In-depth workshop on Irish Quakers, 24 June

An Irish family history workshop exploring Quakers records will be held on Tuesday 24 June from 10am to 4pm.

Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) Records from 1654 to present day, will be presented by genealogist Noel Jenkins. Hosted by Eneclann, the workshop will be held at The Religious Society of Friends (Quaker) Library and Archive in Stocking Lane, Rathfarnham, Dublin and will include a behind-the-scenes tour of the Library and Strong Room, including viewing Quaker memorabilia.

Six computers will be available to explore the Mega Database, which includes an overview of everything in the building, and tea and coffee will be provided at lunchtime. Delegates should bring a packed lunch.

Numbers are strictly limited. If you wish to attend this free workshop, apply by email to workshop@eneclann.ie. Tickets will be assigned on a first-come basis.

Irish genealogy and history events, 9 – 15 June

Monday 9 and Tuesday 10 June: History of Childhood in Ireland: conference. Venue: St Patrick's College, Drumcondra, Dublin. Registration fee €50 waged; €25 students/unwaged. Payable on the door. 8:30am to 6pm both days. email: irish.childhood@gmail.com.

Tuesday 10 June: Living in 11th-century Dublin, with Emer Purcell. First of the Living and dying in a medieval city: Dublin in the age of Clontarf lecture series hosted by Friends of Medieval Dublin. Venue: Wood Quay Venue, Dublin Civic Office, Dublin 8. 1:05pm. Free. No booking required.

Tuesday 10 June:  Clans of Ireland – a case study of the O’Donnell Clan, with Francis M. O’Donnell. Host: Genelaogical Society of Ireland. Venue: Dún Laoghaire College of Further Education, Cumberland St., Dún Laoghaire, Co. Dublin. 8pm. €3.

Tuesday 10 June: The Cooper Photographic Collection – the identification project, with PRONI staff. Venue: Stabane Library, Railway St, Strabane, County Tyrone BT82 8EF. Free. 7:00pm–8:00pm. Two presentations will be given during the evening, followed by a Q&A. (Due to popular demand, the Cooper exhibition has also returned to the Library until 1 July.)

Tuesday 10 June: Book launch – That Field of Glory, the story of Clontarf from battleground to garden suburb, by Colm Lennon. Guest Speaker: Professor Ray Gillespie. Venue: Clasac, Alfie Byrne Road, Clontarf, Dublin 3. 6pm. All welcome.

Tuesday 10 June: The story of Rebecca Clarke from Bandon, Co Cork, with Seán Bagnall. Host: Tallaght Historical Society. Venue: County Library, Library Square, Tallaght, Dublin 24. All welcome. Free. Starts 7:00pm.

Wednesday 11 June: The Hidden History of Protestants and the Irish Language, with Linda Ervine. Venue: PRONI, Titanic Boulevard, Belfast. 1–2pm. Free. Details and booking.

Thursday 12 June: Bulmer Hobson – Quaker nationalist, with Dr Marnie Hay. Host: Society of Friends Annual Lecture. Venue: Society of Friends Historical Library, Quaker House, Stocking Lane, Dublin 16. There will be a display of historical material from 7pm. Lecture starts at 7:30pm.

Friday 13 June: The State of Ireland, 1914, a one-day conference. Host: University of Manchester School of Arts, Languages and Culture. Venue: Irish World Heritage Centre, 1 Irish Town Way, Cheetham, Manchester, M8 0AE, UK. £10 includes lunch and refreshments. Details and booking.

Saturday 14 June: Reflecting on a decade of War and Revolution in Ireland 1912-1923: the road to war, a Universities Ireland public conference. Venue: Belfast City Hall. 9:30am – 5:30pm. Programme (pdf). Free but need to book ticket/register. Tickets.

Saturday 14 June: The King Killers of Pill Lane, a walking tour with Fergus Whelan. Follow in the footsteps of the protestant dissenters of Church Street in the 1798 Rebellion. Starts 12:15pm sharp, St Michan's Church, Church Street, Smithfield, Dublin 7. Ends at Frances Hutcheson plaque at the Church Bar on Jervis Street. Cost €10pp. All proceeds go towards the Street Stories festival.

Ancestry opens up British collections for weekend

PROMO EXPIRED 9 JUNE.
LINKS HAVE BEEN REMOVED.

To mark the Queen's birthday (actually, it's not her real birthday, it's her 'official' birthday, but there are more important things to quibble about), Ancestry is opening up a good-sized batch of British records for free until Monday. This is primarily aimed at researchers in Australia, where the birthday is a public holiday, so the timings are set to the clock in Oz. The promo expires on Monday 9 June at 11:59 AEST (ie 9 hours ahead of Dublin) .

You need to register with your name and email address; you'll then be sent a user name and password for free access to the following collections:

• 1911 Channel Islands Census Free
  
• 1911 England Census Free
  
• 1911 Isle of Man Census Free
  
• 1911 Wales Census Free
  
• England & Wales, Birth Index, 1916-2005 Free
  
• England & Wales, Death Index, 1916-2007 Free
  
• England & Wales, Marriage Index, 1916-2005 Free
  
• England & Wales, National Probate Calendar (Index of Wills and Administrations), 1858-1966 Free
  
• UK, Outward Passenger Lists, 1890-1960 Free
  

History Festival of Ireland this weekend

Tomorrow morning will see the gates open on this year's History Festival of Ireland.

Now in its third year, the History Festival has decamped to the beautiful setting of Huntingdon Castle, Clonegal, Co Carlow.

 It takes place over the weekend and will deliver intellectual stimulation beyond your dreams! Speakers include MacMillan, Myles Dungan, Catriona Crowe, Stephen Rea, Eoin Colfer, Grace Dyas, Turtle Bunbury and Kevin Whelan, to name just a handful of the 50 who'll be stepping up to discuss a great range of subjects. I spotted 'The Burning of the National Archives' among them; genealogists be warned that you may find this tale distressing. (MAY?)

One €22.50 ticket gives you access to the entire programme of talks, debates, performances and interviews for the whole day, as well as access to the castle's wonderful gardens.

You can buy tickets at the gate but only in cash. If you want to pay by credit card, click the Book Now image above.

Launch, 20 June: Decade of Centenaries Timeline

A new free educational web resource will be launching online in two weeks.

The Decade of Centenaries Timeline will provide an illustrated timeline of events from Ulster’s history from 1885-1925. It was commissioned by Community Relations Council NI to reflect its Remembering the Future – A Decade of Anniversaries initiative.

An introduction and demonstration of the new site, together with talks about researching and using archive material, will be presented at the Public Records Office of Northern Ireland, Titanic Boulevard, Belfast, on Friday 20 June, 2pm to 4:30pm.

The event is free but booking is essential. To register, send an email to info@digitalkey.biz by Monday 16 June.

UPDATE 24 June: The new website is now live: http://centenariestimeline.com/

Two new features added to County Clare's GenMap

Clare County Library has upgraded its excellent Genmaps software with two new features.

The maps can now show the boundaries of townlands within their civil parishes across the county as well as pick out one or multiple categories of monuments. There's a long list of the latter, including holy wells, cairns, wedge tombs, ringforts, chapels, castles, graveyards and standing stones.

Certainly no excuse now for not being able to locate the less obvious monuments scattered around the landscape of Clare!

I don't find the signposting (sorry for the pun) around the site terribly easy, and I confess to having found the Help section difficult, but I may be in a particularly dozy mood. Perserverence playing with the features brought success, fortunately.

Worth spending time on, in my view.

Plenty of Irish sailors in FindMyPast's latest release

FindMyPast have added the 59th set of records in their 100 x 100 project, which set an ambitious target of 100 releases over 100 days. Today's new collection is the British Royal Navy Personnel 1831 record set which provide a snapshot of the Royal Navy during that year using ships' muster books, naval dockyard musters, hospital registers, Royal Marine shore lists and Navy lists.

The records detail 66,125 men, and were extracted from ships’ muster books covering 228 vessels, hospitals, bases or musters, and a good proportion are Irish men.

I've just done a quick recce and found a 30-year-old John Carty (born 1799 in Dundalk, Co Louth) who had entered the Navy two years earlier and was currently on the SS Melville stationed in Malta; and an Able Seaman Lawrence Doyle, born 1803 in Cobh, Co Cork, who had joined up in September 1827 and was currently at sea, off Jamaica, on the SS Victor.

Some interesting details to be had if you can link up with one of the individuals in this set!

Siege of Derry Museum moves to temporary home

The Apprentice Boys' Memorial Hall in Derry, one of the city's most important historical attractions and in urgent need of renovation, has received funding to allow it to relocate its Siege Museum to a temporary site nearby.

The neo-Gothic pile of the Memorial Hall was built in 1873 to commemorate the thirteen boys who rushed to close the gates of the walled city against Catholic forces in December 1688.

The action led to the Siege of Londonderry, which lasted 105 days and left some 4,000 dead of starvation and disease. 'No Surrender' became the slogan of the Apprentice Boys.

It was clear on my last visit to Derry two years ago that the fabulous building was in need of rather more than a bit of emulsion on the walls. It is closed until the renovation works are completed.

Announcing the relocation funding today, Minister for Social Development Nelson McCausland said: “This assistance will allow the Siege Museum project to temporarily relocate and continue operation of their popular museum facility while the Memorial Hall undergoes restoration.

“The organisation hosts many guided tours facilitating visitors all year round and this funding will allow it to operate without interruption. Importantly the funding will also provide for a Community Development Worker who will engage with the wider community to promote a greater understanding of the history, culture and traditions of the Apprentice Boys of Derry.”

A spokesperson at the Memorial Hall told me today that the Siege Museum will open just a stone throw away at 16 Bishop's Street next week, hopefully on Wednesday 11 June.

Irish genealogy and history events to 8 June

Wednesday 4 June: Chase of the Battleship Bismarck, with Lord Rathdonnell. Venue: Lisnavagh House, Rathvilly, County Carlow. The grounds will be open from 6:30pm for those would like an evening stroll followed by light refreshments before the talk. Proceeds to the Baltinglass Rectory repair fund. Tickets €20 (including refreshments) payable at the door. Booking essential. Email br@lisnavagh.com to reserve tickets.

Thursday 5 June: Desire and Dishonour: Heterosexuality in Nineteenth-Century Ireland, with Joanna Bourke. Host: British Association for Irish Studies. Venue: The Chancellor's Hall, Senate House (first floor), Malet St, London WC1E 7HU. 6pm – 7pm. Details and booking.

Friday 6 June: After the Gathering: Dissonant Voices in Irish Diaspora Studies. A conference hosted by Queen’s University’s Institute of Collaborative Research in the Humanities, DCAL and the Ministerial Advisory Group of the Ulster Scots Academy, will focus on diaspora histories, representations, culture and politics following the events of the Irish government’s Gathering year. 9:30am to 6pm. All-day attendance costs £5 (£2 unwaged/students), which includes teas/coffees and lunch; evening event is free. Venue (day): PRONI, 2 Titanic Boulevard, Belfast. Details. Booking essential: email afterthegathering@gmail.com.

Friday 6 June and Saturday 7 June: Charms and Magic in Medieval and Modern Ireland, a symposium. Host: Department of Early Irish at the National University of Ireland Maynooth. Venue: Physics Hall (reception Friday evening: Russell Library), South Campus, NUIM, Maynooth, Co Kildare. Times: Friday 5:30pm–7:30pm; Saturday 9:30am–5:30pm. Registration fee: €20 (€10 for students): Includes tea/coffee and lunch on the Saturday. Details (pdf).

Saturday 7 June: Traditional Dress in Rural Ireland, an illustrated talk with Clodagh Doyle from the National Museum of Ireland who will discuss traditional clothing in rural Ireland in the early 1900s, with a special focus on the Aran Islands. Venue: Galway City Museum. 2:00pm–3:00pm. Free but places limited, so booking is essential: phone +353 (091) 532460.

Saturday 7 June: 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 7 June: Family History Fair. Venue: LDS Family History Centre, 403 Holywood Rd, Belfast, BT4 2GU. Free to attend. 10am–4.30pm. Sign up here.

Saturday 7 and Sunday 8 June: The History Festival of Ireland. Huntington Castle, Clonegal, Co Carlow. Fantastic line-up of speakers. Beautiful setting. Tickets €22.50. Details at www.thehistoryfestivalofireland.com

End of May update from IGP-Archives

Ireland Genealogy Projects Archives are continuing to add photos of headstones at a pace (they raced past the 60,000 milestone during May) and now have a new volunteer working on the 1849 enlistees to the Royal Irish Constabulary. Here are the records added in the second half of the month:

Cunningham Family, Aghadowey, Derry
Click for larger image

IRELAND (General) Freemans Journal, newspaper
18 Sept 1841 Repeal Fund, Baltimore, Maryland, US
18 Sept 1841 Repeal in America, Long Island, NY, US
31 Oct 1841 Repeal Fund, Newburgh, Orange Co NY, US

CARLOW Genealogy Archives – Headstones
Dunleckney Cemetery - (MONAGHAN single headstone)

DERRY-LONDONDERRY Genealogy Archives – Headstones
Aghadowey, St Guaire's Parish Church, Part 1 & 2

DONEGAL Genealogy Archives – Census Substitutes
Hearth Tax - Raphoe Parish 1665

DUBLIN Genealogy Archives – Headstones
Deansgrange Cemetery, St. Brigids Section, pt 7

FERMANAGH Genealogy Archives – Headstones
Drumswords, St Macartan's (RC) Part 2, Aghadrumsee

FERMANAGH Genealogy Archives – Military & Constabulary
1849 Irish Constabulary (R.I.C.) Enlistees

GALWAY Genealogy Archives – Military & Constabulary
1849 Irish Constabulary (R.I.C.) Enlistees

KERRY Genealogy Archives – Military & Constabulary
1849 Irish Constabulary (R.I.C.) Enlistees

KILDARE Genealogy Archives – Military & Constabulary
1849 Irish Constabulary (R.I.C.) Enlistees

MEATH Genealogy Archives – Headstones
Dunboyne; St Peter's C of I (Plaques & Partial headstones)

SLIGO Genealogy Archives – Land Records
Valuation of Camross, ca. 1859-1861
Valuation of Carrigans Upper ca. 1861-63
Valuation of Village of Riverstown, ca. 1890's

SLIGO Genealogy Archives – Photographs
Wilkins, Matthew 1911

WICKLOW – Headstones
Rathnew Cem. end of Pt 7 & Pt 8