Ancestry DNA – 25% discount – Ireland and UK only

AncestryDNA has another great offer on its DNA testing kits.

With a 25% discount, the price is now down to £59 – the lowest it's ever been, as far as I'm aware. (Hard to believe the cost of a kit was £99 only a matter of a few months ago!)

You have to add shipping, but that's always been the case.

The discount is available only to households in the UK and Ireland and the offer will expire on Thursday 18 August.

National Library of Ireland to host 8-week genealogy course, presented by Sean Murphy

The National Library of Ireland is to host an 8-week Introduction to Genealogy course this Autumn. Presented by the well-known and much-respected genealogy tutor Sean Murphy, the course will be held in the seminar room in the main Kildare Street building on Wednesday afternoons, from 2pm to 4:30pm.

Each lecture will focus on a different topic, as shown in the outline schedule below. These are not 'drop in' classes; students are asked to commit to atttending all the lectures. They will also need to bring a laptop or tablet to some of the lectures and should have a reasonable level of IT skills.

Places on this free course will be strictly limited to 30.

Booking will not open until Thursday 1 September. From that date (and not before), you can email ckerrigan@nli.ie to book your place.

Lecture 1, 5 October: First Steps
Preview of course; principles of history and of genealogy, recommended texts, preparing draft pedigrees; advice on completing a personal genealogical project; research methods, National Library, National Archives, General Register Office and other record repositories. Please bring available laptops, tablets, etc, for practical classwork.

Lecture 2, 12 October: Computers and the Internet
Computers and online resources; websites of National Library and other repositories; the e-library; Ancestral Quest and other genealogy programs, online family trees; photographs, videos and digital images. Online workshop I.

Lecture 3, 19 October: Placenames, Forenames and Surnames
Origins and forms of Irish placenames, administrative divisions; forenames or first names; origins of surnames internationally and in Ireland, surnames of Gaelic and settler origin, septs and chiefs, the question of Irish ‘clans’.

Lecture 4, 26 October: Census Records
Census returns of 1901 and 1911 and pre-1901 fragments, census records online; review of progress in personal genealogical projects.

Lecture 5, 2 November: Vital Records and Property Valuation Records
Civil records of births, marriages and deaths commencing in 1864 (and non-Catholic marriages commencing in 1845); Tithe Applotment Books (1820s-30s), Griffith’s Valuation (1848-64), Valuation Office records. Online workshop II.

Lecture 6, 9 November: Church Records, Wills and Deeds
Parish and church registers (baptism, marriage and burial) of Roman Catholic, Church of Ireland, Presbyterian and other denominations; National Library and other online church register resources; wills pre- and post-1858, National Archives and online; the holdings of the Registry of Deeds

Lecture 7, 16 November: Memorial Inscriptions and Miscellaneous Sources
Memorial inscriptions in graveyards, churches and commercial cemeteries; an introduction to estate papers, newspapers, directories, occupational records, and other miscellaneous sources. Online workshop III.

Lecture 8, 23 November: Conclusion and Recapitulation
Recapitulation of main points of course, review of students’ progress, comparing portfolios, selected student case studies, planning further work.

UPDATE: Booking opened at 9am. Course was fully allocated by 11:30am.

Ancestry extends England & Wales probate coverage

Ancestry's England & Wales, National Probate Calendar (Index of Wills and Administrations) 1858-1966 collection has been extended with the addition of calendars from 1973 to 1997. This update adds six million records to the collection.

All the calendars in the collection can be searched by surname or, in the browse function, by year.

This record set is a great source for locating Irish men and women over nearly 140 years, and the latest additions will be particulary handy for anyone researching towards living relatives. The calendar format changes a little over the time-period covered in the collection but each entry typically include date of probate, full name of the deceased, death date and place, and the Registry where probate was issued.

Atlantic Canada's Irish Immigrants – book launch

The book is available in three formats
– paperback, epub and kindle – via Dundurn

Billed as 'a transformative work that explodes assumptions about the importance of the Great Irish Potato Famine to Irish immigration', a new book – Atlantic Canada's Irish Immigrants: A Fish and Timber Story – has been published by Dundurn.

Its author is Lucille H Campey who was awarded the prestigious Prix du Quebec by the Quebec government earlier this year in recognition of her ongoing contribution to Canadian immigration studies. She has written several books on the subject of Scottish and English immigration to Canada and this is the first of three books on the Irish.

In its 424 pages, she traces the relocation of around 90,000 Irish people to their new homes in Atlantic Canada and considers why they close their various locatons in Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, and Newfoundland.

She shatters the widespread misconception that the exodus was primarily driven by dire events in Ireland and highlights how, through their skill and energy, they benefitted themselves and contributed much to the development of Atlantic Canada.

The publisher describes the book as essential reading for anyone wishing to understand the history of the Irish exodus to North America and says it provides a mine of information useful to family historians.

The book will be available via Amazon shortly.

The North of Ireland Family History Society announces its Autumn course programme

The North of Ireland Family History Society (NIFHS) has announced its range of Autumn courses, all held at its Research Centre in Newtownabbey, Co Antrim, where there's plenty of parking. Some of the courses are held in the mornings, some in the afternoons, and some in the evening, and they run for between one and three sessions.

The course topic and starting date are shown below, so when you see a class of interest, hop over to the NIFHS website for full details.

Saturday 1 October   –   The Advantages of Y-DNA
Monday 3 October    –   You’ve taken the DNA Test, what next? – Understanding Family Finder
Tuesday 4 October    –  Writing up Your Family History
Saturday 8 October  –  Dublin Archives & Visit to Dublin
Saturday 8 October    –  You’ve taken the DNA Test, what next? – Understanding Family Finder
Tuesday 11 October    –  Life in Ulster in the 1830s
Tuesday 18 October    –  A Beginners’ Guide to Facebook
Tuesday 25 October    –  The Plantation of Ulster – Names & Places
Saturday 29 October    –   Memory Box – a creative craft class
Saturday 5 November    –   A Beginner's Guide to Facebook
Wednesday 9 November  –   A Beginner's Guide to Word
Tuesday 15 November  –   Land Records & Maps
Wednesday 16 November –   Manipulating Images in Word
Saturday 19 November    –   Researching Military Ancestors
Wednesday 23 November   –   A Beginner's Guide to PowerPoint

Ancestral connections to the SS Hare, torpedoed 1917?

Do you, or anyone you know, have a connection to the SS Hare? The cargo ship was sailing from Manchester to Dublin on 14 December 1917 when it was torpedoed by a German submarine some 21km east of Howth Head. The captain survived, but his crew of 12 people went down with the ship.

A group has been formed to plan events to commemorate the centenary of the sinking and to remember all the crew members who lost their lives. It is currently trying to trace relatives and descendants of the crew, half of whom lived in Dublin and resided at addresses in the Sandymount, Ringsend, Irishtown and Pearse Street areas.

If you would like to get involved, contact David Cotter of the Provisional S.S. Hare Commemoration 2017 Committee. Click the image, right, for further details.

Summer savings from Family Tree DNA

FamilyTree DNA is running a summer sale promotion with some worthwhile savings.

Its Family Finder test is reduced by $30 to just $69, and a number of packages are also available with similarly sized discounts, as below.

Family Finder + Y37 – Male-specific bundle includes Family Finder plus Y-chromosome test that analyzes 37-markers.
Reduced from $268 to $238USD

Family Finder + Y67 – Male-specific bundle incl. Family Finder plus 67 marker Y-DNA test.
Reduced from $367 to $337USD

Family Finder + mtFull Sequence – Family Finder plus a Full Mitochondrial Sequence, for both males and females. This mtDNA test traces the maternal line.
Reduced from $298 to $268USD

Comprehensive Genome – The ultimate bundle. Family Finder plus male-specific Y-chromosome tests and mtFull Sequence tests.
Reduced from $566 to $536USD.

I'm not sure when the sale ends, so probably best to act quickly to ensure you take advantage of the savings.

NAI Genealogy Service change of hours, 11 August only

The Reading Room of the National Archives of Ireland (NAI) in Bishop Street will be closed on Thursday 11 August until 2pm.

As a result, the NAI's free Genealogy Advisory Service will not operate to its normal hours*. For this one day only, it will start at 2pm and end at 5pm.

*Normal hours are Monday to Friday, 10:30am to 1:30pm, year-round. No need for appointment.

Irish genealogy & history events, 8–21 August

Tuesday 9 August: Researching the Rising Workshop, with Dr Emma Edwards. Advice on researching the collections of theh NLI. Host and venue: National Library of Ireland, Kildare Street, Dublin 2. 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. Free. Need to book. Details.

Tuesday 9 August: The manor of Kilmainham, with Paolo Virtuani. Part of the Milestones of Medieval Dublin Lunchtime Lectures series. Host: Friends of Medieval Dublin. Venue: Civic Offices, Wood Quay, Dublin 8. 1:05–1:50pm. Free. No booking. All welcome.

Tuesday 9 August: Sisters of the Revolutionaries: Margaret and Mary Bridget Pearse, with Teresa O’ Donnell. Host: Genealogical Society of Ireland. Venue: Dún Laoghaire Further Education Institute, Cumberland Street, Dún Laoghaire, Dublin 18. 8–10pm. All Welcome. €3.

Tuesday 9 August: History of Deaf Culture in Ireland, with Liam Breen/Cormac Leonard (interpreter). Part of the NLI Genealogy at lunchtime lecture series. Host and venue: National Library of Ireland, Kildare Street, Dublin 2. Free. 1pm. All welcome. Booking not required.

Thursday 11 August: The Yanks are Coming: The American Expeditionary Force in the Great War, with John Lee. Host: Western Front Association. Venue: PRONI, Titanic Boulevard, Belfast. 6:30pm. All welcome. Free. No need to book.

Thursday 11 August: WWI Ireland: Exploring the Irish Experience, an exhibition tour. Host and venue: National Library of Ireland, 2/3 Kildare Street, Dublin 2. Booking is not required. All welcome. 2pm.

Thursday 11 August: The Reading Room and free Genealogy Service of the National Archives of Ireland, Bishop Street, Dublin 8, will be available 2pm to 5pm only.

Thursday 11 August: Oral traditions, with Nuala Ni Dhomhnaill. Part of the NLI Genealogy at lunchtime lecture series. Host and venue: National Library of Ireland, Kildare Street, Dublin 2. Free. 1pm. All welcome. Booking not required.

Saturday 13 August: Tipperary Studies closed. The local studies and archive department of Tipperary Libraries will not open. Venue: The Source, Cathedral Street, Thurles, Co. Tipperary. Re-opens Monday 15 August. Phone for details: (0504) 29278.

Saturday 13 August: Genealogy drop-in, with Mayo Genealogy Group. Host and venue: National Museum of Ireland, Country Life, Turlough Park, Co Mayo. If you have an interest in finding out about your family history come along for free practical tips. No booking required. New researchers welcome. 11:30am to 1pm.

Saturday 13 August: The National Library's History & Heritage, an introduction to the Library's rich architectural history and the Signatories exhibition, plus a guided tour of the Reading Room.  Venue: National Library of Ireland, Kildare Street, Dublin 2. Admission free. All welcome. 1pm. No need to book.

Sunday 14 August: Bonnets and Brothels: The Women of Dublin Castle, with Kimberley Foy. Host and venue: Dublin Castle, Dame Street, Dublin 2. Talk tailored to adults. 4:15pm. Free, but booking required by email to DublinCastleEducation@opw.ie.

Monday 15 August: Medieval Rathdown, with Chris Corlett. Part of the 42nd Summer Series of Evening Lectures by Rathmichael Historical Society. Venue: Rathmichael School, Stonebridge Road, Shankill, Co. Dublin. (Junction of Dublin Road and Stonebridge Road, Shankill). Members free. Non-members €5. Tea/coffee and biscuits served after lecture. 8pm.

Monday 15 August: Genealogy information sessions, with Margaret Bonar and Elizabeth Craven. Morning and afternoon sessions. Morning venue: Raheny Library, Howth Rd, Dublin 5 from 10:30am to 11:45am. Afternoon venue: Donaghmede library, Donaghmede Shopping Centre, Dublin 13 from 2:30pm to 4pm. Free. Bookings to 085 1444883 or impossibleancestors@gmail.com.

Tuesday 16 August: Irish genealogy, a presentation by Dr Paul McCotter MAGI, followed by free genealogical advice clinic. Venue: Franciscan Well pub, North Mall, Cork City. 8:30pm. Free. All welcome.

Tuesday 16 August: Wilde's women: how Oscar Wilde was shaped by the women he knew, with Eleanor Fitzsimons. Part of the NLI Genealogy at lunchtime lecture series. Host and venue: National Library of Ireland, Kildare Street, Dublin 2. Free. 1pm. All welcome. Booking not required.

Tuesday 16 August: Before De Ridelesford: Mapping the Proto Manor of Bre 1171-1173, with David McIlreavy. Part of the 42nd Summer Series of Evening Lectures by Rathmichael Historical Society. Venue: Rathmichael School, Stonebridge Road, Shankill, Co. Dublin. (Junction of Dublin Road and Stonebridge Road, Shankill). Members free. Non-members €5. Tea/coffee and biscuits served after lecture. 8pm.

Wednesday 17 August: Seeking Your Scots-Irish Ancestors webinar, with Donna Moughty. Host: Georgia Genealogical Society, USA. Members and non-members can view the live webinar free. Only members can view the recording. Live online broadcast 8pm–9:30pm EST. Need to register. Details.

Wednesday 17 August: The National Museum of Ireland: Memories and Anecdotes, with Dr Patrick Wallace. The Leo Swan Memorial Lecture, and part of the 42nd Summer Series of Evening Lectures by Rathmichael Historical Society. Venue: Rathmichael School, Stonebridge Road, Shankill, Co. Dublin. (Junction of Dublin Road and Stonebridge Road, Shankill). Members free. Non-members €5. Tea/coffee and biscuits served after lecture. 8pm.

Thursday 18 August: The Forgotten Irish: Revealing the voices of Irish 19th-century emigrants, with Damien Shiels. Part of the NLI Genealogy at lunchtime lecture series. Host and venue: National Library of Ireland, Kildare Street, Dublin 2. Free. 1pm. All welcome. Booking not required.

Thursday 18 August: Recent Archaeological Research at Glendalough, with Dr Graeme Warren. Part of the 42nd Summer Series of Evening Lectures by Rathmichael Historical Society. Venue: Rathmichael School, Stonebridge Road, Shankill, Co. Dublin. (Junction of Dublin Road and Stonebridge Road, Shankill). Members free. Non-members €5. Tea/coffee and biscuits served after lecture. 8pm.

Friday 19 August to Wednesday 24 August: Gleeson Gathering. A six-day event including genealogy and history talks (full day on Saturday), visit to Local Studies archives, guided walks and tours of local attractions, genealogy consultations at the North Tipperary Genealogy Centre, and social events. Venue: Various, Nenagh, Co Tipperary. Programme.

Friday 19 August: Some exceptional women in early medieval Ireland – Evidence from the grave, with Dr Elixabeth O'Brien. Part of the 42nd Summer Series of Evening Lectures by Rathmichael Historical Society. Venue: Rathmichael School, Stonebridge Road, Shankill, Co. Dublin. (Junction of Dublin Road and Stonebridge Road, Shankill). Members free. Non-members €5. Tea/coffee and biscuits served after lecture. 8pm.

RCBLibrary relaunches List of Church of Ireland Parish Registers

The Representative Church Body Library will be relaunching its List of Church of Ireland Parish Registers this evening at a reception in St Audoen’s parish church, Dublin.

The list accounts for all Church of Ireland parochial registers of baptism, marriage and burial – noting what survives, the dates covered, and where they are located. Where registers were destroyed in the burning of the Public Record Office of Ireland (PROI) during the Irish Civil War in 1922, the list records details about abstracts and transcripts and where they are held.

In its new online version, the list has been reformatted into an accessible colour-coded resource. Additionally, it now includes live links to other websites holding indexes, transcripts and scanned images of parish registers. It will continue to be free to researchers.

The new resource has been produced by the RCB Library in collaboration with the Irish Genealogical Research Society (IGRS) who undertook the project as a celebration of its 80th anniversary. The reworking of the list was carried out by Yours Truly, and I believe it will quickly become a first port of call for all family historians intending to research their ancestral connections through Church of Ireland parish registers.

The formalities of the evening will be conducted by John McDonough, Director of the National Archive of Ireland, and the List will be available as the RCBL's Archive of the Month (August).

I'll blog a report of the launch in a day or so.