Long Room Hub. Venue: Edmund Burke Theatre, Arts Building, Fellows Square, Trinity College Dublin. 6:30pm-8pm. All welcome. Free but registration necessary. Details.

Thursday 6 October: Jim Larkin, his life and commemoration in Dublin and Belfast. An in-person event with James Curry, Historian in Residence to Dublin City Council. All welcome. Venue: Cabra Library, Navan Road, Dublin 7. 1pm. All welcome.

Thursday 6 October: The Red Cow Murders and the Civil War in South Dublin County, with Liz Gillis. Part of the Decade of Centenaries programme from South Dublin County. Hosted online by Clondalkin Library. 7pm to 8pm. Free. Details and booking.

Saturday 8 October: Gold seam — the IMC treasure in the Beyond 2022 Virtual Record Treasury: Books of Survey and Distribution, an in-person demonstration and workshop hosted by the Irish Manuscripts Commission. Venue: IMC, 45 Merrion Square East, Dublin 2. 11am to 1pm. All welcome. Free. Need to register.

Saturday 8 October: Tackling Sequential Brick Walls with DNA in an Irish Family Tree, an online workshop with Dr Maurice Gleeson. Host: Irish Genealogical Research Society. 2:30pm–5pm. Members free. Non-members €5. All welcome. Need to register.

Sunday 9 October: KDHS at 10 years, a celebration event marking ten years of the Kilrush and District Historical Society. In-person. Venue: Teach Ceoil, Grace Street, Kilrush, County Clare. Exhibitions, presentations and refreshments. 3pm to 6pm. All welcome. Free. Details on Facebook.

Monday 10 October: GEDmatch Tools and Research, with Rita McCaughey. An online event hosted by the North of Ireland Family History Society, Newtownabbey Branch. 7:30pm. All welcome. Those wishing to attend should e-mail the branch secretary at Newtownabbey@nifhs.org and they will be sent the link.

Tuesday 11 October: East Belfast Big Houses, Vol 2, an in-person event with Aidan Campbell. Host: North of Ireland Family History Society, Lisburn Branch. Free. All welcome. Venue: Bridge Community Centre 50 Railway Street, Lisburn, County Down BT28 1XP. 7:30pm–9pm BST.

Tuesday 11 October: The Irish Civil War, an online lecture with Dr Alan McCarthy. Host: London Irish Centre. All welcome. Tickets £5. 7pm – 8.30pm (incl Q&A). Need to book.

Tuesday 11 October: Disbanding the Royal Irish Constabulary and its aftermath, with Dr Brian Hughes. An in-person talk and part of the Dublin Festival of History. Venue: Pearse Street Library, 138–144 Pearse Street, Dublin 2. Free. 6:30pm. All welcome.

Tuesday 11 October: The National Archives of Ireland, an online talk by Zoe Reid. Hosted by the Genealogical Society of Ireland (GSI). 8pm. All welcome. Non-members can obtain zoom links by emailing Membership@Familyhistory.ie

Wednesday 12 October: The beat cop: Chicago’s Chief O’Neill and the creation of Irish music, an online talk with Professor Michael O'Malley. Part of the Heritage from Home 3 series. Host: Libraries NI. 12:30pm to 1:30pm. Free. All welcome. Need to register.

Wednesday 12 October: Researching the British armed forces in the 19th and 20th centuries; Records at The National Archives, an online lecture with Dr William Butler. Hosts: Public Record Office of Northern Ireland and the Antrim and Down branch of the Western Front Association. 7pm to 8pm. All welcome. Free but need to register in advance. Details.

Thursday 13 October: The Crying Child: Nineteenth Century Irish pediatrics, an online lecture with Mary Hatfield. Hosts: The Ulster Society for Irish Historical Studies (USIHS) and the Public Record Office of Northern Ireland. 7pm to 8:30pm. Free. All welcome. Need to register. Details.

Thursday 13 October: The Dead of the Irish Civil War, an in-person lecture with Dr Andy Bielenberg. First of the Part of the 'Civil War in Ireland: New Perspectives' series, a collaboration between the National Library of Ireland and the Atlas of the Irish Revolution editorial team, University of Cork. Venue: The Reading Room, National Library of Ireland, Kildare Street, Dublin 2. Free. 8pm to 9pm. All welcome. Need to register.

Thursday 13 October: Starting Out on Irish Family History, a two-session online course (afternoons) with Audrey McKeown. 2pm. Second session on Thursday 20 October. Host: North of Ireland Family History Society. Need to book. Course fee: £20.

Thursday 13 October: Starting Out on Irish Family History, a two-session online course (evening) with Audrey McKeown. 7pm. Second session on Thursday 20 October. Host: North of Ireland Family History Society. Need to book. Course fee: £20.

Thursday 13 October: A Broken Heart: Memory, Myth and Arthur Griffith, with Professor Colum Kenny. An in-person event hosted by Longford County Library as part of the council's Decade of Centenaries Programme. 7.30pm at Longford Library. All welcome. Free. Details.

Thursday 13 October: Shamrocks in Cyberspace: Irish Genealogy Databases, with Michael Brophy, an in-person event hosted in the Meeting Room at Mansfield Public Library, 255 Hope Street, Mansfield, MA 02048. 6:30pm –7:30pm. Free. Attendees should know their ancestor's place of origin in Ireland. Need to register.

Saturday 15 October: Researching your Church of Ireland Records, with Sandra Doble MAGI. Host: Irish Family History Society. 2:30pm–4:30pm. An online event. All welcome. Email info@ifhs.ie to register.

Sunday 16 October: Leitrim Decade of Centenaries Symposium 2022, an in-person event featuring five lectures: Leitrim and Mohill in 1922; Cumann na mBan; Irish language and Culture during the Civil War and War of Independence; Civilian & Military casualties during the Civil War and War of Independence; and the history of Irish songs. Hosts: Mohill Historical Society. Venue: Lough Rynn Castle, Mohill, Co Leitrim. 9:30 to 4pm. Fee: €16.87 (includes lunch). Booking.

An Irish Folklore Treasury, edited by John Creedon, published today

Most Irish family historians will be aware of The Schools' Collection, a sizeable record-set of stories about Ireland and its inhabitants gathered by children in the Republic of Ireland in the 1930s. The schoolchildren were asked to speak to their parents, grandparents, older neighbours and family friends and record their folklore tales, local customs and traditions, words of wisdom, memories of events and recollections of how they and their communities used to live.

Click image to find out more at Gill Books    

The resulting collection includes some genealogical information (some details of the 'informants' are recorded with each 'story'), but the content of the stories attracts a much wider audience. It is digitised and available free on the Duchas.ie, the website of the National Folklore Collection held at University College Dublin.

Launching today is a 400-page book edited by John Creedon, one of Ireland's best-known broadcasters, entitled An Irish Folklore Treasury. It is a 'best of' selection that includes chapters telling stories of ghosts and supernatural beings, life on the land, life at home and at the table, forgotten trades, school routines, weather lore, religion, celebrations and local pastimes. It is great illustrations, too.

It is, John hopes, a book that Irish households around the world will dip into and enjoy for generations.

The book is published by Gill Books with a recommended price of €24.99 (click the cover image above) and should now be on sale in good bookshops in Ireland, and online at Amazon, Blackwells, Eason, Kenny's etc.

ISBN 9780717194223

EXTENDED - Flash Sale on FindMyPast subscriptions: 20% off

FindMyPast is offering 20% off most of its subscription packages.

This was originally intended to run until this morning but it has been extended to continue across the weekend. 

The Flash Sale will now expire on Monday 3 October at 10am Irish/British Summer Time (IST/BST).

Choose from the FindMyPast 'territories' below and then select your preferred subscription. The sale savings will have been applied so you can see the discounted price you'll pay.

The Flash Sale has closed.

	FindMyPast Ireland – 20% off any 1- or 12-month subscription.
	FindMyPast USA/Canada – 20% off any 1- or 12-month subscription.
	FindMyPast UK – 20% off any 3- or 12-Month subscription.
	FindMyPast Australia/NZ – 20% off any 1- or 12-month subscription.

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. 

 

Tipperary Studies releases Cashel NS Boy's registers, 1868-1917

Hot on the heels of another wonderful addition to their digital archives (ledgers of a Thurles Watchmaker), Tipperary Studies, the local history department of the county's library service, has uploaded five good quality pdf copies of Cashel National School's boys' registers.

Click for enlarged view of this sample page from 1873

They span 1868 to 1917 and are full of genealogical information. Beyond the basics of name, age and townland of residence of each boy pupil, the registers provide information about the family's religion, father's occupation, when the child joined and left the school, and their examination results across a range of subjects.

The pdf are not small – the smallest is a littly shy of 36Mb – so they take a while to 'unroll' when you download them. Go to https://tippstudiesdigital.ie/items/show/4625 to find out more.

Irish genealogy, history and heritage events, 26 Sept. to 9 Oct.

Monday 26 September: Dublin Festival of History 2022 continues. This annual free festival, brought to you by Dublin City Council, and organised by Dublin City Libraries, in partnership with the Dublin City Council Culture Company, offers 130+ events, some online, some in-person, including talks, exhibitions, tours, all free. A few are already fully booked. Programme.

Monday 26 September: Derry’s Wonderful Opera House, with Ken McCormack. A hybrid event hosted by NIFHS, Foyle Branch. 7pm - 8:30pm BST. Free. All welcome. Venue: Lecture Room, Derry’s Central Library, 35 Foyle Street, Derry, BT48 6AL. Non-members wishing to attend online should e-mail the branch secretary at foyle@nifhs.org and they will be sent the link.

Tuesday 27 September Genealogy in Fermanagh, an online talk with Frank McHugh. Hosted by North of Ireland Family History Society, Belfast Branch. 7:30pm–9pm BST. Free. All welcome. Non-members wishing to attend should e-mail the branch secretary at Belfast@nifhs.org and they will be sent the link.

Tuesday 27 September The Derry Central Railway, with Eric Lake. An in-person and online meeting hosted by the North of Ireland Family History Society, Causeway &Glens Branch. 8pm–9pm. Free. All welcome. Venue: Sandel Centre, Knocklynn Road, Coleraine, Co LondonDerry. Online: Those wishing to attend on zoom should e-mail causeway@nifhs.org.

Tuesday 27 September The East Wall School Boys Strike of 1911, with Joe Mooney. An in-person event hosted by the Dublin Festival of History. Venue: Charleville Mall Library, Charleville Mall, North Strand, Dublin 1. Free. All welcome. Need to register.

Tuesday 27 September The Treaty, an online lecture with Dr Alan McCarthy. Hosted by the London Irish Centre. 7pm – 8.30pm. All welcome. £5 per lecture. Details.

Wednesday 28 September: Kate O'Brien and her sisters: Archives, Fictions and families, with Dr Gerardine Meaney MRIA. In-person lecture at Royal Irish Academy, 19 Dawson Street, Dublin 2. Part of the Sisters series of lectures which celebrates sisterhood by exploring the lives and achievements of four families of sisters who made their mark on Irish life. 1pm. Free. All welcome. Booking recommended.

Thursday 29 September History of Surnames in Ireland, with Natalie Bodle. A hybrid meeting hosted by North of Ireland Family History Society, Ballymena Branch. 7:15pm–8:45pm BST. All welcome. In-person venue: Michelin Arts Workshop, Braid Arts Centre, 1-29 Bridge Street, Ballymena BT43 5EJ. Online: Those wishing to attend on Zoom should e-mail the branch secretary at Ballymena@nifhs.org and they will be sent the link.

Monday 3 October to 16 October: Dublin Festival of History 2022 continues. This annual free festival, brought to you by Dublin City Council, and organised by Dublin City Libraries, in partnership with the Dublin City Council Culture Company, offers 130+ events, some online, some in-person, including talks, exhibitions, tours, all free. Some are already fully booked. Programme.

Monday 3 October: War Graves of the City & County, with Mark Walmsley. A hybrid event hosted by North of Ireland Family History Society, Foyle Branch. 7pm to 8:30pm. All welcome. In-person venue: Lecture Room of Derry City’s Central Library, 35 Foyle Street, Londonderry BT48 6AL. Online: Those wishing to attend online should e-mail the branch secretary at foylenifhs.org and they will be sent the link.

Tuesday 4 October:: Women and the Years of Revolution: Not just "victims" or "heroines", an online lecture with Professor Louise Ryan. Host: London Irish Centre. All welcome. Tickets £5. 7pm – 8.30pm (incl Q&A). Need to book

Tuesday 4 October:: Memorials and Transcripts at the Registry of Deeds: A New Guide. An in-person presentation with Dr Patrick Walsh outlining a new ‘typology’ to deeds which aims to assist researchers in identifying and interpreting C18th-deeds held in the Irish Registry of Deeds. Host: the Property Registration Authority of Ireland. 6pm to 7pm. Details and booking. The talk will conclude with the formal launch of 'Guide to the Registry of Deeds Memorials and Transcripts' via the prai.ie website.

Wednesday 5 October: Guardians of the Peace: The Early Years of the Irish Police Force, an online talk by Conor Brady. Host: Dublin Festival of History. Free. 6pm to 7pm. All welcome. Need to register.

Wednesday 5 October: The 1718 migration to New England, an online talk with Dr William Roulston. Part of the Heritage from Home 3 lecture series. Hosts: Libraries NI and the Ulster Historical Foundation. 12:30pm to 1:30pm. Free. All welcome. Need to register.

Thursday 6 October: Democracy and the Legacy of Revolutionary Violence, the Annual Edmund Burke Lecture 2022, and in-person event with Professor Michael Ignatieff. Host: The Trinity Long Room Hub. Venue: Edmund Burke Theatre, Arts Building, Fellows Square, Trinity College Dublin. 6:30pm-8pm. All welcome. Free but registration necessary. Details.

Thursday 6 October: Jim Larkin, his life and commemoration in Dublin and Belfast. An in-person event with James Curry, Historian in Residence to Dublin City Council. All welcome. Venue: Cabra Library, Navan Road, Dublin 7. 1pm. All welcome.

Thursday 6 October: The Red Cow Murders and the Civil War in South Dublin County, with Liz Gillis. Part of the Decade of Centenaries programme from South Dublin County. Hosted online by Clondalkin Library. 7pm to 8pm. Free. Details and booking.

Saturday 8 October: Gold seam — the IMC treasure in the Beyond 2022 Virtual Record Treasury: Books of Survey and Distribution, an in-person demonstration and workshop hosted by the Irish Manuscripts Commission. Venue: IMC, 45 Merrion Square East, Dublin 2. 11am to 1pm. All welcome. Free. Need to register.

Saturday 8 October: Tackling Sequential Brick Walls with DNA in an Irish Family Tree, an online workshop with Dr Maurice Gleeson. Host: Irish Genealogical Research Society. 2:30pm–5pm. Members free. Non-members €5. Need to register.

Northern Ireland Census 2021 - More statistical results published

The Northern Ireland Statistical and Research Agency has today released its second* set of results from the Northern Ireland Census of 2021. It includes statistics relating to ethnicity; country of birth; passports held; religion; religion or religion brought up in; national identity; and language of its population.

Here are some of the main findings:

Passports: More than 67% and 63% of residents living in the Ards & North Down and Mid & East Antrim districts respectively hold only a UK passport. The lowest proportion of residents holding a UK passport and no other was found in the Derry and Strabane area (29%), where some 48% of residents held only an Irish passport, and only 3.47% held both passports.

Ethnicity: Among Northern Ireland's residents, nearly 32% identified as 'British only' (down from 40% in 2011), just over 29% considered themselves to be Irish only (25% ten years ago), while nearly 20% described themselves as Northern Irish only (previously 21%). Nearly 8% identified as British and Northern Irish only. Some 3.4% (65,600 people), said they belong to ethnic minority groups.

Language –

Irish: Some 12.45% of people over the age of three have some ability in speaking, writing, reading or understanding of Irish. The highest percentage regionally was found in Mid-Ulster (20%), closely followed by the Newry, Mourne & Down area ((18%) and Fermanagh & Omagh (17%). In contrast, nearly 96% of those living in the Ards & North Down district declared themselves to have no ability in Irish. Mid & East Antrim and Lisburn & Castlereagh districts were very close behind.

Ulster Scots: More than 10% (190,613) of people aged three and over have some level of ability in Ulster Scots. Of this total, more than 20% live in Mid & East Antrim and 19% in Causeway Coast & Glens.

Household size: Northern Ireland's population lives in 768,804 households, making an average household size of 2.44 residents. This is the lowest ever recorded. In 1841, the average was 5.18 persons and was still more than 4 in 1851. In 2021, more than 60% of households consist of just one or two persons. The areas with the largest percentage of households consisting of 6 or more persons are in Mid-Ulster (5.3%), Newry, Mourne & Down (4.1%), Fermanagh & Omagh (383%) and Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon(3.3%).

Religion: The census of 2021 shows the population of Northern Ireland is becoming less religious. Some 17.39% (330,983 individuals) reported themselves to have no religion. Those claiming to belong to a particular denomination were: (Roman) Catholics making up 42.31% of the population; Presbyterian Church in Ireland 16.61%; (Anglican) Church of Ireland, 11.55%; Methodist 2.35%; Other Christian related groups, 6.85%; Other beliefs, 1.34%. Just 1.6% did not answer this question.

The other standout finding is truly historic: the proportion of the resident population from a Catholic background (45.7%) now outnumbers those from a Protestant background (43.8%); this is the first time this has happened since Northern Ireland was created 101 years ago. The numbers of people from a Protestant background has falled by more than 10% over the last two decades, while the numbers of Catholics has risen by about 3% over the same period. The Guardian has a good analysis of this issue here.

* The first release (published in May) and available to view here, showed the total population to have grown by 5% since 2011 and dealt with ages, household size and type of residence.

Roz McCutcheon named a Fellow of the Society of Genealogists

I was thrilled to read in the September issue of the Society of Genealogists (SOG) Newsletter that Roz McCutcheon has been named a Fellow of the SOG. Roz and I were colleagues on the Council of the Irish Genealogical Research Society some years ago – she is now an IGRS Vice-President, and remains one of that society's hardest working volunteers – and we still bump into one another at online IGRS events.

Roz McCutcheon FIGRS, FSG in full flow

Fellowship of the Society of Genealogists recognises distinguished service to the world of genealogy, and the SOG's announcment sets out some of the reasons Roz has been awarded this status, as follows:

'Roz’s unique contribution to Irish genealogy is her free-to-all Early Irish Marriages Index, which is hosted online by the Irish Genealogical Research Society. Given the destruction in 1922 of so much source material in Ireland, Roz recognised that a ‘sign posting’ index to alternative [pre-civil registration] sources for evidence of marriage would be of great assistance to those exploring Irish genealogy.

'The database, which draws on information locked away in otherwise under-used and rare sources, now notes more than a quarter of a million names. It grows in size constantly and is highly regarded. It has since been joined by similar such indexes pointing to alternative early sources for births* and deaths* and which collectively note more than a third of a million names of Irish persons who were born, married or died between the years 1600 and 1864.

'She is very likely the current leading expert in the use of Ireland’s Registry of Deeds as a source for genealogists. She is by far the most prolific contributor to the online Registry of Deeds Index Project Ireland which, through voluntary collaboration, aims to create a much more detailed index to the RoD’s Memorials than currently exists in hardcopy form. To date, the Registry of Deeds Index Project Ireland website shows that Roz has contributed about 130,000 index entries to the Project out of a total of 498,373.'

Those who follow IrishGenealogyNews will be aware that the Irish Registry of Deeds Index Project cracked through the half-a-million entries milestone a matter of days ago. This evening, Roz will be among those speaking at a special event to celebrate the project to which she has generously donated so much of her time over the last decade and more. It's a free, worldwide event (see start times around the globe below). To see Roz talking about the Project, book your place at Eventbrite. Booking closes in the next few of hours.

Start Times:

• Ireland and UK – 21:00 on Wednesday 21 September 2022
• New Zealand – 08:00 on Thursday 22 September 2022
• Eastern Australia – 06:00 on Thursday 22 September 2022
• Halifax, Canada – 17:00 on Wednesday 21 September 2022
• Vancouver, Canada – 13:00 on Wednesday 21 September 2022
• Winnipeg, Canada – 15:00 on Wednesday 21 September 2022
• New York, USA – 16:00 on Wednesday 21 September 2022
• Salt Lake City, USA – 14:00 on Wednesday 21 September 2022

* These Early Births and Early Deaths Indexes are open to IGRS members; non-members can make only a limited search by surname. Only the Early Marriage Index is open to all.