Online 1916 Easter Rising Necrology launched

Glasnevin Cemetery, Ireland's necropolis

An online 1916 Easter Rising Necrology was launched last night by An Taoiseach Enda Kenny and John Green, Chairman of Glasnevin Trust.

The Necrology, which has been compiled by Glasnevin Trust, contains the names of all 485 people who lost their lives during or as a direct result of the 1916 rising, including innocent civilians, British soldiers and members of the Irish Volunteers. It's the first time a list of this scale has been collated and made available online.

This major piece of research revealed many interesting and previously unknown facts, the most striking of which found that the majority (54%) of the total dead were civilians, rather than British Army or Rebel forces. The full Necrology and statistical analysis is available at GlasnevinTrust.ie.

The names will be engraved on a new memorial at Glasnevin Cemetery that will be unveiled on the centenary of the Rebellion.

Speaking at the launch, Taoiseach Enda Kenny said: "I want to congratulate Glasnevin Trust for undertaking this important research which will allow us to remember and honour every individual who lost their life during the 1916 Rising. It brings home to us the very real impact that the events of Easter 1916 had on ordinary members of the public as well as those directly involved in the Rising itself. I am particularly pleased that this material is now available, as we in Government continue our work to develop a comprehensive and inclusive programme of events to commemorate the Easter Rising."

New book reveals 'Google Street View' of Dublin 1847

Published by IHTA, Royal Irish Academy

A new book, Dublin 1847: city of the Ordnance Survey, will be of interest to those with ancestors from the capital, as well as those with a wider interest in Ireland at the time of the Famine. The title may not be the most appealing – except to those weirdo geogeeks, myself included, who just love maps – but don't be put off.

In the book, author Dr Frank Cullen presents forty-five extracts from the large scale (1:1056) map of the city, each extract accompanied by a detailed commentary. Sites such as King’s Bridge Railway Station (Heuston Station), Sackville Street (O’Connell Street) and Trinity College Dublin, are portrayed alongside distinctive areas such as the Liberties, St Mark’s Maritime Quarter and the Grand Canal Harbour.

The map has been described as the Victorian equivalent of Google Street View and captures every house, garden, yard and pump in the capital; trees, vegetation and building interiors are all depicted in addition to the sewers and water mains beneath the city streets.

Thes book depicts the multi-faceted nature of the mid-nineteenth century Dublin City. For example:

• Did you know that in 1847 Ireland was the best mapped country in the world?
  
• Long-forgotten street names such as Cut Throat Lane and Murdering Lane reflected the depravity of the district around the South Dublin Union Workhouse (present day St James’s Hospital)
  
• Whiskey and Guinness rescued Christchurch and St Patrick’s Cathedral, which, considering the association between the temperance movement and the church in 19th-century Dublin, is more than a little ironic

Dublin 1847: city of the Ordnance Survey is published by the Irish Historic Towns Atlas (IHTA), Royal Irish Academy, in association with Dublin City Council. Price €15. ISBN: 978-1-908996-35-0.

The IHTA project was established in 1981 and sets out to record the topographical development of a selection of Irish towns, both large and small. The IHTA is also part of a wider European scheme where over 500 towns and cities have been published following similar guidelines. To date Limerick, Ennis and Belfast are among the twenty-six town atlases published. Find out more about IHTA.

Military Service Pensions Collection: ITT for Phase 3

An Invitation To Tender (ITT) has been published by the Department of Defence for Phase 3+ of the Military Service (1916–1923) Pensions Collection (MSPC).

Earlier MSPC Phases were delivered during 2014 (see blogposts for Phase One and Phase Two), and the records related to both releases are free to search on MilitaryArchives.ie.

Here's the tender's overview description for the next step of the digitisation project:

In-house digitisation service for military archives 

The Department of Defence has set up a Military Service Pensions Project (MSPP), tasked with processing the material and files in the Military Service (1916–1923) Pensions Collection (MSPC) for release to the public through the Military Archives. A database and digital images from the files of veterans who applied for pensions, allowances or medals relating to their military service during the period will be released online. The Project is part of the Department’s contribution to the Centenary of the 1916 Rising and the Decade of Commemorations. The Project is located at Cathal Brugha Barracks, Rathmines, Dublin 6.

The ITT deadline is 16 April.

Invitation To Tender.

While the digitisation project is on-going, physical access to the MSPC at Cathal Brugha Barracks is closed. It's not expected that personal visitors will be able to access the papers until May 2016.

Ancestry seeks experienced genealogists for Dublin office

AncestryProGenealogists is expanding into the Dublin office and will be adding a number of genealogists to its team.

Initially, two vacancies for Associate Genealogist Researchers are being advertised, plus two positions for Assistant Genealogists.

The new team members will principally research Irish family history in liaison with existing AncestryProGenealogists in the Salt Lake City office. There will be no client interfacing – that will be handled via SLC.

Ancestry's International Recruiter, Carolyn Mercer, told Irish Genealogy News that applicants for the role of Associate Genealogist will be graduates with two or three years experience. While the main focus of that experience should be with Irish records, some familiarity with North American Irish immigrant research will be expected. Languages and/or familiarity with family history records in other parts of Europe would be a bonus.

Assistant Genealogists positions are entry-level roles.

All the positions are full-time and permanent. They're based at Ancestry's smart offices on Sir John Rogerson's Quay and come with a range of benefits such as you'd expect from a major international employer. Click the links above for full job and person specs and details of how to apply.

UPDATE 28 March: The story above originally contained links to the vacancy details on Ancestry's website. These links have been removed because Ancestry has deleted the relevant webpages.

Ancestry DNA results: a confident delivery

The results of my recent tests from AncestryDNA have been received, and I am not exotic. I think I can live with it.

My family history is estimated as 83% Irish, and 10% British, with the rest from Western European areas, mostly Iberian Peninsula (a feature often connected with Irish ancestry).

The only real surprise was the lack of Scandinavian influence. My maternal grandmother was a Doyle, a strong Leinster surname widely assumed to suggest Norse/Viking origins.

It was certainly a name well-established before the Anglo-Normans arrived, so I'd been expecting a bit of Eric the Red to be indicated. But no.

In terms of connections made, it's important to remember that the Ancestry DNA database is currently almost entirely made up of North Americans; this will change now that the test is available in Ireland and the UK. On launch, Ancestry DNA predicted that the vast majority of Irish and UK customers will connect with 3rd or 4th cousins immediately. My own results bear this out. While there are no potential 3rd cousins, there are eleven 4th to 6th cousins shown in my Matches list and three of them have a 'confidence' level of 'Extremely High'. Of the eleven, ten have already uploaded some or all of an immediately accessible family tree. There are also 40-odd potential 5th to 8th cousins hits rated with High' confidence. And that's before I even think of checking out the hundreds of 'distant cousins' in the 'Good' category.

I haven't yet had time to really study these results, or delve too deeply into these family trees. But I'm more than satisfied that there is plenty for me to investigate.

What I'm particularly pleased about is the ease and speed with which I can access nearly all of the family trees of these potential Matches – only a handful of the several hundred Matches have not uploaded a tree. Each of the Matches with a tree is presented with a breakdown of the surnames included across its branches, which is important when, as in some of my potential 4th to 6th cousins, there are 14,000+ names in the individual trees. And the interface is very attractive, too, proving that scientific test results don't need to be dished up in dull spreadsheet-style presentations.

I'm looking forward to exploring these results and, hopefully, making contact with some of this first delivery of Matches. As the database expands on this side of the Atlantic, I'm sure future deliveries will bring even more opportunity to connect with distant cousins and expand my own tree.

My test was provided free of charge by Ancestry DNA. See earlier blogpost. Turnaround from sending off the results to Dublin to receipt of results was 5 weeks and two days.

Irish genealogy, heritage & history events, 9-22 March

Monday 9 March: Finding your Irish ancestors online, with John Grenham MAPGI. Host and venue: Derry Central Library, 35 Foyle Street, Derry, LondonDerry BT48 6AL. Free. 12.30pm–2pm. For details, telephone 028 7122 9990 or email derrycentral.library@librariesni.org.uk.

Monday 9 March: Galway and the Gaeltacht Commission, 1925/6, with Gearoid O Tuathaig. Host: Galway Archaeological and Historical Society. Venue: Harbour Hotel, Dock Road, Galway. 8pm.

Monday 9 March: The history of the Dublin Fruit & Vegetable Market, with John Conroy. Host: Clontarf Historical Society. Venue: Parish Resource Centre, St John the Baptist Church, Clontarf Road, Dublin 3. 8:15pm. Non-members, €5. All welcome.

Monday 9 March: School Days and School Records, with branch members. Host: North of Ireland Family History Society, Newtownabbey Branch. Venue: Drama Theatre, Glengormley High School, 134 Ballyclare Road, Newtownabbey, BT36 5HP. 7pm. All welcome.

Monday 9 March: How DNA testing can assist you in your family tree research, with Dr Maurice Gleeson. Venue: The Eagle's Nest, Dolla, near Brindleys Bridge, Co. Tipperary. 8pm. Discounted DNA testing kits available to purchase from 6:30pm. Details.

Tuesday 10 March: Workhouse records at PRONI, with Janet Hancock. Host and venue: Newry City Library, Hill St, Newry, Co Down BT34 1DG. Free. 12:30pm. Booking advised by email to newrycity.library@librariesni.org.uk or by telephone to 028 3026 4683.

Tuesday 10 March: Finding your Irish ancestors online, with John Grenham MAPGI. Host and venue: Lisburn City Library, 23 Linenhall Street, Lisburn, Co. Antrim BT28 1FJ. Free. 12.30pm–2pm. Details: 028 9263 3350; lisburncity.library@librariesni.org.uk.

Tuesday 10 March: Finding your Irish ancestors online, with John Grenham MAPGI. Host and venue: Omagh Library, 1 Spillars Place, Irishtown Road, Omagh, Co. Tyrone BT78 1HL. Free. 6.30pm –7:45pm. Details: 028 8224 4821 or omagh.library@librariesni.org.uk.

Tuesday 10 March: The Squares of Belfast, with Norman Weatherall. Host: North of Ireland Family History Society, Lisburn Branch. Venue: The Bridge Community Centre, 50 Railway Street, Lisburn. 7:30pm. All welcome.

Tuesday 10 March: The Burning of the Custom House, with Michael Ó Dóibhlín and Liz Gillis. Host: Tallaght Historical Society. Venue: County Library, Tallaght, Co Dublin. 7pm.

Tuesday 10 March: Researching Irish emigrants to the United States, with Maura Flood. Host: Genealogical Society of Ireland. Venue: Dún Laoghaire FE Institute, Cumberland Street, Dún Laoghaire, Co Dublin. 8pm. Admission: €3.

Wednesday 11 March: Getting Started, with Janet Hancock. First of PRONI's Your Family Tree lunchtime lecture series. Venue: PRONI, Titanic Boulevard, Belfast. 1pm. Free but need to book at proni@dcalni.gov.uk or (+44) 028 90 534800. Details.

Wednesday 11 March: Dublin and Edinburgh: Civil Society and Identity in Two ‘Second Cities of the Empire’, with Dr Ciáran Wallace. Host: University of Edinburgh; Modern Irish History Seminar Programme. Venue: University of Edinburgh, Room G.13, William Robertson Wing, Teviot Place, Edinburgh, UK. 5pm. Free. All welcome. Details.

Wednesday 11 March: 'Too Many Bags in the Boat': the 1876 Kingstown Lifeboat Accident, with James Scannell. Host: The Old Dublin Society. Venue: The Conference Room, Dublin City Library & Archive, 138-144 Pearse Street, Dublin 2. 6.30pm. Admission is free and all are welcome.

Wednesday 11 March: The nature of Irish monasticism c.1050, with Edel Bhreathnach. First part of the Monastic Ireland AD 1100-1700: landscape and settlement lectures. Venue: Helen Roe Theatre, Royal Society of Antiquaries Ireland, 63 Merrion Square, Dublin. 5:30pm. Free. All welcome. Second lecture on 27 March.

Saturday 14 March: Drop-in Genealogy workshop, with Mayo Genealogy Group. Venue: NMI, Country Life, Turlough Park, Castlebar, Co Mayo. Free. No booking required and new researchers welcome. 11:30–1pm. Followed at 2pm by a talk for adults: 101 Mayo People: Who Do You Think They Are?, an online project researched and presented by the Group. See OurIrishHeritage.org to find out more.

Saturday 14 March: Strategies for Finding Your Irish Ancestors, with Donna Moughty. Host: Virtual Institute of Genealogical Research. Venue: Online. Two lectures, one at 11am, the other at 1pm (USA/EST). Cost:  From US$69.99. Details of lectures and registration.

Saturday 14 March: Ulster Historical Foundation day conference, with Gillian Hunt and Fintan Mullen. Host: British Isles Family History Society of Greater Ottawa (BIFHSGO). Venue: The Chamber, 101 Centrepointe Drive, Nepean, Ontario, Canada. 9am to 5pm. Morning session is free. Afternoon session $10. Need to register. Details.

Saturday 14 March: Occupational Trails, with Sheila Northup. Host: Irish Genealocial Society International. Venue: Minnesota Genealogical Society (MGS) Library, 1185 Concord St N, S St Paul, MN, USA. Follow occupations of 18th- or 19th-century Irish emigrants and use it to track immigrants across the USA.  10:30am to Noon. $10 for IGSI members and $15 for non-members. Details.

Sunday 15 March: Finding Your Scotch-Irish Roots, with Gillian Hunt and Fintan Mullen. Host: Centre County Genealogical Society. Venue: 1st Floor Auditorium at Foxdale Village, 500 East Marylyn Avenue, State College, PA 16803, USA. 1pm to 4pm. Admission at the door: $50.00 per person. Details.

Monday 16 March: Finding Your Ancestors in Ireland, with Paul Milner. Host and Venue: Zion Genealogical Society of Lake County, Beach Park Village Hall, 11270 W. Wadsworth, Beach Park, Illinois, USA. For more Info. 7pm. Details.

Monday 16 March: Irish and Scots-Irish Family History Research Workshop, with the Ulster Historical Foundation. Host: Staunton Public Library, co-sponsored by the Augusta County Genealogical Society. Venue: 2nd floor meeting room, Staunton Public Library, 1 Churchville Ave, Staunton, VA 24401, USA. 1pm–5pm and 6:30pm–8:30pm. For registration details, email davidsonmk@ci.staunton.va.us or telephone 540-332-3902.

Tuesday 17 March: St Patrick's Day. Everywhere.

Tuesday 17 March: Tracing your Irish and Scots/Irish ancestors, with Ulster Historical Foundation. Hosts: Williamsburg Family History Center, Williamsburg Regional Library, and Ford’s Colony Genealogy Club. Session One (10am to 2:30pm) – Venue: (10:00am to 2:30pm): Williamsburg Library, 515 Scotland St, Williamsburg VA 23185, USA. Session Two (7pm to 8pm)– Williamsburg Family History Center, 2017 Newman Road, Williamsburg VA 23188, USA. Details.

Wednesday 18 March: Irish genealogical records in the 17th-19th Centuries, a webinar with Judy Wight. Host: FamilyTreeWebinars. Venue: Online. Time zones: 2pm (USA Eastern), 1pm (USA Central), 12pm (USA Mountain), 11am (USA Pacific), 6pm (GMT). Free. Need to register in advance. Details.

Wednesday 18 March: Finding your Scots-Irish Ancestors, a practical genealogical tutorial with Ulster Historical Foundation. Host: Museum of the Shenandoah Valley-Shenandoah Valley Genealogical Society. Venue: Reception Hall, Museum of the Shenandoah Valley, 901 Amherst St, Winchester, VA 22601, USA. 6pm–9pm. Registration (members). Any remaining tickets will be available beginning at 10am on day of the event. Telephone: 540-662-1473x224.

Wednesday 18 March: Rediscovering GAA Members who fought in WW1, with Dr Donal McAnallen. Host: Ulster Museum, Botanic Gardens, Belfast BT9 5AB.  12pm. Need to book.

Wednesday 18 March: Using Street Directories, with Des McCabe. Part of the Your Family Tree lunchtime lecture series. Venue: PRONI, Titanic Boulevard, Belfast. 1pm. Free but need to book at proni@dcalni.gov.uk or (+44) 028 90 534800.

Thursday 19 March: Early historians of Irish Presbyterianism, with Dr Robert Armstrong. Host: Presbyterian Historical Society of Ireland. Venue: May Street Presbyterian Church, Belfast. Talk starts at 8pm, following the Society's AGM.

Thursday 19 March: WW1 and You – Objects and memorabilia. Hosts: Libraries NI and Living Legacy 1914-18. Venue: Newry City Library, Hill Road, Newry, Co Down. Three lectures. 12:30–4:30pm. Free. Full details.

Thursday 19 March: Surname formation in Ireland: discussion, debates and DNA, with Dr Catherine Swift. Host: Ulster Society for Irish Historical Studies. Venue: Queens University Belfast, GO5, 6 University Square, Belfast. 6:30pm. All welcome.

Thursday 19 March: What's new in Presbyterian Historical Society records? with Valerie Adams. Host: North of Ireland Family History Society, Bangor Branch. Venue: 1st Presbyterian Church Hall, Upper Main Street, Bangor, Co Down. 7:30pm. All welcome.

Thursday 19 March: The life and times of Robert Halpin, a mariner from Wicklow. Host: Bray Cualann Historical Society. Venue: Bray Chamber of Commerce House, 10 Quinsboro Road, Bray. 8pm. All welcome. €4.

Thursday 19 March: Looking at Lissan: The Staples family and Lissan House, Cookstown, Co. Tyrone, a half-day conference. Host and venue: Lecture Theatre, PRONI, Titanic Boulevard, Belfast BT3 9HQ. Free. 2pm to 4:30pm. Booking is essential. To reserve your place, contact PRONI.

Friday 20 March: Tracing Your Irish and Scots-Irish Roots, with Ulster Historical Foundation. Hosts: Blount County Public Library & and the Blount County Friends of the Library. Venue: Blount County Public Library, 508 N. Cusick Street, Maryville, TN 37804, USA. 8:30am to 4:00pm. Costs: Workshop $25; optional lunch $10. Registration. Telephone: (865) 982-0981.

Saturday 21 March: Rural Life in Fermanagh in the 1940s and 1950s, with Bryan Gallagher. Host: North of Ireland Family History Society, Fermanagh Branch. Venue: Seminar Room Upstairs, Enniskillen Library, Halls Lane, Enniskillen, BT74 7DR. 2:15pm – 4:15pm. All welcome.

Saturday 21 March: Getting Started on Your Irish Family History, with Joe Buggy. Host: Bay Shore-Brightwaters Public Library. Venue, Bay Shore-Brightwaters Public Library, 1 South Country Road, Brightwaters, NY 11718, USA. 12Noon–2pm. Free. Contact afitzgerald@bsbwlibrary.org for more details.

Saturday 21 March: Town and country in late medieval Ireland, a conference. Hosts: Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland, the Discovery Programme, Maynooth University, the Dublin Medieval Society and the University of Bristol. Venue: Helen Roe Theatre, Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland, 63 Merrion Square, Dublin 2. Free, but need to book. 9:30am to 5pm.

Saturday 21 March: Researching Your Irish Ancestors: Strategies for Success, with the Ulster Historical Foundation. Hosts: New England Historic Genealogical Society. Venue: Courtyard Marriott Hotel, 275 Tremont Street, Boston, MA, USA. 9am–5pm. Registration includes continental breakfast. Cost: $85. Details.

Sunday, 22 March: Finding Your Irish Townland of Origin: Research in the U.S. and Ireland, with Joe Buggy. Host: Savor the Arts of Ireland Festival. Venue: Middleton Arts Center, 36 Church Street, Middletown, NJ 07748, USA. 1-3pm, tickets $5. Email jpacker@middletownnj.org for more information.

FindMyPast adds more Australian collections

In addition to the UK records added earlier today, three new Australian record sets have joined the FindMyPast database.

Here are the details:

• Containing over 261,000 records, Queensland Assisted Immigration 1848-1912 is an index compiled from Registers of Immigrants’ Ships Arrivals between 1848 and 1912, which were created and used by the immigration department of the Australian state of Queensland. These registers contained passenger lists of immigrant ships that arrived in Queensland. Each record includes a transcript.
  
• Containing over 19,000 records, the Queensland Immigration registers 1922-1940 were compiled from registers of passenger lists of immigrant ships. These records were created and used by the immigration department of the Australian state of Queensland. Every passenger list contained the ship’s name and number, as well as its date of departure and arrival.
  
• Consisting of nearly 5,000 records, the Queensland Passport registers 1926-1939 are indexes compiled from records created and used by the immigration department of Queensland relating to passport clearance registers and passport receipts. These indexes record the names of immigrants arriving in Queensland as well as their later disembarkation from the state. Each record includes a transcript.

Rare archive book joins Derry's Plantation Exhibition

Derry City Council’s Museum and Visitor Services has announced that a rare archive book, Pacata Hibernia, Ireland Appeased and Reduced Or, An Historie of the Late Warres of Ireland, will go on display as part of the Guildhall Plantation Exhibition later this month.

Pacata Hibernia was originally published in London in 1633 for Robert Milbourne. It is believed to be almost entirely composed by Lieutenant Thomas Stafford, who served under Sir George Carew. The very detailed maps and plans show the battle layout, military formation, horsemanship and fortifications of the times. These items will add interest to the exhibition showing further images of cartography which played a strong role in developments of the seventeenth century.

“This publication is extremely rare," explains archivist Bernadette Walsh. "It is illustrated with eighteen engravings of 17th-century Ireland, detailing the final years of the Elizabethan Wars in Ireland and contains a long list of the Irish Nobility who fled to Spain in 1607, after the defeat of the Earls in 1601. The publication contains the background history to the Flight of the Earls, and the inevitable lead up to the Ulster Plantation and will be a welcome addition to the hugely successful Plantation exhibition that has been visited by thousands of people since its installment as part of multi-million pound regeneration of the Guildhall.

“It is important the archive collection reflects this period of history," added Bernadette. "Original artefacts and archives are considerably lacking not only in our own collections but also within collections across the island. This rare item was purchased and will now form part of our successful Plantation exhibition at the Guildhall.”

FindMyPast FREE access weekend starts today

As promised, this is a reminder that Findmypast is giving free access to all its historical records collections from Midday today until 12:00hrs on Monday 9 March.

If you're not already registered, you can sign up easily enough; you won't be asked for credit card details and you won't find yourself with a subscription you have to cancel.

Click the image to go to FindMyPast or see my more detailed original blogpost for more details.

Enjoy yourselves!

Images added to FindMyPast's Civil Service collection

Marking International Women's Day, today's FindMyPast Friday delivery sees some 325,000 new records added to the database. They are:

Women's Army Auxiliary Corp, 1917-1920
Women's Royal Air Force Service Records, 1918-1920
Officer Files and Service Registers from the Women's Royal Naval Service

But there's a fourth update to the database that serves as a reminder for researchers to check out the Civil Service Evidence of Age collection. This collection – now with images – doesn't sound like one that will of much value to Irish family history research, but it's certainly got some gems within!

Not all civil servants are pen-pushers. Think coastguards, customs/dock officials and prison officers, and nearly one-third (18,834) of the records in this collection relate to men and women born in Ireland. And importantly, many record dates of birth well before civil registration and often before surviving parish registers start. Some of the declared statements actually record that the relevant baptism register no longer exists.

These records may, therefore, contain records of date and place of birth that do not exist anywhere else.

Take Jeremiah Connolly, a member of the Colonial Convict Service in Port Arthur, Tasmania, who, in 1869, self-declared his birth to have been in Cork City in 1815. Or Anthony Burns whose father, James, of Dromard, Sligo declared his son to have been born in 1839. Or Henry Breen, whose father-in-law declared that he was resident in Cairn, Donegal in 1830 at the time of the man's birth.

Be sure to explore this record set over the Free Access weekend.