Maurice Gleeson: Ireland's Superstar Genealogist

Today brought the announcement of the Gold medalists in the Superstar Genealogist 2016 poll, organised by John D Reid's Anglo-Celtic-Connections, and it's great to see Maurice Gleeson – genetic genealogist par excellence – take the Ireland award.

Maurice is a hugely popular researcher and lecturer who has worked tirelessly to extend an understanding of genetic genealogy to beginners and to bring together DNA specialists from all round the world to discuss and share developments in this fast moving field of research.

When he's not organising Genetic Genealogy Ireland or the Family Tree DNA lecture programme at WDYTYA?Live, he's either giving lectures (he really is a natural) on traditional Irish family history or DNA topics, or working out the fiddly bits of uploading videos of lectures (his own and others') to YouTube. He also manages a number of DNA groups and helps organise and publicise the Gleeson Family Gathering.

He really puts in some air miles in the process, and not just between London and Dublin. I can't tell you how many times this year he's emailed me from foreign airports. And today was no different. When I contacted him this morning, he replied from New York with this message: "I am very pleasantly surprised by this award. I’ve spent a fabulous few days in Ottawa at the BIFHSGO Conference (British Isles Family History Society of Greater Ottawa) and this was a lovely way to end the conference. I am also very privileged to have been nominated among such worthy genealogical luminaries and I am very humbled by the award. A big thank you to everyone who took the time to vote for me - I am very grateful."

Congratulations, Maurice. You're front of stage again.

Transcribers needed for Wexford Memorial Cards project

Most of the collection relate to deaths in the C20th
but there are a good number of older ones, too.

Can you help Ireland Genealogy Projects Archives (IGP-web)? The free online archive holds an outstanding range of donated records and other genealogical material, and is run entirely by volunteers. It has been bequeathed some 2,000 memorial cards, most of them relating to people from County Wexford, and needs assistance to get them all transcribed.

The collection was gathered together by Michael Doyle from Wexford who passed away about a month ago. His brother wants to share the cards with as many researchers as possible and knew that IGPArchives was the best home for them.

The team are delighted, of course, but the huge collection presents a problem, as Co-ordinator Christina Hunt explains: "If we can only upload these memorial cards a few at a time, it will be ages before they are all available. My hope is to find several transcribers to add these to our online archive. This way, we would get the project completed much more quickly."

You can see the form that has to be filled in to add individual cards to the archive here.

If you can offer some time to this worthwhile project, please contact Christina by email at chrisnina@gmail.com.

FindMyPast adds 3.5million London records

Last week's FindMyPast Friday included a bunch of new London record sets that may be of value to researchers whose Irish ancestors sought work in England's capital or settled there. Brief details of these collections are below.

London Post Office Directories 1842, 1851 and 1861: The directories include lists of traders, bankers, people employed by the crown, officials, and lawyers as well as full street directories. They are not indexed but you can browse through a directory fairly easily as their different sections are well signposted and they list names alphabetically by surname.

Westminster, Poor Law and Parish Administration: This collection of transcripts and images of the original documents holds more than 1.7million records including bastardy papers, admissions, examinations, pauper records, valuations, work house records and more. It can be searched by name, year, place, record types and additional keywords, and the amount of information varies according to the type of record.

City Of London, Gunmakers' Company Freedoms and Admissions, 1656-1936: A small collection of more than five thousand records from registers of Freeman's admissions and lists of liverymen.

There were also some top-ups to existing collections (number of added records in brackets):

• Thames & Medway Baptisms (15,000 new) and burials (10,000)
  
• Westminster burials (105,000)
  
• London, Docklands and East End Baptisms, 1558-1933 (24,000)
  
• Greater London Burial Index (99,000)

Rockstar Genealogists 2016: Silver & Bronze medals

An email from blogger John D Reid of Anglo-Celtic-Connections arrived in my Inbox this morning telling me that I'd been voted into Bronze place in his annual RockStar Genealogist Awards. What a nice way to start the day!

While I'm genuinely chuffed to have received votes, I'm glad to have dropped down a couple of positions from last year's virtual podium because I didn't feel comfortable or deserving of the top spot. For a start, my natural inclination to the limelight is to run a mile in the opposite direction. But it's also because one of the primary reasons for John's poll is to help society and conference organisers chose highly-regarded speakers for their lecture programmes. I don't give lectures. I'm not even a professional genealogist! Despite feeling I don't really belong in this poll, I much appreciate the votes cast. A big thank you to everyone who voted for me.

A certain John Grenham came in at second place and he most certainly gives lectures... very informative, witty and well-presented lectures, too, as many researchers around the world will know (and weekend after next, he'll be doing just that at the Clare Roots Society's international conference in Ennis - see here). As well as being a professional genealogist and member of Accredited Genealogists Ireland, he presents webinars, publishes his incredibly useful Irish Ancestors website and blog at johngrenham.com, and is the author of the bestseller Tracing Your Irish Ancestors, now in its 4th edition. A Rockstar Genealogist poll will always see John in the band! Congratulations, John.

You can view all the RockStar Genealogists 2016 Silver and Bronze Medallists here.

National Library of Ireland's website is offline

All online services from the National Library of Ireland, including the free Roman Catholic Registers database of images at nli.registers.ie, are currently offline.

I'm not sure what the problem is, but the Library's tech team is aware of it, so hopefully it won't be too long before normal service is returned.

UPDATE - 1pm: It seems the Library has suffered a 'prolonged power outage'. In addition to the on-going loss of online services, all the Library's buildings have been closed and will remain so throughout the day. So no access to exhibitions, Reading Rooms, Cafe Joly, or the free Genealogy Advisory Service.

UPDATE - 7pm: The Library's web services – both the main site (http://www.nli.ie) and the RC Registers database (http://registers.nli.ie/) – are back with us online.

UPDATE, 15 September: The NLI has announced that its online services will be offline this evening from 5pm to 10pm for 'essential electrical works'. Whether this is related to the power cut earlier in the week, I don't know.

President Higgins unveils Famine Cross at Glasnevin

The Famine Cross at Glasnevin Cemetery, Dublin,
is a new national memorial to those who
perished in Ireland during An Gorta Mór

At a ceremony at Glasnevin Cemetery yesterday, President Michael D. Higgins, accompanied by Arts Minister Heather Humphreys, unveiled a striking Famine Cross as a memorial to those who perished during the years of An Gorta Mór.

The failure of the potato crop left an indelible mark on Ireland, with one million people dying of starvation or disease, and a further million forced to escape by emigration. In an emotional speech, President Higgins compared the World's current refugee crisis, which has seen millions of people displaced or drowned as they flee war and famine, to that of the Irish Famine, and said that we must learn from the mistakes of the past and not repeat them.

The National Famine Commemoration is a State ceremony; it included military honours and a wreath laying ceremony by Ambassadors to Ireland in remembrance of all those who suffered or died during the Famine, as well as music from local choirs and St James’s Brass and Reed Band, Ireland’s oldest band.

Donated by Glasnevin Trust, the Famine Cross was hand-crafted from Irish Blue Limestone by an unknown but skillful sculptor in the mid-19th-century. It has been elevated and fixed into a stone base of the same material by McKeon Stone of Stradbally with the inscription made by letter-cutter Aileen Ann Brannigan.

Irish genealogy, history & heritage events, 12–24 Sept

Monday 12 September: Tea, with Pamela Emerson. Host and venue: PRONI, Titanic Boulevard, Belfast. Free. 1pm. Booking: T: 028 9053 4800, E: proni@communities-ni.gov.uk.

Monday 12 Sept:Rare ’Oul Tales from Derry Quay': stories from the history of the port, with Ken McCormack. Host: North of Ireland Family History Society, Foyle Branch. Venue: Derry Central Library, 35 Foyle Street, Londonderry, BT48 6AL. 7pm. All welcome.

Monday 12 September: Back to School: Gaining Knowledge as an Amateur Genealogist, with Kathleen Morrison. Host: North of Ireland Family History Society, Newtownabbey Branch. Venue: Drama Theatre, Glengormley High School, 134 Ballyclare Road, Newtownabbey, Co Antrim BT36 5HP. 7pm. All welcome.

Tuesday 13 September: Making Sense of the Census, with Roddy Hegarty. Host: North of Ireland Family History Society, Lisburn Branch. Venue: Bridge Community Centre, 50 Railway Street, Lisburn, BT28 1XP. 7:30pm. All welcome.

Tuesday 13 September: Linking genealogy and social history, with Billy Saunderson. Host: Genealogical Society of Ireland. Venue: Dún Laoghaire Further Education Institute, Cumberland Street, Dún Laoghaire, Co. Dublin. Donation €3. All welcome. 8pm.

Wednesday 14 September: Players or Patriots? The Gaelic Athletic Association and the 1916 Rising, with Dr Richard McElligott. Part of the Atlas of the Irish Revolution: Lecture Series. Host and venue: National Library of Ireland, Kildare Street, Dublin 2. Free. 1pm. All welcome. Booking not required.

Wednesday 14 September:  Knocknamuckly: the story of an Armagh townland, with Professor Raymond Gillespie. Part of the County Armagh Lecture Series. Host and venue: PRONI, Titanic Boulevard, Belfast. 1pm. Free. Booking recommended - email proni@communities-ni.gov.uk to secure your place.

Friday 16 September - Culture Night. 3,000 events in 1,400 venues, in 40+ venues. All events are free but some require advance booking. Download programmes.

Saturday 17 September: Irish records, with Jill Williams FIGRS, part of the U3A family history day-conference. Other speakers include Dr Nick Barrett, Nigel Lutt and Bill Taylor. Host: U3A Peak District Family History Network Events. Venue: Palace Hotel, Palace Road, Buxton, Derbyshire, UK. Fee £20. Details.

Saturday 17 September: One-Step Webpages: A Potpourri of Genealogical Search Tools, with Steve Morse. Host: Irish Family History Forum. Venue: Bethpage Library. Meeting starts 10am. 47 Powell Ave., Bethpage, New York, USA. Details.

Monday 19 September: My Great Grandfather, the Bigamist, with Su Topping. Host: North of Ireland Family History Society, Larne Branch. Venue: Larne Bowling & Lawn Tennis Club, 112-120 Glenarm Road, Larne, BT40 1DZ. 7:30pm. All welcome. Find out more.

Monday 19 September: 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 20 September 20: The Story of the Scots and Irish in Missouri, with Rickey Pittman. Host and venue: Midwest Genealogy Center, 3440 S. Lee's Summit Road, Independence, Missouri, MO 64055, USA. 10am to 11am. Free, but need to register.

Tuesday 20 September: From Ireland to Canada in the 1950s, with Philip Donnelly. Host: Bailieborough Heritage Society. Venue: Bailieborough Library, Market House, Bailieborough, Co Cavan. 7:30pm. Free. All welcome.

Tuesday 20 September:The Irish Volunteers and 1916: Oral history accounts of Lisburn and County Antrim, with Dr Donall McAnallen. Host and venue: Irish Linen Centre and Lisburn Museum (Assembly Room), Market Square, Lisburn BT28 1AG. 7pm. Free but booking essential: T: 028 9266 3377, E: ilc.reception@lisburncastlereagh.gov.uk.

Wednesday 21 September:  Bogs, Battles and Barges: The Newry Canal, Oldest in the British Isles, with Geraldine Foley. Part of the County Armagh Lecture Series. Host and venue: PRONI, Titanic Boulevard, Belfast. 1pm. Free. Booking recommended - email proni@communities-ni.gov.uk to secure your place.

Wednesday 21 September:  Thomas Francis Meagher and the Meaghers of Ballycanvan, with James Andrew Doherty. Venue: Jack Meades, Passage E Rd, Halfway House, Faithlegg, Co Waterford. 8pm.

Wednesday 21 September: Who Do You Think You Are: Starting Family History Research. Host: North of Ireland Family History Society, North Armagh Branch. Venue: Bleary Community Centre, 1 Deans Road, Bleary, Craigavon, Co Armagh, BT66 8TD. 7:30pm. All welcome.

Saturday 24 September: Guided tour of Long Tower Church and Graveyard, with Ivor Doherty. Host: North of Ireland Family History Society, Foyle Branch. Venue: Long Tower Church, Derry. 7pm. All welcome.

Friday 23 to Saturday 24 September: Diaspora of the Wild Atlantic Way, an international conference exploring migration from the west of Ireland. Host: Clare Roots Society. Treacy's West County Hotel, Ennis, Co Clare. Details.

Ireland's historical registers of births, marriages and deaths are now online

The General Register Office of Ireland's historical civil registers of birth, marriage and death have been uploaded to the free state-run IrishGenealogy.ie.

As anticipated, they follow the 100-75-50 years access rule and they are free. If the index entry gives you the option of an image, you download a pdf of the full register page in which that birth, marriage or death certificate appears.

While this seems to be working fine for all indexed entries that had been assigned the GRO's Group Registration ID (GRID), I'm not getting access to any images for those without a GRID. As far as I can see from my early kick-around, all the births from 1864 have a GRID, so this collection should be complete with images. However, marriages before 1886 do not seem to have GRIDs so are not accompanied by an image, and the same goes for deaths from about 1880.

Whether these will appear later, I don't know. Hopefully the site's Help pages will be updated without too much delay so that we can be sure what we've got.

I'll update this page as things clarify. In the meantime, have fun and try not to break it.

UPDATE 1:45pm: Didn't I say to play nicely?! The site 'broke' about 15 minutes ago. Since it has reverted to yesterday's site, I'm going to keep positive and believe it is not really broken. Probably this morning was just a trial run. Keep your fingers crossed for its quick return either later today or tomorrow, in time for the evening launch.

UPDATE 2:05pm: Okay, the new site is back again but throwing up as many Internal Error notices as records. Such fluctations usually suggests a capacity problem so don't be surprised if you find it bouncing around for the best part of the day+. If I become aware of any other problems I'll flag them here.

UPDATE 7:30pm: I've just spent a happy hour of research on the IrishGenealogy site, and it seems to be working just fine. There are, however, 'gaps' in the availability of images, as mentioned above, plus a few records that 'should', by time frame, have an image attached, but don't. I've also received emails from researchers who have found indexed entries that link to the wrong images. There seem to be more instances of this than I'd have expected. I've even found my own example: Bessie Santry, born 1896 in Kinsale; she doesn't appear on the linked page of the register.

I've emailed some questions regarding the issues raised today. I'll let you know the response in due course.

UPDATE: 8 September, 11:45am: I've heard back from the Department of Arts, Heritage, Regional, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs who manage the site. The website now holds 12.5million Index records linked to 2.5million images from the historic registers of Births, Marriages and Deaths. Images are available as follows:

• Births: 1864 to 1915
  
• Marriages: 1882 to 1940
  
• Deaths: 1891 to 1965

Apparently, the images of the pre-1882 registers of Marriage and pre-1891 registers of Deaths are being updated by the General Register Office and will be added to the website in due course. I have also been advised that the website may fluctuate a bit today while some last-minute checks are run before this evening's official launch.

UPDATE 3:30pm: Two new pages have appeared in the Civil Records Help section of the site. They both relate to the redaction of records. Those over the age of 100 years old who don't want an image of their birth certificate to be available online are provided with instructions for applying for its redaction. Same goes for those who've been married for more than 75 years who don't want their marriage certificate to appear online. There's also a note about cancelled entries.

UPDATE 5:20pm: Official launch press release from the DAHG and DSP here.

UPDATE: 9 September, 12:30pm: The site has been offline for over an hour. So, too, the National Archives of Ireland's Genealogy website (or, at least, its databases). Not sure what the problem is, but I'll advise when they're up and running again.

UPDATE: 3:30pm: And the site is back online. (So is the NAI's website.)

National Library of Ireland's autumn Genealogy course is fully booked

You may remember reading here on Irish Genealogy News about the National Library of Ireland's new 8-week Genealogy course to be run by the well-respected tutor Sean Murphy (see blogpost). The course starts on 5 October.

Booking opened on Thursday 1 September and all 30 places were allocated within two-and-a-half hours! Ten people are on the waiting list.

Irish genealogy & history events, 5 – 17 September

All of September: Railway Street (Lisburn) through the ages - Exhibition exploring local family history resources and how to start researching. Host: North of Ireland Family History Society Lisburn Branch. Venue: Lisburn City Library, Linenhall St, Lisburn BT28 1FJ. Free. Members available for free consultations during library hours, 5–9 September. Details.

Monday 5 September: Researching Ancestors in the Army in India, workshop, with FIBIS. Host & venue: British Library, Euston Rd, London UK. 2pm–5pm. Free but you need to book. Details.

Tuesday 6 September: Women and the Legacy of the First World War, with Kate Adie. Host and venue: Ulster Museum (Lecture Theatre, ground floor), Botanic Gardens, Belfast BT9 5AB. 1–2pm. Free but booking is essential.

Tuesday 6 September: Ten free websites for US genealogical research, with Joe Buggy. 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.

Wednesday 7 September:  Tracing your ancestors, with Ann Robinson. Host: North of Ireland Family History Society Lisburn Branch. Venue: Lisburn City Library, Linenhall St, Lisburn BT28 1FJ. 1-2pm. Free. Details.

Wednesday 7 September:  The City of Armagh and Christianity since St Patrick: Ireland’s Jerusalem? with Roddy Hegarty. First of the County Armagh Lecture Series. Host and venue: PRONI, Titanic Boulevard, Belfast. 1pm. Free. Booking recommended - email proni@communities-ni.gov.uk to secure your place.

Thursday 8 September: Adventures in DNA: Who were the first Irish?, with Professor Dan Bradley. 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 8 September: Emigration and our Galway diaspora, conference. Venue: Clarenbridge Oyster Festival Marquee, Clarinbridge, Co. Galway. Full day conference featuring a lineup of genealogy specialists. Free. Programme and details (4Mb pdf).

Thursday 8 September: 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.

Friday 9 September: Finding the Stories of Your Ancestors, with Pamela Guye Holland. Host: TIARA. Venue: Brandeis University, Mandel Center for the Humanities, Room G3, 415 South St., Waltham, Massachusetts 02453 USA. Doors open at 7pm. Lecture at 7:30pm.

Friday 9 September to Sunday 11 September: BIFHSGO Family History Conference, focussing mainly (but not exclusively) on Irish genealogy and DNA. Irish topic speakers include Kyle Betit, Maurice Gleeson, Gloria Tubman and Lucille Campey. Host: British Isles Family History Society of Greater Ottawa 2016 Conference. Venue: Ben Franklin Place, 101 Centrepointe Drive, Ottawa, Canada. $40. Programme and details.

Saturday 10 September: School of Irish Genealogy, with the Friends of Irish Research Genealogy Team. Venue: The Irish Cultural Centre Library, 200 New Boston Drive, Canton, MA, USA. Using free research tools online, with Joe Petrie, and DNA – How to get the most of the available services, with Richard Reid. 1pm–4pm. Register by email: friendsofirishresearch@gmail.com.

Saturday 10 September: 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.

Saturday 10 September: Genealogy drop-in, with Mayo Genealogy Group. Host and venue: National Museum of Ireland, Country Life, Turlough Park, Co Mayo. Free practical tips. No booking required. New researchers welcome. 11:30am to 1pm.

Saturday 10 September: European Heritage Open Day at PRONI. Tours of the building will be available and the Search Room will be open for access to self-service microfilm and other reference material.  There will no access to original records. Venue: Public Record Office of Northern Ireland, Titanic Boulevard, Belfast. 10am–4pm.

Sunday 11 September: The impact of WW1 on the domestic, economic, social and political life of Ulster, including the effect on women and children, industry and agriculture. Part of European Heritage Open Day series at Ulster Museum, Botanic Gardens, Belfast BT9 5AB. (Lecture Theatre, ground floor). 3-4pm. No need to book.

Monday 12 September: Tea, with Pamela Emerson. Host and venue: PRONI, Titanic Boulevard, Belfast. Free. 1pm. Booking: T: 028 9053 4800, E: proni@communities-ni.gov.uk.

Monday 12 Sept:Rare ’Oul Tales from Derry Quay: stories from the history of the port, with Ken McCormack. Host: North of Ireland Family History Society, Foyle Branch. Venue: Derry Central Library, 35 Foyle Street, Londonderry, BT48 6AL. 7pm. All welcome.

Monday 12 September: Back to School: Gaining Knowledge as an Amateur Genealogist, with Kathleen Morrison. Host: North of Ireland Family History Society, Newtownabbey Branch. Venue: Drama Theatre, Glengormley High School, 134 Ballyclare Road, Newtownabbey, Co Antrim BT36 5HP. 7pm. All welcome.

Tuesday 13 September: Making Sense of the Census, with Roddy Hegarty. Host: North of Ireland Family History Society, Lisburn Branch. Venue: Bridge Community Centre, 50 Railway Street, Lisburn, BT28 1XP. 7:30pm. All welcome.

Tuesday 13 September: Linking genealogy and social history, with Billy Saunderson. Host: Genealogical Society of Ireland. Venue: Dún Laoghaire Further Education Institute, Cumberland Street, Dún Laoghaire, Co. Dublin. Donation €3. All welcome. 8pm.

Wednesday 14 September: Players or Patriots? The Gaelic Athletic Association and the 1916 Rising, with Dr Richard McElligott. Part of the Atlas of the Irish Revolution: Lecture Series. Host and venue: National Library of Ireland, Kildare Street, Dublin 2. Free. 1pm. All welcome. Booking not required.

Wednesday 14 September:  Knocknamuckly: the story of an Armagh townland, with Professor Raymond Gillespie. Part of the County Armagh Lecture Series. Host and venue: PRONI, Titanic Boulevard, Belfast. 1pm. Free. Booking recommended - email proni@communities-ni.gov.uk to secure your place.

Friday 16 September - Culture Night. 3,000 events in 1,400 venues, in 40+ venues. All events are free but some require advance booking. Download programmes.

Saturday 17 September: Irish records, with Jill Williams FIGRS, part of the U3A family history day-conference. Other speakers include Dr Nick Barrett, Nigel Lutt and Bill Taylor. Host: U3A Peak District Family History Network Events. Venue: Palace Hotel, Palace Road, Buxton, Derbyshire, UK. Fee £20. Details.

Saturday 17 September: One-Step Webpages: A Potpourri of Genealogical Search Tools, with Steve Morse. Host: Irish Family History Forum. Venue: Bethpage Library. Meeting starts 10am. 47 Powell Ave., Bethpage, New York, USA. Details.