Weekend conference for those with roots in The Route

Ballymoney Museum will be hosting the third Route Back Home family history conference in 2014. The conference will run from Friday 24 to Sunday 27 September and will be based in Ballymoney Town Hall, Co Antrim.

The Route Back Home has been developed to assist people who are researching their ancestry in Ballymoney, Co. Antrim. The conference is an opportunity to meet other people from across the world who share an interest in North Antrim, a region traditionally known as "the Route”.

The programme will include contributions by prominent genealogy experts including:

• Dorothy Arthur, Genealogist & Author
• S.A. Blair, Historian & Author
• Dr. Tyrone Bowes, Genetic Genealogy
• Mary Bradley, Local Studies Service, Ballymena, Libraries NI
• Dr. Patrick Fitzgerald, Mellon Centre for Migration Studies
• Gillian Hunt, Ulster Historical Foundation
• Dr. Glynn Kelso, Public Record Office of Northern Ireland
• Dr. Linde Lunney, Dictionary of Irish Biography, Royal Irish Academy
• Elwyn Soutter, Genealogist
• Deidre Speer-Whyte, Ulster-Scots Community Network
• Leah Tweed, Ballymoney Branch Library, Libraries NI

The Route Back Home is supported by the Coleraine Branch of the North of Ireland Family History Society and their members will be available to help and provide advice for delegates throughout the conference.

In addition, delegates will be able to visit important archives which hold essential information for family history research. These include Local Studies Service, Ballymena; Ballymoney Branch Library; Public Record Office of Northern Ireland, Belfast; and the General Register Office of Northern Ireland, Belfast.

Costs: The conference fee of £180 includes daily lunch and regular refreshments, Conference dinner and drinks reception, and research trips to Belfast and Ballymena.

To book: Delegates must pay the full booking fee of £180 to be allocated a place at the conference. Only 20 places are available and bookings cannot be confirmed until receipt of a completed booking form and full payment.

Email for more details.

A motley crew makes PRONI's document of the month

Click to view larger image

In advance of the Giro d’Italia 2014 coming to Belfast’s Titanic Quarter in May, PRONI’s Document of the Month for April features a motley crew of Victorian cyclists in fancy dress who were participants in a cycling gymkhana.

Dated 1895, the photograph comes from the family papers of Samuel Cleland Davidson of Seacourt, Bangor, founder of the Sirocco Engineering Works in Belfast. It appeared in an 1896 edition of Sketch magazine.

Garth Stewart, who selected the document said: “With the Giro coming up, this image jumped out at me! The enigmatic dress and posture of the figures is fascinating, as is the gymkhana’s undefined location somewhere in Belfast, which is described simply as a “floor used for dancing”. I was even intrigued by the use of the word ‘gymkhana’, an Anglo-Indian term for an ‘athletic sports display'.

“The cyclists are captured in highly varying forms of fancy dress; from a matador to a sailor, from jesters to military personnel. Indeed, one gentleman is in full army regalia, but it is unclear whether he is part of the festivities or just keeping a watchful eye on proceedings!

“The gymkhana was organised by a Miss Bottomley of Clanbrassil, Cultra, County Down, who also designed the costumes for the 'skilled riders'. For her efforts, Miss Bottomley was awarded a gold bracelet and pearl broach by the Marchioness of Dufferin and Ava and the Countess Annesley.”

The photograph (from the Davidson family collection, Ref: D3542/E/2A) is just one of a rich array of cycling related items owned by the Public Records Office of Northern Ireland, a small selection of which will be exhibited at both PRONI's Titanic Boulevard HQ and website as part of the Giro celebrations.

(I think there may have been love in the air around the two cyclists fourth and fifth from the left.)

Poverty and famine in Ireland – conference in Belfast

A conference examining poverty and famine in Ireland will be taking place in Belfast this coming weekend.

Hosted by Queens University Belfast, the event – Poverty & Famine in Ireland: The Great Famine, its contexts and legacy – is open to all, is free to attend, and will be held at Clifton House, North Queen Street, Belfast.

You can view the programme here.

If you wish to attend, you'll need to book by email. The organisers have told me that, as of today, there are still some spaces.

Our Wicklow Heritage is looking for submissions

An online community archive has been launched for County Wicklow and is looking for articles, photos and other submissions relating to the county's history and heritage.

The site, Our Wicklow Heritage, is part of ICAN, the Irish Community Network Archive, which was established by the National Museum of Ireland to promote community archives nationwide. ICAN already hosts sites for the Mayo towns of Ballinrobe and Louisburg & Killeen and for Oughterard in Co Galway, but Wicklow is the first county to become a member.

Catherine Wright, county archivist and genealogist at the Wicklow Family History Centre, told Irish Genealogy News a little more about the site and the type of material she and her colleagues on the editorial team hope to receive: "We are looking for interesting articles on Wicklow families and stories about old times in Wicklow. Perhaps family historians have made an unusual discovery in the course of their research, or they simply have a particularly interesting ancestor... we'd like to hear more."

She's also hoping that historical societies, many of whom have members working hard on fabulous research, will consider showcasing their material on the site, and sharing their research with a wider audience.

"I'm very excited about the new site," says Catherine. "Especially as it's a way for people to access local history material. I know my enquirers really appreciate any contextual information I can give them about the areas their ancestors lived in and, indeed, the times they lived in."

A number of genealogy articles from the Wicklow Family History Centre, the Wicklow Heritage Office and Wicklow Library Service have already been uploaded to Our Wicklow Heritage, providing information about sources, place names, administrative divisions, maps etc relating to the county. Also online is the first in a series of case-study articles demonstrating how these sources can be used to trace a Wicklow ancestor.

If you have links to County Wicklow, you may like to think about what you might contribute. The process has been made very easy. All you have to do is register on the site as a user and follow the instructions to send in your stories or articles, photographs or other types of memories. The website team will then edit and publish on your behalf.

(I interviewed Catherine a few years ago for a feature about the Wicklow Family History Centre. If you are conducting research in the county, you might like to take a read.)

IGRS adds Ennis RC baptism and marriage Index

The Irish Genealogical Research Society (IGRS) has added yet another database to its growing online collection of members-only resources. And this time it's an index to the Roman Catholic baptism and marriage registers for the parish of Ennis (also known as Drumcliff) in County Clare.

The Index runs from March 1841 for baptisms and from April 1837 for marriages, and runs to December 1900. It was compiled by IGRS Fellow Terry Eakin, who transcribed the records up to 1879/1880 from the microfilm (Pos.2472) held by the National Library of Ireland and those to December 1900 from the original registers held in Ennis parish.

The baptism transcriptions note dates of baptism, the father's name and surname and the mother's name and surname; the index can be searched by the child's name, the father's name or the mother's name.

Searching the marriage index returns date of the wedding, the name and surname of the groom and the name and surname of the bride; the index can be searched by groom's surname or bride's surname.

This new database is another excellent addition to the IGRS website, IrishAncestors.ie, which recently won a First Place in the Federation of Family History Societies' Best Website awards.

Irish genealogy & history events, 7–13 April

Until end of May:The Irish and the Erie Canal  Exhibition.Venue: The Irish American Heritage Museum, 370 Broadway, Albany, New York 12207, USA. Open Wednesdays and weekends. Details.

Monday 7 April: The War Dead of North Down and Ards, with Barry Niblock. Host: North of Ireland Family History Society, Killyleagh Branch. Venue: Killyleagh Masonic Hall, 50 High Street, Killyleagh BT30 9QF, Co Down. 7pm.

Monday 7 April: Art and Victorian Social Reform, with Dr Niamh A O'Sullivan. Host: History Faculty, as part of Limerick Lifelong Learning Festival. Venue: Graduate Attributes Hub, Millstream Courtyard, University of Limerick. 1pm–2pm. Free.

Tuesday 8 April: Queen Gormlaith, Brian Boru and the Northmen of Dublin, with Dr Howard B Clarke. Host: Dublin City Library & Archive. Venue: Council Chamber, Dublin City Hall, Dame Street, Dublin 2. 1:10pm to 1:50pm. Free. All welcome. No booking required.

Tuesday 8 April: Earliest Monastic Sites in Ancient Corca Dhuibhne, with Dr. Tomás Ó Carragáin. Tralee Library, Co Kerry. 7:30pm. Free.

Tuesday 8 April: Female Transportation to Australia, with John O'Connell. Host: Cloyne Literary and Historical Society. Venue: Hartys Bar, Church Street, Cloyne, Cork. 8pm. All welcome to attend. 3 euro admission to visitors. Details: Caitriona 087-2254164.

Tuesday 8 April: Irish voices from the Great War, with Philip Orr. Venue: Library Arts Space, Market Square, Bailieborough, Co Cavan. 8pm. All welcome. No booking. Free. Light refreshments will be served. Enquiries: +353 (0)42 9665779.

Tuesday 8 April: The Battle of Clontarf, with Darren McGettigan. Venue: Monaghan County Museum, Hill Street, Monaghan. 8pm. Free admission. Details, tel: 353 (0) 47 82928.

Tuesday 8 April: Cootehill and the Great War, with Hugh O'Brien. The final lecture in a series exploring the local area's response to WW1. Venue: Cootehill Library, Bridge St, Cootehill, Co Cavan. 7pm. Free, but booking advised as places are limited. Tel: (0)49 555 9873.

Tuesday 8 April: The Battle of Clontarf: the archaeological evidence? with Stephen Harrison. Host: Royal Irish Academy. Library Lunchtime Lecture Series 2014. Venue: Meeting Room, RIA, Dawson Street, Dublin 2. 1–2pm. No need to book.

Tuesday 8 April: Maritime Matters, with Brian Scott. Host: Genealogical Society of Ireland. Venue: Dún Laoghaire College of Further Education, Cumberland St., Dún Laoghaire, Co. Dublin. 8pm. €3.

Tuesday 8 April: Tracing your family history, with Cork Genealogical Research Society as part of the Cork Lifelong Learning Festival. Venue: Douglas Library, Douglas Village Shopping Centre, Cork. 11am. All welcome. Free.

Wednesday 9 April: The Bagenalstown-Borris Railway, with Fr Pierce Murphy. Host: Carlow Historical and Archaeological Society. Venue: Presentation De La Salle College, Bagenalstown, Co Carlow. 8pm.

Wednesday 9 April: Hungry for change – the effect of the Famine on Irish migration, with Ann McVeigh. Venue: PRONI, Titanic Boulevard, Belfast. Time: 1–2pm. Admission is FREE but booking is essential. Email proni@dcalni.gov.uk to reserve your place.

Thursday 10 April: So who do you think you are? Exploring your family history in Limerick, with Limerick Genealogy. Host: Limerick Lifelong Learning Festival. Venue: Watchhouse Cross Library, Limerick City. 10:30am–12:30pm. Need to be comfortable with computer and Internet. Advance booking required (Catriona/Aoife +353 61 496542) as numbers are limited.

Thursday 10 April: Voicing the Past – how to record and preserve stories of the past, with Dr Mary McCarthy. Host: History Faculty, as part of Limerick Lifelong Learning Festival. Venue: Graduate Attributes Hub, Millstream Courtyard, University of Limerick. 2:15pm–3:15pm. Free.

Thursday 10 April: Belfast in 1888, with Jonathan Bardon. Host Belfast Central Library. 6:30pm. Free. Booking advised on 028 9050 9150.

Thursday 10 April: Ireland's hidden culinary heritage – the history of the recipe in the Irish country house, with Regina Sexton. Part of the ACE at UCC Spring public lecture programme. Venue: West Wing 9, University College Cork. 7–8pm. Free.

Thursday 10 April: The Art of Mount Saint Lawrence Cemetery, with Dr Matthew Potter discussing funerary art. Part of the Limerick Lifelong Learning Festival. Hosted by Limerick City Archives. 1pm. Free. No booking. Details: +353 61 407186.

Thursday 10 April: Tracing your family history, with Cork Genealogical Research Society as part of the Cork Lifelong Learning Festival. Venue: Central Library, Grand Parade, Cork. 3pm. All welcome. Free.

Thursday 10 April: 'Murderers amongst us', with Fidelma Byrne discussing a 200-year-old real-life murder mystery. Host: West Wicklow Historical Society. Venue: Courthouse Arts Centre, Tinahely, Co Wicklow. 8:30pm. All welcome. €3 for members/€5 for non-members. Tea/coffee included.

Thursday 10 April: Who Do You Think They Are? Exhibition and two presentations on the work of Strabane photographer Cooper. Hosts: PRONI and Libraries NI. Venue: Strabane Library, Co Tyrone. 11am to 12noon. Free.

Friday 11 April: Science and medicine in history and society, with Dr Odette Clarke. Host: History Faculty, as part of Limerick Lifelong Learning Festival. Venue: Graduate Attributes Hub, Millstream Courtyard, University of Limerick. 1pm–2pm. Free.

Friday 11 April: Local history in the 21st century, with Dr Conor Reidy. Host: History Faculty, as part of Limerick Lifelong Learning Festival. Venue: Graduate Attributes Hub, Millstream Courtyard, University of Limerick. 2:15pm–3:15pm. Free.

Friday 11 and Saturday 12 April: Battle of Clontarf Symposium. An international conference. Venue: Edmund Burke Theatre, Trinity College Dublin. Details.

Saturday 12 April: Grave Matters: Death & Dying in Dublin 1500–2000. One-day conference exploring the social, economic, legal and medical aspects of dying in Dublin in the last 500 years. Host: Dublin City Research Group. Venue: Glasnevin Cemetery, Finglas Road, Dublin. Details. Free but registration required by 7 April, by email.

Saturday 12 April: Exhibiting WW1 at the National Museum of Ireland, with Lar Joye. Host: IGRS Ireland Branch. Venue: Dublin City Library & Archive, Pearse Street, Dublin 2. Free and all welcome. Lecture starts 3:15pm (follows AGM (members only), which starts at 2:30pm).

Saturday 12 April: Genealogy resources in the Fermanagh County Museum collection, with Sarah McHugh. Host: North of Ireland Family History Society, Fermanagh Branch. AGM before talk. Contact branch by email for timings. Venue: Fermanagh County Museum, Enniskillen Castle, Co Fermanagh.

Saturday 12 April: Genealogy Workshop – practical tips, with Mayo Genealogy Group. Venue: National Museum of Ireland, Country Life, Turlough, Castlebar, Co Mayo. 11am–1pm. Free. Non-members welcome. Details.

Saturday 12 April and Sunday 13 April: Genealogy advice and talks, with Ancestor Network. Part of the Brian Ború Millenium Festival. Venue: Killaloe, Co Clare. Saturday 10am to 2pm. Sunday 12noon to 3pm (See schedule). Free.

Who Do You Think They Are? Can you help?

Click image for PRONI's Flickr site

The work of prolific Strabane photographer Herbert Cooper is to be celebrated in Strabane Library from this week.

Heather Stanley, Head of Collections at the Public Records Office of Northern Ireland (PRONI), where more than 70,000 of Cooper's glass plate negatives are held, says that generations of people in Strabane and the surrounding area beat a path to the photographer's studio. "Brides came for wedding photographs. Parents brought their children. Young men and women sat for portraits as they set out on life’s adventures. The images present the changes in fashions and family celebrations over 60 years. They were precious to the local people who commissioned them and PRONI is delighted to bring them back home to Strabane for local people to enjoy once again. We would love to hear from anyone who had their portrait taken by Cooper or who recognises the people in the photographs.”

From his studio in Strabane’s Railway Street, Cooper travelled extensively capturing townscapes and rural scenes. Cooper’s informal style of photography has left us with a unique visual record of life in the North West in the first 60 years of the 20th century. PRONI has uploaded some 700 Cooper images to Flickr, where they can be viewed free of charge.

PRONI and Libraries NI are holding an event at Strabane Public Library to showcase the exhibition on Thursday 10 April, 11am to 12noon. Two presentations will be given, followed by a Question & Answer session:

• Herbert Cooper – the photographer and his work, with Heather Stanley (Head of Preservation & Collections Management, PRONI)
  
• Who do you think they are? – PRONI’s project to identify Cooper’s portrait collections, with Joy Carey (Digitisation Officer, PRONI)

Why not go along and see if you recognise anyone in Cooper's portfolio?

The Genealogy Event in Limerick is Irish to the core

22-23 August 2014 in Limerick

Ireland's first City of Culture – Limerick – is to host a major family history conference and get-together this summer.

Straddling Heritage Week, The Genealogy Event will be taking place on Friday 22 and Saturday 23 August and is centred on the Strand Hotel, which overlooks the River Shannon and the city centre.

Compared with most conferences, The Genealogy Event has a slightly untraditional format as well as some additional features that set it apart. The programme includes two-days of lectures; built-in time for relaxed interaction with other researchers, speakers and exhibitors; an exhibitor marketplace and a lunch, all taking place at the Strand, but it also includes evening social events for delegates and non-delegates at other venues, both in and out of the city, and even a walking tour. The whole is divided into segments and optional specials (see Programme Overview), so that family historians can create their own 'pick and mix' event to suit their research level, sociability, schedule and budget.

St John's Castle, Limerick

While the name cuts straight to the chase, it doesn't stress one fundamental feature: the event's exclusive focus on Irish genealogy. Most exhibitions/shows/conferences, call them what you will, cater to a deliberately wide range of nationalities and heritage. The Genealogy Event in Limerick is Irish to the core.

The doors are open to anyone, whether they live in Ireland or are part of the Diaspora, who wants to explore their Irish roots or to develop their existing Irish family history research, and to enjoy some good craic with similarly minded people.

The Genealogy Event is being brought to the West of Ireland by Bridget Bray, a Canadian with Irish and British roots who, although resident in New York, is also a well-known face in Castleconnell, Co Limerick, her great-grandfather's village. She's a woman of great energy and a born-organiser, with a genuine interest in genealogy, and she knows what it's like to make that first real connection with your roots and set off on the exciting trail of ancestors.

"Six years ago, all I knew was that I had a great grandfather called Ryan who had lived in Ireland and died in London," she remembers. "I had a death certificate, so I went armed with this to WDYTYA? at Olympia. I saw a sign that said 'Probate', and the exhibitor helped me to discover a family will with a matching name and townland of origin. I've been back and forth to Castleconnell ever since!"

Take a morning walk to the Milk Market

Inspired by her first serious foray into her family history and never one to let the grass grow, Bridget returned to New York and quickly set up the Irish-British Genealogy Group, which now has about 280 members, and runs regular events. A few years later, she decided that New York deserved its own genealogy fair and held The Genealogy Event in the city in 2012.

It was repeated last year, and there will be a third outing this Autumn at a new venue.

But why Ireland?

"I've come to really love Limerick City, Castleconnell, and the surrounding area," she says. "When I discovered the City would be the Ireland's Capital of Culture 2014, I immediately wanted to be involved in some way. And the best route seemed to be to follow what had actually prompted my own discovery of this beautiful area: genealogy. At the same time, I want to celebrate the locality, so the social events show very different aspects of the region. On the eve of the event, there's a BBQ at a pub with a superb setting overlooking the Shannon. On the Friday night, there's a trip to the Greyhound Stadium. And the event wraps up at a 'Fork Supper' of traditional fayre at One Pery Square in the city centre.

"During the day, there are several breaks between sessions when people can interact, so this won't be just a 'listen and learn' or 'transactional' event. Genealogy can be such an insular activity, and I think many people will gladly seize the opportunity to break out and interact, share and discover. And have fun."

Shopping in the City of Culture

In organising The Genealogy Event in Limerick, Bridget has connected with Ireland-based companies and organisations. The Irish Ancestry Research Centre is Event Partner, Lorna Moloney of Merriman Research and Training is co-ordinating the speaker component and Eneclann is sponsoring the Advanced Segment on Saturday afternoon, while the Exhibitor Marketplace will see organisations and individuals offering their online databases, genealogy research services or products relevant to Irish family historians.

For more information about The Genealogy Event, and how to book tickets, take a look around the website. You can see the overview, which includes details of the social events, by clicking the logo above. For the learning component, follow these links below:

Friday 22 August programme
Saturday 23 August programme
Buy tickets 

Belfast: Past, Present, Future – at PRONI in May/June

A new exhibition – The Story of Belfast – launched at PRONI today and will run to the end of this month. PRONI will then begin a series of public lectures which will unravel the historical development of Belfast’s architecture, layout and society, as documented in PRONI collections, and explore the future of the city as it continues to evolve and grow.

The lectures will be held 1pm–2pm, as follows

Tuesday 6 May: Belfast's industry and infrastructure, 1750–1911, with Dr Fred Hammond

Wednesday 14 May: Shaping Belfast: from early beginnings to Victorian expansion, with Dr. Paul Larmour

Tuesday 20 May: Belfast post-1945: a society in transition, with Dr. Peter Smyth

Tuesday 27 May: Modernism vs. Conservation: planning 20th century Belfast, with Andrew Molloy

Tuesday 3 June: The Contemporary City: Current developments, visions for the future, with Gary Potter

All lectures will be held at PRONI, Titanic Boulevard, Belfast, a 10-15 minute walk from Titanic Quarter Rail Station or via Metro 26 from Belfast City Centre. 

Admission is FREE but booking is essential. To reserve your place, please email or tel:  02890 534800.

The Heritage Café at PRONI will be open before and after these talks for refreshments.

GRONI offline for two hours for essential maintenance

The new GRONI family history website, launched only on Monday, is offline for a couple of hours this afternoon.

It's to 'facilitate essential maintenance'. I understand this includes resetting stored search facilities, and possibly some other issues that have arisen over the first four and a half days of its online life.

Full service should resume at 5pm.

UPDATE, 4:53pm: Back online.