Last call for Ancestral Connections course in Cork

The week-long Irish genealogy Summer School Ancestral Connections: Names, Places and Spaces returns to University College Cork (UCC) at the tail-end of the month (28 June to 6 July) and promises another in-depth programme of presentations, hands-on workshops, field trips and excursions, and fun.

I know from my own Inbox and Twitter feed that past delegates have thoroughly enjoyed this course and felt they learned a heck of a lot. The venue has been widely praised, too.

Course co-ordinator Lorna Moloney told Irish Genealogy News that there's just a handful of places still available on the course. 'Excluding provisional bookings reserved in the last few days, there are six places still to be filled,' she says.

'As in the last two years, there will be a great mix of family historians arriving from New Zealand, Australia, the USA and Canada and most of them will have already made at least some kind of start on their research. The programme is designed to help them develop a greater understanding and wider knowledge of genealogy sources and techniques as well as the historical and cultural context of their ancestors' lives.'

Campus accommodation packages can still be arranged.

If you fancy a week immersed in Irish genealogy in beautiful Cork City, check out the course details at the UCC site here. And if your diary won't let you away for a whole week, why not consider a one- or two-day dip into the course?

Lorna has kindly extended the 'Historical and Cultural Groups' concession rate to readers of this blog who book for the course. To take advantage of this very healthy 15% discount, just mention Irish Genealogy News on the booking form.

If you can't make it to this year's Ancestral Connections, you'll be pleased to hear that the course will run again in 2016. Both the programme and the name of the course (The Ancestral Connections: Roots to the Rising) will see a slight change of focus to commemorate the Easter Rising and the early years of the 20th century. Details will follow later in the summer.

FindMyPast offers the World for just €1, £1, $1

FindMyPast is offering new subscribers a one-month subscription to its World collection with a huge 90% discount.

A World subscription gives you access to a database of more than two billion records, including the largest collection of Irish family history records and more than 10million British and Irish newspaper pages dating from 1710. And all for just €1/£1/$1.

	FindMyPast.ie
	FindMyPast.co.uk
	FindMyPast.com
	FindMyPast.com.au

This offer will remain open until Tuesday 30 June (23:59pm). Full terms and conditions are displayed on the offer pages. Note that the subscription will convert to the standard monthly rate when your first month expires. If you don't want to continue your subscription beyond the offer month, be sure to change the auto-renew setting on the Personal Details/My Account page.

If you have an existing FindMyPast subscription, you will not be able to take advantage of this offer.

UPDATE: 1 July. This offer has now expired.

Irish genealogy, history & heritage events, 8–21 June

Monday 8 June: James O’Connor, Fenian and MP, with Cormac Lowth. Host: Clontarf Historical Society. Venue: Resource Centre, St John the Baptist, Clontarf Road, Clontarf, Dublin 3. 8:15pm. Non-members €5. All welcome.

Monday 8 June: Exhibition launch: The 6th Connaught Rangers. Host and Venue: Public Record Office of Northern Ireland, Titanic Boulevard, Belfast. 1pm. Address by Sean O'Hare, Chairman of the 6th Connaught Rangers Research Group. Followed by a presentation by Stephen Sandford, author of 'Neither Unionist nor Nationalist: The 10th (Irish) Division in the Great War'. The free exhibition continues to 10 July.

Tuesday 9 June: Establishing the Free State in conflict, 1922 – 1924. Last of the Military Archives MSPC Lunchtime Lecture Series. Host and Venue: Rathmines Library, 157 Rathmines Road Lower, Dublin 6. 1pm–2pm. Admission free. Booking essential at the library or online.

Tuesday 9 June: Start with yourself, with genealogist Bernie Walsh. First of a series of free genealogy lunchtime talks at Carlow County/Central Library, Tullow Street, Carlow. The 30-minute talks are aimed at those starting their family history and will guide and advise on where to begin and which resources to use. 1:10pm. No booking required.

Tuesday 9 June: The Black Death in medieval Kilkenny, with Fin Dwyer of irishhistorypodcast.ie. Host: Conahy Heritage Society. Venue: Conahy Parish Hall, Conahy, Co Kilkenny. 8pm.

Wednesday 10 June: Book launch: The Irish in New Orleans, by Laura D Kelly. Formalities with Jimmy Deenihan, Minister of the Diaspora. Venue: Irish Whiskey Museum, 37 College Green, Dublin 2. 6:30pm to 8:30pm. Free to attend, but need to book online.

Wednesday 10 June: Archaeology of Dunluce, with Andrew Gault. Part of the Ulster Scots Connections; People, Place and Practice series. Hosts: PRONI, MAG-Ulster Scots Academy, Ulster Scots Community Network and Ulster Scots Agency. Venue: Discover Ulster Scots Centre, Belfast. 1pm. Free.

Thursday 11 June: c.790-800AD: The First Dublin Vikings? with Linzi Simpson. First of a new series of monthly lunchtime lectures hosted by the Friends of Medieval Dublin. Venue: Wood Quay Venue, Dublin City Council Civic Offices, Wood Quay, Dublin 8. 1:05pm. Admission free. No need to book.

Friday 12 June and Saturday 13 June: Seán Mac Diarmada Summer School 2015 – The Relevance of the 1916 Proclamation in the Ireland of Today. Kiltyclogher, Co Leitrim. Details.

Saturday 13 June: Genealogy workshop, with the Mayo Genealogy Group. Venue: National Museum of Ireland - Country Life, Turlough, Castlebar, Co. Mayo. No need to book. 11am–1pm. Free. New members always welcome.

Saturday 13 June: RootsTech Family Discovery Day at the LDS Family History Centre, 403 Holywood Road, Belfast BT4 2GU. 10am to 3:30pm. Workshops, videos of RootsTech presentations, personal assistance.

Saturday 13 June: The FindMyPast website, with Mary Wickersham. Host: Irish Genealogical Society International (IGSI). Venue: Minnesota Genealogical Society Library, 1185 Concord St. N, South St. Paul, MN 55075 USA. Members $10/Non-members $15.00. 10:30am–12noon. Need to register.

Monday 15 June: Family history and genealogy sessions. Find out how to trace your family tree, with Margaret Bonar and Betty Craven. Venue: Raheny Library, Howth Road, Dublin 5. Free advice sessions. From 10:15am to Noon. Book your slot by telephone: 085 1444883 or contact the library by email: rahenylibrary@dublincity.ie.

Monday 15 June: Years of revolt, 1912-22, with Dr Dr Eamon Phoenix. Host: Adult Learners' Week. Venue: Belfast Central Library, Royal Avenue, Belfast BT1 1EA. 6:30pm - 7:30pm. Admission free. Booking esssential: 028 9050 9150.

Wednesday 17 June: Explore the Archives – Practical Workshop, aimed at those who have just started their Irish family history. Two segments. 2pm: Explore Archives Online; 3pm: Using the Documents (searching for, ordering and viewing original documents). Host and venue: PRONI, Titanic Boulevard, Belfast. Free but booking essential. Reserve your place by email to proni@dcalni.gov.uk or telephone 028 90534800.

Wednesday 17 June: The First World War in Derry and Donegal, with Richard Doherty. Host: Adult Learners Week. Venue: Limavady Library, 5 Connell Street, Limavady, Co Derry BT49 0EA 6:30pm. Admission is free but booking is advised: T: 028 7776 2540; E: limavady.library@librariesni.org.uk.

Wednesday 17 June: Rhyming Weavers of Ulster, iwth Laura Spence. Part of the Ulster Scots Connections; People, Place and Practice series. Hosts: PRONI, MAG-Ulster Scots Academy, Ulster Scots Community Network and Ulster Scots Agency. Venue: PRONI, Titanic Boulveard, Belfast. 1pm. Free.

Wednesday 17 to Sunday 21 June: Strokestown Irish Famine Summer School & Conference. Venue: Strokestown Park House, Co Roscommon. Lectures, workshops, field trips, Hedge School, music and drama performances. Programme.

Thursday 18 June: The Battle of Waterloo: Ireland and Europe in 1815, a half-day conference. Host & Venue: PRONI, Titanic Boulevard, Belfast. The conference will focus on the part played by Irishmen as soldiers and statesmen in the conflict and on the British army’s presence in Ireland during the 18th century. Lectures: The Army Barracks of Ireland, 1690-1822, with Dr Ivar McGrath; The British Army, Ireland and the Battle of Waterloo, with Dr Tim Bowman; Irish Gentry Officers at Waterloo: Embedding a Tradition, with Nicholas Perry; and ‘Entertaining to a degree and perhaps a little dangerous’: Lord Castlereagh, Lady Londonderry, Vienna and the Peace of Europe, with Brett Irwin. Starts 2pm. Free, but booking essential.

Saturday 20 June: Family History Help session, with Kathleen McGee at 10am, followed by New York City: State vital records and their substitutes, with Jane Wilcox at 11am. Host: Irish Family History Forum. Venue: Bethpage Public Library, 47 Powell Avenue, Bethpage, NY, 11714 USA. Details.

Sunday 21 June: The Irish at Waterloo, with Lt-Col Dan Harvey. Venue: National Museum of Ireland – Museum of Decorative Arts and History, Collins Barracks, Dublin 7. 3pm. Free. No need to book but arrive early to ensure you get a place.

Free access to Ancestry's Irish & UK collection 5–7 June

The free weekend has finished

Ancestry UK's collection of one billion Irish and UK records will be free until Sunday 7 June at 23:59hrs GMT (which translates into Irish/British Summer Time as Monday 8 June at 00:59).

It's a straightforward 'free access' process. You have to register with name and email address but no financial information is requested – you just go direct to searching for your ancestors.

When the free access period ends, you will need a subscription to Ancestry.co.uk to view the records.

Most of the Irish record sets available on Ancestry are detailed below, but there are many more of Irish family history relevance, particularly the British/UK military, passenger and occupation record collections.

(See all the records in the UK & Ireland collection and use the vertical scroll bar.)

Ireland 1766 Religious Census
Ireland Gazetteer and Surname Guide
Ireland Householder's Index, County Antrim
Ireland Topographical Dictionary, 1837
Ireland Visitation
Ireland, 1841/1851 Census Abstracts (Northern Ireland)
Ireland, Casualties of World War I, 1914-1922
Ireland, Civil Registration Births Index, 1864-1958
Ireland, Civil Registration Deaths Index, 1864-1958
Ireland, Civil Registration Marriages Index, 1845-1958
Ireland, Famine Relief Commission Papers, 1844-1847
Ireland, Griffith’s Valuation, 1847-1864
Ireland, Indexes to Wills, 1384-1858
Ireland, Lawrence Collection of photographs, 1870 - 1910
Ireland, Lord Viscount Morpeth's Testimonial Roll, 1841
Ireland, Marriages in Walker's Hibernian Magazine, 1771-1812
Ireland, Newspapers, 1763-1890
Ireland, Ordnance Survey, 1824 - 1846
Ireland, Select Births and Baptisms, 1620-1911
Ireland, Select Catholic Birth and Baptism Registers, 1763-1912
Ireland, Select Catholic Confirmation Registers, 1775-1912
Ireland, Select Catholic Death and Burial Registers, 1767-1912
Ireland, Select Catholic Marriage Registers, 1775-1912
Ireland, Select Deaths, 1864-1870
Ireland, Select Marriages, 1619-1898
Ireland, Selections of Catholic Parish Baptisms, 1742-1881
Ireland, Selections of Catholic Parish Deaths, 1756-1881
Ireland, Selections of Catholic Parish Marriages and Banns, 1742-1884
Ireland, The Royal Irish Constabulary 1816-1921
Ireland, Thom's Directory, 1904
Ireland, Tithe Applotment Books, 1823-1837
Ireland: 1841/1851 Census Abstracts (Republic of Ireland)
Irish Emigrants in North America [1670-1830], Part Six
Irish Emigrants in North America [1775-1825]
Irish Emigrants in North America, Part Four and Part Five
Irish Emigrants in North America, Part I
Irish Emigrants in North America, Part II
Irish Emigrants in North America, Part III
Irish Emigration Lists, 1833-1839
Irish Emigration to New England through Port of Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada, 1841–1849
Irish Flax Growers List, 1796
Irish Genealogical Abstracts from the Londonderry Journal 1772-1784
Irish Gravestone Inscriptions
Irish in Boston
Irish Independent Newspaper Obituaries: May 2001-June 2002
Irish Landed Gentry
Irish Names and Surnames
Irish Passenger Lists, 1803-1806
Irish Passenger Lists, 1847-1871
Irish Pedigrees
Irish Pedigrees Vol. II
Irish Records Extraction Database
Irish Records Index, 1500-1920
Irish Settlers in North America before 1850
Irish Wills Indexes

Dúchas.ie adds Co. Sligo to online Schools Collection

The National Folklore Collection of Ireland (NFC) has completed the digitisation and upload of another set of manuscripts within its Schools Collection, this time for County Sligo.

Gathered into 33 volumes, the Sligo manuscripts were written by schoolchildren in the 1930s in some 130-plus schools across the county. The nationwide project asked children to interview older members of their family and community and record their stories, observations and snippets of information about local interest; the result is a fascinating collection of folk tales and legends, oral history and topographical information, and details of riddles and proverbs, games and pastimes, trades and crafts.

Sligo's collection joins those for Counties Donegal, Dublin, Galway, Kerry, Kildare, Leitrim, Mayo and Waterford on the NFC's website, Dúchas.ie.

I've amused myself this morning with a root through the Sligo manuscripts and found some delightful entries. Among them is a report from Maura Cryan of Coolavin School who had interviewed 46-year-old William Cryan of Monasterredan about an attempted eviction from the French Estate on 2 April 1881 when tenant farmers fought the authorities as they came to execute their warrant; and a surprisingly detailed description from fellow student Mary McHugh of Island Road, Monasteraden, who had learned from 57-year-old Mr M McHugh of the mid-19th century Hedge School that had been held (summers only) near the local church.

My favourite discovery, however, comes from Imelda O'Grady of Mullaghroe who recounted tales told to her by John Grady. She called her report The Care of the feet, but it's really about several local characters who didn't wear shoes. Here's part of one of the stories (click image if you want to read the full piece):

 

Latest additions to Ireland Genealogy Projects Archives

Headstone in Cloncallow Cemetery (near Ballymahon), 
Co Longford. Photo courtesy Dave Hall.
Click for larger view.

All additions to Ireland Genealogy Projects Archives in the last two weeks of May were related to burials, with a good number of new headstone photos and transcriptions of cemetery records across eight counties. As always, these resources are free to view on this hugely popular volunteer-contributed database of resources.

CAVAN Genealogy Archives – Headstones
Ashfield Cemetery (CoI) (partial only)

CLARE Genealogy Archives – Headstones
Kilmurry McMahon Cemetery (partial only)

DUBLIN Genealogy Archives – Headstones
Deansgrange Cemetery, North Section Pt 6
Mt Jerome, - Part 103-104

KILDARE Genealogy Archives – Headstones
Balfeighan Cemetery

LEITRIM Genealogy Archives – Cemetery Records
Glendale-Conwal Cemetery Extracts
Glencar Cemetery Extracts
Kinlough Cemetery Extracts

LONGFORD Genealogy Archives – Headstones
Cloncallow Cemetery

ROSCOMMON Genealogy Archives – Headstones
Ardcarne Old Cemetery (partial)
Arigna Cemetery (2 parts)
Kilglass Cemetery

SLIGO Genealogy Archives – Cemetery Records
Ahamlish Register of Burials, extracts
Ballisodare Cemetery extracts

Sean Mac Diarmada June 12-13

The Seán Mac Diarmada Summer School 2015 – The Relevance of the 1916 Proclamation in the Ireland of Today – will take place in Kiltyclogher, Co. Leitrim from Friday 12 June to Saturday 13 June.

In addition to the lectures listed below, the Summer School includes an opening ceremony with traditional music, food and a tour of Seán Mac Diarmada's cottage, panel discussions and Q&A sessions.

For further details of the programme, registration times, costs, venues and booking, click the image, right, to download pdf, or go to the website http://seanmacdiarmada.ie.

The lectures:

• 'Though I did not say so'; The Silences Women Keep, with Susan McKay
  
• Women and Revolution - Gender, Politicisation and Participation in the 1916 Rising, with Dr Mary McAuliffe
  
• A Unionist Reflects on the 1916 Proclamation, with Roy Garland
  
• Limping into History, with Tim Pat Coogan
  
  

Meet AGI: new name for Ireland's accrediting body for genealogists

After almost 30 years as the accrediting body for genealogists in Ireland, APGI, the Association of Professional Genealogists in Ireland, has adopted a new name: Accredited Genealogists Ireland (AGI).

As Accredited Genealogists Ireland, the Association will continue to set and promote high standards for those engaged professionally in genealogy while safeguarding the interests of clients.

Founded in Belfast in 1986, the Association has always been an accrediting body for genealogists throughout the island of Ireland.

Accreditation from the Association is controlled by an independent Board of Assessors and each applicant is required to demonstrate to a high standard their ability, knowledge and practical experience in Irish genealogy. In addition, each member is bound by the Association's Code of Practice.

APGI has always kept abreast of changes in the world of genealogy. In 2012 it introduced a new category of APGI Affiliate. This is to assist reputable genealogists in the early stages of their transition to professional research to prepare for application for accreditation. Through mentoring and attending APGI Continuing Professional Development events, a number of Affiliates have progressed to membership.

The decision to change the Association's name was made at an Extraordinary General Meeting
in Dublin last week attended by many of the group's Members, Fellows and Affiliates.

In addition to providing top-quality genealogy research to countless individual clients over the years, members of the Association have written for Irish and international print media and appeared on, and undertaken the research for, radio and TV shows. In particular, they have provided much of the raw material documenting the ancestry of celebrities who have appeared on the Irish, British and US versions of Who Do You Think You Are?, appearing alongside such people as Jeremy Irons, Graham Norton and Julie Walters. On RTE's Genealogy Roadshow, they helped members of the public to verify family stories: checking out claims of an ancestor in the Rising; a family relationship to Charlie Chaplin; and talk of a relative with a ticket for the maiden voyage of the ill-fated Titanic.

Other shows include the RTE IFTA nominated series Dead Money, about lost fortunes being restored to families, and The Shelbourne, a five-episode series following the daily life of Ireland's grandest hotel which featured Helen Kelly in her role as the hotel's Genealogy Butler.

Announcing the decision to change APGI's name to AGI, President Steven Smyrl, said: "Beyond its functions of accrediting and regulating, APGI has made many positive contributions over the past 30 years to the development of genealogy in Ireland, particularly through championing the needs of all types of record users, lobbying state-run archives and offices, and by supporting the efforts of the Council of Irish Genealogical Organisations (CIGO).

"Under its new name of Accredited Genealogists Ireland, the Association will continue its vital role in all areas of genealogy across the island and internationally."

The Association's website has been renamed AccreditedGenealogists.ie.

NOTE: The above press release was written by Accredited Genealogists Ireland, and I have to say I'm pleased the Association has finally taken this step. For too long there's been a lack of clarity and probably a good bit of freeloading resulting from confusion about the old name and acronym. It wasn't only consumers who failed to recognise the distinction between a member of the Association of Professional Genealogists in Ireland (APGI) and a member of the Association of the Professional Genealogists (APG).

APG is a perfectly reputable organisation set up in Utah in 1979. Anyone can join provided they agree to the organisation's code of ethics. There is no educational criterion for membership nor any requirement to prove genealogical experience or know-how. Anyone who pays the membership fee can join. I could join it today if I stumped up the annual fee ($45/ $100)... and I'm not a professional genealogist.

I'm not knocking APG. Professional bodies/membership societies play an important role in any industry. But there is a big difference between paying a fee to become a member of APG and having to earn accreditation through peer-review of your work standards as required by APGI/AGI. Other important criteria for membership of APGI/AGI include a requirement that the applicant is not employed at any full time occupation other than that of a professional genealogist, and he/she must be resident in Ireland.

Hopefully, the change of name to Accredited Genealogists Ireland draws sufficient attention to the high standard achieved by the Association's members, and makes their accredited status clearer.

National Archives releases Secret Police files

The National Archives of Ireland (NAI) has today started to release secret police files dating from 1915–1916.

The Chief Secretary's Office, Crime Branch, Movement of Extremists collection is a series of daily reports by the Dublin Metropolitan Police (DMP) Detective Department on the movements and associations of pro-Independence suspects.

They date from 1 June 1915 to 20 April 1916, just four days short of the beginning of the Easter Rising, and detail intelligence gathered at a number of key city centre locations.

As well as reporting on the interaction of suspects at these locations, the forms record attendance at meetings and the drilling and marching of Irish Volunteers and the movements of suspects in and out of Dublin via the five main train stations: Kingsbridge (Heuston), Amien's Street (Connolly), Westland Row (Pearse Street), Broadstone and Harcourt Street, and Dublin Port.

More than 230 individuals are named in the reports.

The reports are being made available online as part of the NAI's plans for the Ireland 2016 Centenary Programme. They will be released on the NAI's website on a weekly basis from today.

Additional information about some of the individuals can be found via the Who Were the Extremists link on the site.

Irish genealogy, history & heritage events, 1–13 June

Monday 1 June: Bank Holiday in Republic of Ireland. Details. No bank holiday in Northern Ireland.

Tuesday 2 June: Iron and Stone: the Earls of Antrim as Victorian industrialists, with Ian Montgomery. Last of the Antrim Coast in the Age of Industry, 1750 to 1890, lunchtime lecture series. Host and Venue: PRONI, Titanic Boulevard, Belfast. Starts at 1pm. Free but need to book at proni@dcalni.gov.uk or (+44) 028 90 534800.

Tuesday 2 June: The Importance of the Military Service (1916-1923) Pensions Collection - Understanding revolutionary Ireland and beyond. Second of the Military Archives MSPC Lunchtime Lecture Series. Host and Venue: Rathmines Library, 157 Rathmines Road Lower, Dublin 6. 1pm–2pm. Admission free. Booking essential at the library or online.

Wednesday 3 June: Ulster Scots Language, with Gary Blair. Part of the Ulster Scots Connections; People, Place and Practice series. Hosts: PRONI, MAG-Ulster Scots Academy, Ulster Scots Community Network and Ulster Scots Agency. Venue: Discover Ulster Scots Centre, The Corn Exchange, 31 Gordon Street, Belfast, BT1 2LG. 1pm. Free.

Wednesday 3 June to Saturday 6 June: Women and the Great Hunger in Ireland conference. Host and venue: Quinnipiac University, Hamden, Connecticut, USA. Speakers include: Jason King, Ciarán Reilly and Margaret Ward. Full programme and registration details.

Thursday 4 June: Common Currency: The Shared Inheritance of Ulster and North America, a one-day conference hosted by the Ulster Historical Foundation. Venue: Discover Irish-Scots Centre, The Corn Exchange Building, Victoria Street, Belfast. 9am to 4pm. Free. Lunch and refreshments provided. Need to book. Programme and booking.

Friday 5 June: Putting a price on the War of Independence, with Nuala O'Connor and Diarmaid Ferriter. Host: Visual Carlow. Venue: Borris House, Borris, Co Carlow. 6pm. Tickets €12.50. Booking.

Saturday 6 June: The larger houses of County Tipperary, with Barry O'Reilly. Penultimate session of The Big House in County Tipperary lecture series. Venue: Tipperary County Museum, Mick Delahunty Square, Clonmel, Co Tipperary. 10am to Noon, with refreshments provided. €5 per session. Bookings: julia.walsh@tipperarycoco.ie or 076 106 5564.

Saturday 6 June: Ireland's other great war – Ireland and the Napoleonic Wars, a one-day conference to commemorate the bicentenary of the Battle of Waterloo. Host and venue: Department of History, Renehan Hall, Maynooth University, Co Kildare. €25 or €15 for concessions, includes tea/coffee and light lunch. Details.

Saturday 6 June: Guns and Hoses: the story of the Dublin Fire Brigade during 1916 and the revolutionary years 1913-1922, with Las Fallon. Host: Stoneybatter & Smithfield People's History Project. Venue: The Cobblestone, 77 North King Street, Smithfield, Dublin 7. 4:30pm. All welcome.

Saturday 6 June: WW1 Roadshow – East Belfast and the Great War. Venue: East Belfast Network Centre, Templemore Avenue School, 55 Templemore Avenue, Belfast BT5 4FP. 10am to 3pm. Free event. Living Legacies team providing advice on preserving artefacts; 10:30am launch of Row on Row: East Belfast Remembers 2015; 11am lecture: The Shipyard and the Home Front during WW1, with Philip Orr; 1:30pm lecture: Researching East Belfast and the Great War, with Jason Burke; 2:45pm Playing of the Last Post by The Hounds of Ulster. In addition, Nigel Henderson will be providing family history and WW1 research advice.

Monday 8 June: James O’Connor, Fenian and MP, with Cormac Lowth. Host: Clontarf Historical Society. Venue: Resource Centre, St John the Baptist, Clontarf Road, Clontarf, Dublin 3. 8:15pm. Non-members €5. All welcome.

Monday 8 June: Exhibition launch: The 6th Connaught Rangers. Host and Venue: Public Record Office of Northern Ireland, Titanic Boulevard, Belfast. 1pm. Address by Sean O'Hare, Chairman of the 6th Connaught Rangers Research Group. Followed by a presentation by Stephen Sandford, author of 'Neither Unionist nor Nationalist: The 10th (Irish) Division in the Great War'. The free exhibition continues to 10 July.

Tuesday 9 June: Establishing the Free State in conflict, 1922 – 1924. Last of the Military Archives MSPC Lunchtime Lecture Series. Host and Venue: Rathmines Library, 157 Rathmines Road Lower, Dublin 6. 1pm–2pm. Admission free. Booking essential at the library or online.

Wednesday 10 June: Book launch: The Irish in New Orleans, by Laura D Kelly. Formalities with Jimmy Deenihan, Minister of the Diaspora. Venue: Irish Whiskey Museum, 37 College Green, Dublin 2. 6:30pm to 8:30pm. Free to attend, but need to book online.

Wednesday 10 June: Archaeology of Dunluce, with Andrew Gault. Part of the Ulster Scots Connections; People, Place and Practice series. Hosts: PRONI, MAG-Ulster Scots Academy, Ulster Scots Community Network and Ulster Scots Agency. Venue: Discover Ulster Scots Centre, Belfast. 1pm. Free.

Thursday 11 June: c.790-800AD: The First Dublin Vikings? with Linzi Simpson. First of a new series of monthly lunchtime lectures hosted by the Friends of Medieval Dublin. Venue: Wood Quay Venue, Dublin City Council Civic Offices, Wood Quay, Dublin 8. 1:05pm. Admission free. NO booking is necessary.

Friday 12 June and Saturday 13 June: Seán Mac Diarmada Summer School 2015 – The Relevance of the 1916 Proclamation in the Ireland of Today. Kiltyclogher, Co Leitrim. Details.

Saturday 13 June: Genealogy workshop, with the Mayo Genealogy Group. Venue: National Museum of Ireland - Country Life, Turlough, Castlebar, Co. Mayo. No need to book. 11am–1pm. Free. New members always welcome.

Saturday 13 June: The FindMyPast website, with Mary Wickersham. Host: Irish Genealogical Society International (IGSI). Venue: Minnesota Genealogical Society Library, 1185 Concord St. N, South St. Paul, MN 55075 USA. Members $10/Non-members $15.00. 10:30am–12noon. Need to register.