June update to Ireland Genealogy Projects Archives

The O'Shea family headstone in
Ballybacon RC, Ardfinnan, Co. Tipperary.
Photo courtesy of Breda Nolan and IGPA.

It seems the volunteer team of Ireland Genealogy Projects Archives (IGP-web) has been using June's warm weather as the perfect excuse for trips to burial grounds to photograph and transcribe headstones!

If you want to help further expand IGP Archives' Headstone Project, why not sign up as a volunteer, don your sunhat and head off for a visit to a local historical graveyard.

Here are the photos and transcriptions uploaded to the IGP website during June:

CARLOW Genealogy Archives - Headstones
St. Laserian Graveyard, Old Leighlin (partial)
Loughduff (R.C.) Cemetery (partial)

CAVAN Genealogy Archives - Headstones
St. Brigid's Church - Old Graveyard, Kiloughter, Redhills

DUBLIN Genealogy Archives - Headstones
Mt. Jerome Cemetery, Parts 199-200

FERMANAGH Genealogy Archives - Church Records
Aghadrumsee; Baptisms, Clones Parish, 1825-1836 (updated)

LAOIS Genealogy Archives - Headstones
Killeshin (CoI) Graveyard, Graigue
Killeen, St. Abban (RC) Graveyard

MAYO Genealogy Archives - Headstones
Islandeady - (Old Section), Part 3
Kilkinure Graveyard, Kiltimagh

MEATH Genealogy Archives - Headstones
Navan, Athlumney Old Graveyard, A-L, (Indexed)

MONAGHAN & FERMANAGH Genealogy Archives - Church Records
Clones Parish Registers, W. Div., Baptisms 1812-1815
Clones Parish Registers, E. Div., Burials 1822-1824

TIPPERARY Genealogy Archives - Headstones
Ballybacon R.C. Church Graveyard, Ardfinnan (partial)

TYRONE Genealogy Archives - Headstones
Dromore Presbyterian Church Graveyard

WESTMEATH Genealogy Archives - Headstones
Coole, St. Nicholas (CoI) Graveyard, Mayne Parish (Indexed)

WICKLOW Genealogy Archives - Headstones
Kilquade Cemetery (New) Pt. 4

Cartoons discovered in Galway City's parish registers

One of the Caddy cartoons in the Galway
parish register (RCB Library P.519.01.1)

The RCB Library's Archive of the Month feature for July explores some unexpected gems discovered in the sacramental register of St Nicholas Collegiate Church, the parish church for Galway City.

They are hand-drawn sketches, or cartoons, with the surname Caddy noted several times. Who drew the images is uncertain. So, too, the name(s) of the person(s) depicted.

The RCB Library, the Church of Ireland's repository in Dublin, is asking for genealogists and local historians to get in contact if they have any information about the pictures.

For more about the Caddy cartoons see the RCB Library's online archive feature here. 

20% off annual subscriptions to RootsIreland

RootsIreland.ie is offering a 20% discount on its annual subscriptions.

The database, run by the Irish Family History Foundation and its island-wide network of heritage centres, has the largest multi-denominational holding of transcribed Irish church records. It also holds civil records of birth, marriage and death for about half of the historical 32 counties, as well as miscellaneous land, census and burial ground records.

You'll find a county-by-county summary of its resources here.

The discount reduces the cost of the 12-month subscription from €225 to €180 / from £198 to £158 / from US$262 to US$209.

All researchers, whether or not they have a current subscription, can take up the discounted offer. New customers should register for an account and then click the Subscribe button to make their purchase. Existing subscription holders can also take advantage of the offer by clicking MyAccount / My Subscription / Start a New Subscription and purchasing a discounted subscription; it'll be activated when your current sub runs out.

The 20% offer will expire on 11:59pm (Irish Summer Time) on Sunday 15 July and cannot be used in conjunction with any other offer.

Evening Herald joins British Newspaper Archive

The online British Newspaper Archive (BNA) has started to upload editions of the Evening Herald.

This daily nationalist title launched in December 1891 and was published as a broadsheet until 1982 when it became a tabloid. Its name was changed to The Herald in 2013 and the paper is now published in Dublin as a Monday to Saturday morning newspaper by Independent News and Media.

Initially, only the 301 editions published in 1998 are available to search on the DNA database. This will expand ultimately to span 1891 to 2009.

The newspaper is also now searchable through FindMyPast's Irish Newspapers collection.

Irish genealogy and history events, 2-15 July

Monday 2 July: NLI Reading Room and Manuscript Room closed. Venue: National Library of Ireland, Kildare Street, Dublin 2. On-going Monday closures are to facilitate extensive redevelopment of the premises. All other services/exhibitons/cafe, including Genealogy Advisory Service, operating as normal. Details.

Monday 2 July: Voices and Votes: Suffrage and Representation of the People, 1832 – 1928, exhibition launch event with Dr Margaret Ward, Niall Kerr, and Dr Glynn Kelso. Host and venue: PRONI, Titanic Boulevard, Belfast. 10am to 1pm. Free but you need to book.

Friday 6 July: How to start your family tree, with Olive Coleman. Hosts: Cork Genealogical Society and Kilmurry Independence Museum. Venue: Independence Museum Lissardagh, Kilmurry, Co. Cork. 8pm. Admission: €5 (free to members). All welcome.

Monday 9 July: NLI Reading Room and Manuscript Room closed. Venue: National Library of Ireland, Kildare Street, Dublin 2. On-going Monday closures are to facilitate extensive redevelopment of the premises. All other services/exhibitons/cafe, including Genealogy Advisory Service, will open today at 11am to facilitate an early staff development meeting. Details.

Tuesday 10 July: Unlocking Roman Catholic records outside Ireland with Brian Donovan. Host: Genealogical Society of Ireland. Venue: Dun Laoghaire Further Education Institute, Cumberland Street, Dun Laoghaire. 8pm. Donation €3. 8pm.

Thursday 12 July and Friday 13 July: Battle of the Boyne Bank Holidays in Northern Ireland.

Saturday 14 July: Irish family history research help, a drop-in session with the Mayo Genealogy Group. Venue: Museum of Country Life, Turlough Park, Castlebar, Co Mayo. Free. 11:30am.

Saturday 14 July: Slaves or Indentured Servants - Ethnic Cleansing After Cromwell, with Séamus Culbert. Host and venue: Ormond Castle, Castle Park, Carrick-on-Suir, Co. Tipperary. 11:30am. All welcome, but booking essential. Tel 051-640787.

My Heritage DNA opens European distribution centre

In response to demand from European researchers for its DNA testing kits, My Heritage has announced the opening of a new distribution centre in Tilburg, Netherlands. The company says it has seen a 450% increase in kit sales across Europe in the first five months of this year.

Up to now, DNA kits ordered by European customers were processed by the MyHeritage DNA fulfilment centre in the United States.

With the new distribution centre operational, sales of MyHeritage DNA kits will be shipped directly from Europe to European customers, shortening lead and transit times and reducing shipping costs. Delivery time across Europe via standard shipping now takes less than a week and in some cases only 2-4 days. Expedited shipping is also available, with next-day delivery for orders made before 1pm and 2-day delivery for all others.

Most countries in Europe will be serviced by the new distribution centre (exclusions are Poland, where MyHeritage DNA kits are not sold, and non-EU countries Norway and Switzerland, which will continue to be fulfilled by the US centre). In the future, the new distribution centre will also collect DNA samples sent back by European customers, and forward them to the MyHeritage DNA lab in the USA.

Flash Sale from FindMyPast UK: 50% discount on offer

Be quick to grab a 50% discount
on your first month subscription

You'll need to be quick for this offer!

FindMyPast UK is offering a 50% discount on first month's payments to its monthly subscription packages.  The discount is applied to the first payment and can be used only once per customer.

After the discounted 30-day period, your subscription automatically renews at full price unless you un-tick the 'Auto-renew my subscription' box in the My Subscription section of the site. This may sound more complex than it is; the process is actually very easy.

The savings are as follows:

Starter subscription: First month's payment reduced to £4.48 (regular price £8:95)

Plus subscription: First month's payment reduced to £6.48 (regular price £12.95)

Pro subscription: First month's payment reduced to £7.98 (regular price £13)

To take advantage of the savings on offer, click the logo image above and sign up by 11:59pm on Saturday 30 June. For full terms and conditions see the FindMyPast UK site

Ancestry: Free access & a DNA discount for Canada Day

It's Canada Day on Sunday, so Ancestry.ca is celebrating with free access to its Canada Census collection and a big discount on its DNA tests for researchers based in Canada.

Free Access: This offer allows you access to Canadian censuses for every decade from 1851 to 1911 (Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta from 1906 and 1916). You'll find a full list of the record sets included in this offer here.

To take advantage of the free access offer (it runs to 11:59pm ET on Monday 2 July), you'll need a free registered account. If you don't already have one, just click the image, right, start searching and you'll be directed to the registration page.

DNA test: AncestryDNA's genetic genealogy database is the world's largest. Researchers resident in Canada can purchase a DNA test for just CAD$89 (regular price CAD$129) over this special weekend. The discounted price includes taxes but not shipping, which is extra.

The offer runs until Tuesday 3 July. Click the image below to find out more and claim the Canada Day discount.

UL's Certificate in Local History course enrolling soon

The University of Limerick's Certificate in Local History course, which is presented at the Irish Workhouse Centre in Portumna, County Galway, will be enrolling shortly.

The aim of the course is to systematically and coherently develop a range of research skills to further the historical understanding of local and regional communities and societies. It is delivered through lectures and field trips one evening a week over 24 weeks. Classes will start for the next course in September and run to April 2019.

For more details about the Certificate, email info@irishworkhousecentre.ie or phone 086 4070851.

NIFHS Library & Research Centre closed in July

The NIFHS Library and Research Centre
in Newtownabbey, Co Antrim.

The North of Ireland Family History Society's Library and Research Centre in Newtownabbey will be taking its annual holiday in July.

If you want to cram in some last minute research, get yourself along to the Centre this afternoon/early evening (2pm-8pm), otherwise you'll have to hold fire until 7 August.

The Centre focusses mainly on the nine counties of Ulster (ie on both sides of the border) but also has books, maps and records for other locations on the island, plus access to FindMyPast. It is open most Tuesdays to members; non-members are welcome too, and a donation will be appreciated.

See the NIFHS website for more details.