National Library's RC Registers site has a tech problem

A technical problem appears to have hit the National Library of Ireland's RC Registers website this afternoon.

When you identify the parish you want to search, you are erroneously told that the NLI doesn't have any available registers for the area (see example below). I've checked a dozen parishes and all of them return the same message, but it's possible there are others functioning correctly.

The Library IT team is working to solve the problem.

UPDATE, Friday 7 July, 10:20am: Problems solved. Site seems to be functioning properly again.

North & East Cork school records join RootsIreland.ie

Mallow Heritage Centre, the Irish Family History Foundation's genealogy centre in North Cork, has added nearly 20,000 transcripts of National School records to its database on RootsIreland.ie.

They include the following:

• Ballyvongane Boys' School - 1880-1930
  
• Ballyvongane Boys' School - 1931 onwards
  
• Ballyvongane Girls' School - 1942 onwards
  
• Ballyvongane School 1870 - 1887
  
• Ballyvongane School 1885 - 1942 (Aghinagh)
  
• Castletownroche School - no dates
  
• Castletownroche School - 1871-1899
  
• Clashbee Boys' and Girls' School (Bweeng) - no dates
  
• Doneraile School - 1800-1899 (many include parents' names)
  
• Dromore Boys' and Girls' Schools (Dromahane area) - no dates
  
• Grange Schools (Fermoy Area) - no dates
  
• Kilmahon Infants and National Schools - no dates
  
• Midleton National School - no dates

RootsIreland's Cork North & East database includes Roman Catholic and Church of Ireland register transcripts, Methodist records, Civil birth, marriage and death records, Gravestone inscriptions and now these School records. See the full menu of genealogical sources here.

New book: St Paul's Historic Graveyard, Newtownforbes

A new book, St Paul’s Historic Graveyard, Newtownforbes, Co Longford, has been published by Turners of Longford.

Researched and compiled by Doreen Mc Hugh and Desmond Mooney, and sub-titled Clongish Memorial & Burial Records 1698-2016, the 142-page book focuses mainly on a pictorial and written record of almost 300 headstones and church memorials, while also containing details of c.1200 burials from the Clongish Parish Records [1820-1917].

Additionally, there are short articles on the Forbes, Auchmuty and Auchmuty-Musters families, as well as snippets on people such as Charlotte Brooke [Poet & Gaelic Scholar]; Colonel James Hay, who fought at Waterloo; James Bell, Longford's first County Surveyor; and Alan Turing - famous for cracking the German U-boat Enigma code in WW2.

An interesting analysis of the registers includes references to gaps in the records, discrepancies between headstone inscriptions and registers, recorded deaths per decade and age distribution at death. It also suggests that family historians should treat such records with caution.

The book is priced at €10 and is available in Bell’s and Smith’s, Newtownforbes, as well as Newsround and Baxter’s Pharmacy in Longford. If you have ancestral connections to the area but don't live nearby, purchase enquiries can be forwarded to des.moon3@gmail.com.

Headstone images and inscriptions are also available at HistoricGraves.com.

Ancestry adds C19th Reproductive Loan Funds records

Ancestry has added the records of the Irish Reproductive Loan Funds to its database. They've chosen to rename the collection the Ireland Sustainability Loan Fund records.

They date from 1821 to 1874.

These loan schemes were administered by local associations, who made loans to the 'industrious poor'.

The surviving application forms, ledgers and other books can be surprisingly useful to genealogists as they often note the occupation, health, family circumstances and even emigration of the borrowers and/or their guarantors. The loans were always short-term, and required guarantors – usually close family members or neighbours.

The 'reproductive' part of the original fund name comes from the concept that a financial investment such as the purchase of farming tools, livestock or materials to build a barn would, in the short-term, generate/reproduce the loan's value, ensuring repayment but would also, in the longer-term, help alleviate the borrower's poverty.

Surviving records come primarily from ten counties in Munster and Connaught:  Clare, Cork, Galway, Kerry, Leitrim, Limerick, Mayo, Roscommon, Sligo and Tipperary.  Most date from 1824 to 1846 and are often the only official records of people who died during the Famine or who emigrated during those years.

This collection is also available on FindMyPast (re-named as Poverty Relief Loans) and on FamilySearch.org (unindexed, images-only). In addition, some local websites such as Skibbereen Heritage Centre's have also digitised the records and made them available free.  The originals are held by The National Archives in Kew, London.

Free access to AmericanAncestors.org until 6 July

To celebrate Independence Day, the New England Historical Genealogical Society is opening up all its online databases to guests.

The databases, held on the NEHGS's award-winning website, AmericanAncestors.org, contain 1.4billion names.

You'll need a free Guest Account to gain the free access. This is a quick and easy process and you don't need to provide any financial details. (If you already have a Guest Account, just sign in.)

The free access will continue until 11:59pm ET on Thursday 6 July.

50% off subscriptions to Irish Newspaper Archives

To celebrate 4th July, the Dublin-based Irish Newspaper Archives (INA) is offering a whopping 50% discount offer for new monthly and annual subscriptions.

The INA database holds more than 6million pages across 74 titles, all published on the island. Every historical county, north and south, is represented, and the earliest editions date from 1738.

Some of the newspapers run up to current issues, allowing researchers to track their ancestors and their communities across the decades and centuries all the way to the present. National and international affairs, including visits to Ireland by Presidents of the United States of America, are also reported in many of the regional titles.

With this half-price offer, the subscriptions are reduced as follows:

One-month subscription: Normal price $30. Discounted price $15
12-month subscription  : Normal price $178. Discounted price $89

To take advantage of this generous money-saving offer, click the image above, choose your preferred subscription and use the coupon code USA50 when prompted. The offer expires at 11:59pm IST on Friday 7 July. (See also the Terms and Conditions on the site.)

New appointments to NAI's Advisory Council

National Archivers of Ireland, Dublin 8

The Minister for Arts, Heritage, Regional, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs, Heather Humphreys TD, has announced 12 appointments to the National Archives Advisory Council.

Under the National Archives Act, two members of the Advisory Council must be members of the Irish Manuscripts Commission, while two members must be archivists who are not employed by the National Archives of Ireland.

All appointees were assessed by the Public Appointments Service. The appointments are for a period of five years.

Not surprisingly, many of the names will be familiar to Irish family history researchers, and I'm delighted to see John Grenham MAGI among them.

The full line up of newly–appointed members of the Advisory Council are:

Justice John Hedigan – (Chairman) Judge of the Court of Appeal
Ciara Breathnach – Lecturer UL, Board Member NLI
John Grenham – Genealogist MAGI
Kieran Hoare – Archivist NUIG
Natalie Harrower – Director Digital Repository of Ireland
Stephen Mac Eoin – Officer in Charge, Military Archives
Brian McGee – Chief Archivist, Cork City and County Archives
Hiram Morgan – Senior Lecturer UCC, Director Irish National Institute for Historical Research
Catriona Mulcahy – University Archivist UCC
Elizabeth Mullins – Lecturer Archival Studies UCD
Michael Nolan – Senior Research Scientist, Intel Labs Europe
Deirdre Raftery – Associate Professor (Education) UCD

Irish genealogy, history & heritage events, 3–16 July

Monday 3 July: Research Workshop: Using the National Library. Host and venue: National Library of Ireland, Kildare Street, Dublin 2. The workshop is suitable for anyone looking to embark on a research project or to enhance research skills in navigating the catalogue, accessing the various collections and interpreting the sources. 2pm. Places are limited; booking required. To reserve a place, email learning@nli.ie or telephone 01 6030 259.

Tuesday 4 July: Irish emigration records – an illustrated discussion of sources for researching an ancestor's migration from Ireland, with Brian Mitchell MAGI. Host: National Archives of Ireland's 2017 Lecture Programme. Venue: Reading Room, National Archives, Bishop Street, Dublin 8. Free. All welcome. 6pm. No booking required.

Tuesday 4 July: Genealogical evening, with Dr Paul MacCotter. Host & venue: Franciscan Well Brewery pub, North Mall, Cork City. Introduction to Irish genealogy for beginners; family history and surname origins advice for the more advanced. 8:30pm. Free. No booking. Just turn up.

Wednesday 5 July: Galway Centenary Conversations: War and Revolution Roadshow. Host: Galway County Council, NUI Galway, The Moore Institute and others. Venue: Portumna Workhouse, St Brigids Rd, Portumna, Co Galway. 8pm. Free. Details. All welcome.

Saturday 8 July: Getting the most out of FamilySearch.org, with Tom Rice. Host: Irish Genealogical Society Intl (IGSI). Venue: Minnesota Genealogical Society (MGS) Library, 1185 N. Concord, South St. Paul, Minnesota, USA. Starts at 10:30am. Cost is $15 for IGSI members and $20 for non-members. Register.

Saturday 8 July: Landed Estates Conference: The place of the Big House in Irish history. Host and venue: Irish Workhouse Centre, St. Bridget's Road, Portumna, Co. Galway. 9:30am to 3.30pm. Details. Fully booked.

Sunday 9 July: Guided Tour of Clonoghill Cemetery, with Brian Kennedy and Jimmy Shortt. Host: Birr Historical Society. Venue: Meet at main gate to the Old Clonoghill Cemetery, Birr, Co Offaly. Free. All welcome. 3pm–4:30pm.

Tuesday 11 July: Newspapers as a source for genealogical research with Georgine Scally MAGI. Host: National Archives of Ireland's 2017 Lecture Programme. Venue: Reading Room, National Archives, Bishop Street, Dublin 8. Free. All welcome. 6pm. No booking required.

Tuesday 11 July: Irish Family History Group, monthly meeting. Host and venue: The Core Library, Theatre Square, Homer Road, Solihull, UK, B91 3RG. 10am to Noon. All welcome, for genealogy help and support.

Tuesday 11 July: Tracing the roots of Irish emigration to Argentina, from the discovery of the Americas to the Great Famine, with Tim Fanning. Part of the Latin American Irish Diaspora Festival. Venue: County Library, Library Square, Tallaght, Dublin 24. Register here. Free. 6:30pm. All welcome.

Tuesday 11 July: Genealogical evening, with Dr Paul MacCotter. Host & venue: Franciscan Well Brewery pub, North Mall, Cork City. Introduction to Irish genealogy for beginners; family history and surname origins advice for the more advanced. 8:30pm. Free. No booking. Just turn up.

Wednesday 12 July: Galway Centenary Conversations: War and Revolution Roadshow. Host: Galway County Council, NUI Galway, The Moore Institute and others. Venue: Screene's Bar, Gilkagh, Co. Galway. 8pm. Free. Details. All welcome.

Wednesday 12 July: Swift's Dublin, with Professor David Dickson MRIA. Host and venue: Royal Irish Academy, 19 Dawson Street, Dublin 2. Lunchtime lecture series accompanies ongoing free exhibition commemorating Jonathan Swift's birth in 1667. Lecture 1pm. Free. No booking required.

Thursday 13 July: Delayed opening at National Library of Ireland to facilitate staff development meeting. All venues will open at 11am.

Saturday 15 July: The 1st Leinsters – who they were and what became of them, with John Goodman. Host: Western Front Association (Dublin Branch). Venue: National Museum of Ireland, Collins Barracks, Benburb Street, Dublin 7. Admission: €3. All welcome. 2:30pm.

Saturday 15 July: Genealogy Workshop, with Lynn Brady. Host and venue: Glasnevin Cemetery Museum, Finglas Road, Dublin 11. All participants receive €10 genealogy vouchers giving access to Glasnevin Cemetery's unique records. 2pm to 3pm. Free. Booking essential: email  lbrady@glasnevintrust.ie or telephone 0(1) 882 6536.

Ireland Genealogy Projects Archives: latest updates

Listed below are the files added to the online database of Ireland Genealogy Projects Archives in the second half of June. They have been contributed by volunteers and are free to access.

St Anne's Church of Ireland, Monellan, Donegal.
Photo courtesy Malcolm Houston and IGP Archives

DONEGAL Genealogy Archives - Headstones
Monellan, St. Anne's (CoI) Graveyard
Sacred Heart (R.C) Graveyard, Dunlewey
Sacred Heart (R.C.) Graveyard Carndonagh
St. Patrick's Graveyard, Drumkeen - Pt 1

DUBLIN Genealogy Archives - Headstones
Chaloner Corner, Trinity College - Provosts
Deansgrange Cem., St. Nessan's Section, Part 10
St. Brigids, Stillorgan (Updated)

MEATH Genealogy Archives - Headstones
St. Mary's, Navan (Right Side) (N-Q)

SLIGO Genealogy Archives - Headstones
Sligo Abbey (Updated)

WATERFORD Genealogy Archives - Headstones
Christ Church, CoI Graveyard, Tramore
Ferrybank Graveyard (R.C.), Pt 3
Ferrybank Graveyard (R.C.), Pt 4

WEXFORD Genealogy Archives - Newpapers
Poor House Entries, 4 March 1868

Free: Ancestry's records from the original 13 colonies

To mark Independence Day, Ancestry.com is offering free access to its collection of records from the original 13 colonies.

There are 280 million records in the Sons and Daughters of the American Revolution collection, and this special promotion additionally includes free access to census records from the 1700s.

See all the 'free access' featured record sets here.

If you don't already have a free account with Ancestry.com, you'll need to register for one. It's a straightforward and speedy process requiring you to provide only your name, email address and year and place of birth.

Free access to the records in the featured collections will expire at 11:59pm ET on 4 July.