Brian Mitchell from our Derry Centre will be delivering an illustrated talk entitled ‘Derry – the pathway to another life’ to Tyrone Branch of North of Ireland Family History Society on 14 October at Omagh Library at 10 a.m.
http://www.nifhs.org/branches/tyrone

The second annual conference in memory of John Bradley, Kilkenny-born archaeologist, historian and lecturer at Maynooth University, will take place in Kilkenny on 20th-21st October 2017.  The theme is the 500th anniversary of the Reformation.

John Bradley Memorial Conference.

October 20/21^st 2017.

Theme: 500^th Anniversary of the Reformation.

Friday 20^th October.

Venue: The Parade Tower, Kilkenny Castle.

Official opening

Speakers:         Welcome: Mr. Pat Nolan, President, Kilkenny Archaeological Society.

Official opening: Chairman Co. Council. Mr. David Fitzgerald.

Dr. Raghnall Ó Floinn, Director, The National Museum.

‘ An appreciation of Mr John Bradley’.

Bishop Michael Burrows:

‘Today’s church and the foot print of the Reformation: An ecumenical and pastoral reflection’.

The Club House Hotel – Conference dinner.

Saturday 21^st October.

Venue:             The Chapter Room, St. Mary’s Cathedral.

Opening address and welcome:         Mr. Pat Nolan, President, KAS.

Chair for morning session:                 Mr. Frank Lanigan, Chairman, KAS.

Speakers:         Dr. Colm Lennon, Emeritus Professor of History, Maynooth:

‘The impact of the Reformation on the urban community’.

Tea/Coffee

                        Dr. Elizabethanne Boran, Librarian, The Edward Worth Library, Dublin:

‘Persecution and Deliverance in Sixteenth-Century Kilkenny: The Vocacyon of  John Bale, 1553′.

 Summary of morning session.

Lunch at Chapter House Cafe.

Chair for afternoon session:   Monsignor Michael Ryan, Administrator, Diocese of                                                            Ossory and P.P. Castlecomer Parish.

Speakers:         Dr. David Edwards, Senior Lecturer, U.C.C.

‘Religious reform and Ormond patronage, 1536-1614’.

Rev. Dr. Fearghus Ó Fearghail, P.P. Windgap Parish and Lecturer in Theology.

‘The re-organisation of the Diocese of Ossory, 1600-1635′.

Venue:             St. Canice’s Cathedral.

Speaker:          Mr. David Forde, Deputy Principal Carlow Institute of Further Education and Director of St. Canice’s Cathedral Choir.

‘Liturgical music, how it changed post Reformation’, followed by Evensong.

Conference fees:

The all-in charge inclusive of Friday evening reception admission to all lectures, Saturday lunch guided tour of Rothe House inclusive of incidental teas and coffees is just €45.00 or inclusive of conference dinner on Friday evening €60.00 Registered student’s concession price €47.50.

Registration and all details from Rothe House, telephone 056 77 22 893

Email reception@rothehouse.com

Outside normal office hours enquiries and bookings please ring 087 24 11 955

Genealogy Courses from Ulster Historical Foundation

Irish Genealogy Essentials: A Family History Course

Irish Genealogy Essentials: A Family History Course introduces family historians to the unique nature of Irish genealogical research. It is the most comprehensive Irish-focused genealogy course offered in the UK or Ireland.

Delivered by the Ulster Historical Foundation’s experienced and expert staff in Belfast’s historic Cathedral Quarter the course will include 3.5 days of engaging genealogy classes complemented by 1.5 days of assisted research in the Public Record Office of Northern Ireland (PRONI). It is ideal if you:

• Have little/no experience of Irish family history research
• Have some experience of genealogical research, but want to develop your skills and knowledge further
• Consider yourself a more experienced genealogical researcher who wants to learn new techniques and learn about lesser known sources

The course will include topics such as: nineteenth and early twentieth century census returns; church and civil records; Griffith’s valuation and tithe records; estate records; as well as wills and testamentary papers, plus an in-depth look at other lesser known sources.

Priced at only £399.99 (or £374.99 for members of the Foundation’s Guild) the classes are delivered by the Foundation’s staff who between them have some sixty years’ experience in helping individuals to trace their Irish family history research.

In just five days the course will equip you with background knowledge on archival sources for Irish genealogy; suggest research techniques and tips; and provide practical experience of using the archives, notably PRONI.  It will help to give you the skills and experience to further explore your family history and help you find your elusive Irish and Scots-Irish ancestors.

If you are interested in gaining more research experience Irish Genealogy Essentials is an enjoyable, rewarding and inexpensive way to learn from one of the leading research agencies on the island of Ireland.

Don’t just take it from us, here are some comments from previous attendees:

‘Enjoyable, informative and worth every penny.

R. Stephenson, England

‘The course was inspirational, well-run and also relaxed enough to be fun. We had great input from all our lecturers and a really lovely group of participants – everyone was serious about Irish genealogy but also keen to assist fellow class members too. The lectures were divided into sections and were unfailingly entertaining and very useful. I think the whole group felt like they had been on a successful journey together at the end of the week.’

S. Miller, England

‘The Essentials course for Genealogy offers exactly what it says on the box; a well-balanced, information filled course by a highly qualified team leaving one with the tools to take one’s research to the next level.’

G. Winder

The next course runs from 9-13 October 2017. For more information or to register go to:  www.ancestryireland.com/irish-genealogy-essentials/

Towns in the Ulster Plantation – A4 Leaflet Folded (3)

A special one-day conference dealing with the Towns of the Ulster Plantation organised by Cumann Seanchais Bhreifne (Breifne Historical Society) and Cavan Genealogy will be held in the Johnston Central Library, Farnham Street, Cavan, on Saturday 14 October.

Line up:

Session 1: The archaeology and geography of Ulster plantation towns

10 a.m.: Dr Rachel Tracey (Queen’s University Belfast): ‘Uncovering Ulster Plantation towns: rhetoric, reality and resonance’.

10.25 a.m.: Dr Jonathan Cherry (Dublin City University): ‘Ulster’s Plantation towns: a geographical perspective’.

10.50-11.05: tea and coffee

Session 2: Urban administration

11.05 a.m.: Dr Brendan Scott (Roots Ireland): ‘The Town Book of Belturbet, County Cavan, 1657-1700: administration in an Ulster Plantation town’.

11.30 a.m.: Dr Bríd McGrath (Trinity College Dublin): ‘Creating and managing a new town: Coleraine 1623-1669’

11.55: 5 minute break

Session 3: Case Studies

12 p.m.: Dr William Roulston (Ulster Historical Foundation): ‘“The Scottish town”: Strabane in the late sixteenth and early seventeenth centuries’.

12.25 p.m.: Dr Annaleigh Margey (Dundalk I.T.): ‘Building early modern property portfolios: London’s urban influence in seventeenth-century Ulster’.

12.50-2 p.m.: Lunch

Session 4: Urban Plantation Society

2 p.m.: Professor Raymond Gillespie (Maynooth University): ‘The marketplaces in Ulster plantation towns’.

2.25 p.m.: Dr Paddy Fitzgerald (Mellon Centre, Ulster-American Folk Park): ‘Urban Ulster, Dublin and the problem of the poor in the early modern period’.

2.50 p.m.: 5 minute break

Session 4: Religion

2.55 p.m.: Professor Robert Armstrong (Trinity College Dublin): ‘Planting Protestantism in urban Ulster’.

3.20 p.m.: Professor Colm Lennon (Maynooth University): ‘Catholicism and Ulster Plantation towns’.

VENUE: Johnston Central Library, Farnham Street, Cavan

DATE: Saturday 14^th October

TIME: 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.

TO BOOK: Contact Cavan Genealogy

First Floor, Johnston Central Library and Farnham Centre, Farnham Street, Cavan

Hours: Monday to Friday 9.00am to 1.00pm / 2.00pm to 5.00pm

Phone: +353 (0)49 436 1094

Email: cavangenealogy@eircom.net

Fee: €10.00

Fee is non-refundable and must be paid in full at time of booking. To guarantee your seat, early and full booking is essential. All major credit cards including Visa, Mastercard and Laser are accepted.

One-third off a 12 Month Subscription for RootsIreland for a limited time in September 2017.*

Get a 12 month subscription for RootsIreland with one-third off from 7 September to 17 September 2017.

To obtain this offer just go to the following link and login using your existing RootsIreland login details: http://www.rootsireland.ie. If you currently have a subscription, click My Account, My Subscription and Start a New Subscription.

If you have any questions please check our Help section and if this does not provide an answer, then you may contact us or one of the county centres. You can check what is available on our site for each county here.

*Offer applies from 12 midnight Irish time on 7 September 2017 to 12 midnight Irish time on 17 September 2017 only. Cannot be used in conjunction with any other offer.

For the fourth year running, the Genealogy Event will be visiting County Limerick. Sponsored by RootsIreland.ie, it runs from Friday 1st September to Saturday 2nd September at Woodlands House Hotel, Adare, County Limerick. It offers a wealth of up to date information on researching your Irish ancestors using familiar genealogical resources, but also some lesser known sources.  For further details, please see www.thegenealogyevent.com.

Following on from our successful 2015 conference programme, the Ulster Historical Foundation will be hosting two family history conferences in June and September 2016. Both events will combine a varied and exciting mix of research opportunities in the archives (including the Public Record Office of Northern Ireland, the National Library, the National Archives and the Registry of Deeds in Dublin), talks from acknowledged experts and a choice of tours to a number of historic sites, including Kilmainham Gaol and Trinity College, Dublin, Barons Court, the palatial country house of the Duke of Abercorn in County Tyrone, Titanic Belfast and the world famous Giant’s Causeway.

The Foundation’s popular conferences are therefore ideally suited to the keen family historian who will be given assistance by our experienced genealogists throughout the week and also those who favour learning more about the Ireland of their ancestors as we travel through our verdant countryside en route to our selection of famous sites and locations.

Our June event will run from 15-22. For more information and guidance on how to register please visit http:www.ancestryireland.com/family-history-conference/summer-2016/

The website for our second event to be held from 4–10 September 2016 should be operational very soon.

Feedback from the delegates who attended our recent conferences has been extremely positive with many considering a return to our shores in 2016. We hope that you will also join us in 2016 for a truly memorable experience.

The Christmas lecture, Revolution and the Irish Country House: burnings and enforced exile 1919 – 23  by Terence Dooley, Maynooth University, will take place on Monday, 14 December at  7.15 p.m. (please note earlier time) followed by optional dinner in The Gold Saloon and Drawing Room

The burning of Irish country houses during the War of Independence and Civil War was a phenomenon which until the publication of Terence Dooley’s book, The decline of the big house in Ireland in 2001, had received little or no attention from historians.  This talk provides an insight into the motivation for the burning of country houses nationwide.  Drawing on new research from papers in private possession it also provides an in-depth insight into the fate of two country house families caught up in revolutionary change between 1919 and 1923.

Light refreshments served from 6.30pm
Admission fee per lecture:  €10.00 payable prior to the lecture or on the night
Admission fee for Christmas lecture including dinner in The Gold Saloon & Drawing Room: €50.00

(Dinner for the Christmas Lecture must be booked and paid for in advance) 


Please note that as numbers for dinner are limited places must be booked and paid for in advance.  Seating in the Gold Saloon will be filled on a first come, first served basis.
Enquiries to Carton House only at Telephone: (01) 6517708 and Email:  sales@cartonhouse.com

The Irish Georgian Society and the Institute of Conservators-Restorers in Ireland’s Heritage Housekeeping: philosophy and practice study day, takes place in the Saloon at Russborough, County Wicklow on Thursday 26th November (cost €90 including lunch).

Katy Lithgow, the Head Conservator for the National Trust UK will deliver the keynote paper.  This will be a highly practical day with advice on the storage, display, cleaning and care of all aspects of collections from paintings and paper to furniture and textiles.

Bookings can be made through the Irish Georgian Society website http://www.igs.ie/uploads/Heritage_Housekeeping_booklet.compressed_(1).pdf