Irish Military Seminar in Newbridge, Kildare, 8-9 June

An Irish Military Seminar is to be held at the Riverbank Arts Centre in Newbridge, County Kildare, on Friday 8th and Saturday 9th June.

Hosted by Kildare County Council and the Kildare Decade of Commemorations Committee, the seminar will explore many aspects of Irish military history, drawing chiefly on events and personnel from within Ireland but also exploring some escapades in South Africa, Flanders and the USA.

Everyone is welcome, but booking is necessary. The Friday evening's activities are free to attend, while the Saturday lecture programme attracts a €5 fee and includes tea/coffee.

The programme is as follows:

Friday

5:00pm	The Glen of Imaal Disaster 1941, with Terence O’Reilly
5:50pm	Readings from the Leb, with Martin Malone
6:35pm	Reception in foyer of Riverbank Arts Centre
7:00pm	Opening of the Seminar by Mayor of Co. Kildare, Cllr. Martin Miley
7:15pm	Book Launch: Witness to War Crimes, by Colm Doyle
8:00pm	Who Fears to Speak of '22? The politics of Commemoration. Panel discussion.

Saturday

8:45am	Registration - Tea/Coffee
9:20am	Welcome
9:30am	Zulu. The Defence of Rorke’s Drift, with Dan Harvey
10:20am	The Role of Women in the Struggle for Irish Freedom 1918-1923, with Liz Gillis
11:05am	Tea/Coffee break
11:35am	The forgotten letters of Ireland’s American Civil War dead with Damian Shiels
12:25pm	Oliver Cromwell and the conquest of Ireland, with Professor Micheál Ó Siochrú
13:10pm	Lunch - at own expense
14:30pm	Granuaile – Grace O’Malley: Ireland's Pirate Queen (1530-1603), with Anne Chambers
15:20pm	The significance of Irish involvement in World War I: A review, with Neil Richardson
16:30pm	Close of seminar

Booking is essential.

Plantations in Ulster, 1600-41: new edition launched

The Ulster Historical Foundation (UHF) has published an updated and expanded edition of Planations in Ulster, R J Hunter's meticulous examination of documents relating to Ulster in the early 1600s first published in 1975.

The new edition was launched yesterday at the Public Record Office of Northern Ireland (PRONI) and is presented in the form of a bound book and includes colour prints and additional documents. It costs only one penny sterling (plus post and packing charges) and is available from the online BooksIreland store.

If the Ulster Plantation and 17th-century Ireland is of interest to your research, you should also check out the UHF's Plantation of Ulster Collection which offers some of the most influential writings on the period and provides comprehensive insights into this period in Irish history. The collection is currently on sale for the special price of £64.99 (RRP £109.08).

Ancestors from North Kerry? Check out Fr Ferris's Parish Histories

One of the unique selling points of Fr. Ferris's Parish Histories is the fact the local bishop banned the priest from publishing his book. That was back in the 1930s. If my ancestors came from the parishes under scrutiny, I would be unable to resist a peak into this first printing of his work, 85 years later.

Father Ferris spent much of his five-year curacy in the Protestant parish of BallymacElligott and the neighbouring parishes of Ballyseedy, O’Brennan and Nohoval. in North Kerry. He was an avid collector of popular history. His writings document not just the history (political, economic and social) of the area and its cultural and topographical landscape but also comprise a rich genealogical resource.

Many of his parishioners feature in the histories, so researchers may discover where their forbears lived, where they went to school, who their teachers were, who their landlord was, where they were buried, and the occupations and trades they followed. They may also learn how their ancestors were affected by the Famine, whether they were evicted or involved in the Land War, and what life was like for them during the War of Independence and the Civil War.

This is no dry academic chronicle. It is history as lived and recounted by the ordinary people of the parishes and their authentic voices come through clearly and evocatively. It is, in Fr Ferris’s own words, “a history of the people, by the people for the people”. It includes:

• a substantial genealogical archive of the families of the parish
  
• a census of householders in the four parishes in 1932
  
• gravestone inscriptions from the cemeteries of the four parishes
  
• an account of the Land War of the 1870s/80s (listing landlords and middlemen,evictions,local ‘Moonlighters’,policing,coercion,etc)
  
• an account of the War of Independence and the Civil War (Fr Ferris was closely involved in both)
  
• a social and cultural archive (e.g. Penal Days, the Famine, hedge schools, hedge schoolmasters, National Schools with lists of teachers, sports and pastimes, industry, holy wells, old cemeteries, Irish language, Protestant/Catholic relations, church history, clergy, duels, faction fights, etc)
  
• an archaeological survey of the four parishes
  
• a place name and field name inventory
  
• a topographical survey of the parishes

In addition, in the Introduction to the book, the Editor, Brendan McCarthy, provides a biographical portrait of Fr Ferris, who was a fascinating individual in his own right.

The book costs €15 and can be purchased from a dedicated website, www.ballymacelligott.com, where you'll also find a list of all the surnames appearing in the book.

ISBN: 978-1-9999070-0-6

Family History, Science & Irishness: Manchester, 9 June

On Saturday 9 June, the Irish World Heritage Centre in Manchester, UK will be hosting an event exploring Family History, Science and Irishness.

It's being presented by the Irish Diaspora Foundation in collaboration with Double Helix History (University of Manchester) and the Manchester and Lancaster Family History Society. The event will look at the relationship between heritage and science and will include talks by Debbie Kennett and Jerome de Groot on DNA and family history; workshops on health issues, family history investigation, and the best ways to think about your past using DNA testing.

Although the event is free, it is necessary to register in advance, here.

The event will be held from 10:30am to 12:30pm at the Irish World Heritage Centre, 1 Irish Town Way, Manchester M8 0AE.

Interment registers of two Dublin cemeteries go online

Click image for larger view of sample
Deansgrange register page(1874-75)

The Interment Registers of Deansgrange and Shanganagh Cemeteries can now be searched and viewed at DiscoverEverAfter.com. Headstone photos and mapped locations are available for some, but certainly not all, of the individual graves.

Both burial grounds are located in South Dublin and are managed by Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council (DLRCC), who say the online collection is not yet complete. If you can't find an entry in the register, you are invited to email DLRCC at cemeteries@dlrcoco.ie.

Deansgrange's records date back to 1865. The cemetery, in Blackrock, covers an area of 65 acres and its records hold details of more than 140,000 people. Search its register here.

The first burial in Shanganagh (Shankill) took place in 1984 and there have been nearly 16,500 burials in the Cemetery. Search its register here.

Tipperary Studies's digitisation project: new releases

From the Milton-Damer rental

Tipperary Studies, the online home of Tipperary Libraries’ Local Studies department, has uploaded some newly digitised items that will be of interest to family historians with connections to the county. They are all free to download.

Among them is a rental for the Milton-Damer estate in Roscrea dating from 1787 to 1798. Click the link to download the 104Mb pdf file.

Another potential gem is a Tithe record book for Ardmayle–Ballysheehan dating from 1790 to 1801. The pdf is 29Mb.

In addition, for sports enthusiasts and those with sporting ancestors, there is now a run of 66 county hurling final programmes from 1949 to 2017 available to view.

New South Wales Government Gazette, 1853-1899: another tranche of scans released to World Archives Project for indexing

For details of this WAP, click image

Ancestry has released another tranche of the New South Wales Government Gazette, 1853-1899 for indexing to its World Archives Project (WAP). They are calling it 'Part 5', but I think someone has miscounted, as there have only been three previous WAP Parts, as far as I'm aware.

This large collection contains gazettes published weekly in New South Wales, Australia. They hold details of Acts of Parliament, land transactions, criminal notices, will and probate notices, Bankruptcies, commercial tenders, military desertions, government appointments, missing people, mining licences, professional listings and much more.

The unindexed, browse-only Gazettes can be viewed on Ancestry here.

Ancestry's World Wide Project sees volunteers create indexes from scanned records. The indexes are then added to Ancestry's database and can be accessed free of charge by all researchers.

Register images from five more RC parishes in Archdiocese of Boston join AmericanAncestors.org

Click image for larger view of sample

The New England Historic Genealogical Society (NEHGS) has added five new browseable RC parish register collections to its online archive at American Ancestors.org.

The register images are all from the Archdiocese of Boston, Massachussetts, collection.

Some 4,400 new pages are viewable in this browse-only upload, which includes registers from the following parishes:

Most Precious Blood, Hyde Park, 1870-1900
St Joseph, Salem, 1873-1900
St Mary, Winchester, 1875-1900
St Mary Star of the Sea, Beverly, 1871-1900
St Mary Star of the Sea, E. Boston, 1866-1900

In each parish except St Mary Winchester, registers of births, marriages and confirmations are available to view. Only births and marriages are available for St Mary Winchester.

The database is fully searchable/viewable to Individual-level and above NEHGS members only. If you are not a paying member, create a free guest account to browse the images.

Summer issue of Irish Roots magazine published

Click image for free sample

The Summer edition of Irish Roots – Ireland's only independent genealogy magazine – has been published.

As always, there's a great mix of genealogy, history and heritage features to entertain and inform family historians with connections to Ireland. Among this issue's goodies are the following articles and columns:

• Using Irish societies in America in your genealogy research
  
• Tracing your ancestors in County Leitrim
  
• DNA’s potential to establish the identity of the Tuam babies
  
• Discover the Irish Revenue Police, 1832 - 1857
  
• Hanna & Me - Micheline Sheehy Skeffington retraces the steps of her Suffragette grandmother
  
• Digitising your family tree - The many ways to use Google
  
• Famous Hollywood greats with Irish roots
  
• What's New? Review (My round-up of recent Irish genealogy record releases and other developments)
  
• And Another Thing: Genealogical comment and observations with Steven Smyrl.
  
• Your Genealogy Questions Answered, Letters To The Editor, and lots more!

You can discover more about this long-established and respected publication by clicking the image of the front cover, above. There's even a free sample to download!

Irish genealogy and history events, 28 May to 10 June

Monday 28 May: Public holiday in Northern Ireland and GB.

Monday 28 May: The Irish community in west London, a walking tour. Host: Irish Historical Walks in London. Meet outside Petty France entrance to St. James's Park tube station, 55 Broadway, London SW1, UK. 11:45–2:30pm. Free. Collection at end of tour. Details.

Monday 28 May: NLI Reading Room and Manuscript Room closed. Venue: National Library of Ireland, Kildare St, Dublin 2. On-going Monday closures to facilitate redevelopment of premises. All other services/exhibitons/cafe, incl. Genealogy Advisory Service, operate as normal. Details.

Monday 28 May: Samuel Clayton, freemason, forger, freeman, with Margaret Smyth. Host: Clondalkin Historical Society, Áras Chrónáin Irish Cultural Centre, Watery Lane, Off Orchard Road, Clondalkin, Dublin 22. 8pm. Free. All welcome.

Tuesday 29 May: Practical Workshop – Using family and local history resources online. Host and venue: PRONI, 2 Titanic Boulevard, Titanic Quarter, Belfast. 11am to 1pm. Free but you need to register.

Tuesday 29 May: The letters of Flo Clancy, Kilrush, 1900-1958, with Paul O'Brien. Host: Kilrush and District Historical Society. Venue: Teach Ceoil, Grace Street, Kilrush, Co. Clare. 8pm–9pm. Free for members; €5 for non-members.

Wednesday 30 May: Book launch: Plantations in Ulster, 1600-41: A Collection of Documents, by R J Hunter. Hosts: The Public Record Office of Northern Ireland and the Ulster Historical Foundation. Venue: PRONI, Titanic Boulevard, Belfast. Six speakers will give short presentations. 2pm-4pm. Free, but need to register.

Wednesday 30 May: The Great Famine in East Clare, with Gerard Madden. Host: Killaloe-Ballina Local History Society. Venue: Wood & Bell Restaurant & Café, Main Street, Killaloe, Co Clare. 7pm–9pm. Free. All welcome.

Thursday 31 May: The Struggle for Ireland's Soul: Catholics under the Penal Laws, with Professor Ian McBride – the John Coffin Memorial Annual Irish Studies Lecture. Host: IES Irish Studies. Venue: The Chancellor's Hall, First Floor, Senate House, Malet St, London WC1, UK. 6pm to 8pm. The event will be followed by a wine reception hosted by the Irish Embassy. Free. Need to register. Details.

Thursday 31 May to Saturday 2 June: Southern California Jamboree. Schedule includes three Irish-themed presentations with Donna Moughty (Friday and Saturday mornings). Venue: Los Angeles Marriott, Burbank Airport Hotel, Burbank, California, USA.

Saturday 2 – Monday 4 June: Echoes of the past - annual conference - includes several Irish and DNA-themed lectures. Host: New Zealand Society of Genealogists. Venue: Christchurch Boys' High School, 71 Straven Road, Christchurch, New Zealand. Programme and costs.

Monday 4 June: Public Holiday in Republic of Ireland

Tuesday 5 June: Using your DNA results in practice - focus on autosomal DNA, a 3-hour workshop with Maurice Gleeson. Hosts: New Zealand Society of Genealogists, (Post-) Annual Conference. Venue: Christchurch Boys High School, 71 Straven Rd, Christchurch, New Zealand. 9am to noon. NZ$40. Booking essential.

Thursday 7 June: Using DNA to solve unknown parentage cases, and Marrying DNA and Irish family tree research, both with Maurice Gleeson. Host: New Zealand Society of Genealogists. Venue: ASB Sports Centre, Matairangi Room, 72 Kemp Street, Kilbirnie, Wellington, New Zealand. 1pm to 3:30pm. No booking required. All welcome. $20 on the door. Details.

Friday 8 June and Saturday 9 June: Irish Military Seminar. Host and Venue: Riverbank Arts Centre, Newbridge, Co Kildare. Friday evening: reception, book launch, talks, 5pm to 9pm, free; Saturday: complementary tea/coffee, six talks, lunch at own expense, 8:45-4:30pm, €5. Booking essential via Riverbank Arts Centre Box Office - boxoffice@riverbank.ie or telephone 00353 (0)45 448327.

Saturday 9 June: Using DNA to solve unknown parentage cases, and Marrying DNA and Irish family tree research, both with Maurice Gleeson. Host: New Zealand Society of Genealogists. Venue: St Andrew's Church Hall, corner of Ridge Road and Vincent Street, Howick, Auckland, New Zealand. 1pm to 3:30pm. No booking required. All welcome. $20 on the door. Details.

Saturday 9 June: Irish family history resources online, with Chris Paton. Host: Family History Discovery Day. Venue: LDS Church 35 Julian Avenue, Kelvindale, Glasgow G12 0RB. 10.20am. Free.

Saturday 9 June: Family history, science and Irishness. Host: Irish Diaspora Foundation, Double Helix History (University of Manchester) and the Manchester & Lancashire Family History Society. Venue: Irish World Heritage Centre, 1 Irish Town Way, Manchester M8, UK. 10:30am to 12:30pm. Free but prior registration advised. Details.

Sunday 10 June: Using DNA to solve unknown parentage cases, and Marrying DNA and Irish family tree research, both with Maurice Gleeson. Host: New Zealand Society of Genealogists, Te Awamutu DNA support group. Venue: St John Ambulance Hall, Palmer St, Te Awamutu, New Zealand.