UCD Digital Library is delighted to present a fascinating collection of large scale 19th century Irish town and city maps. This visual resource has been made possible due to a long-standing and successful partnership with Ordnance Survey Ireland. The OSI provided the UCD Digital Library with scanned images of the five foot and ten foot to one mile scale maps chiefly surveyed between 1837 and 1896.

The Ordnance Survey Ireland (OSI) 19th Century Historical Maps collection contains maps for almost 150 cities, towns and villages in the Republic of Ireland. Significantly, the large scale at which they were surveyed means that wonderful details such as the ground floor interior plans of public buildings from churches and banks to hospitals and railway terminals can be viewed on the maps. Find the maps by date and place and then zoom in on the beautiful cartographic detail.

These maps provide an invaluable source of information for anyone tracing the history of their family or local area. Researchers can compare the past to the present and find former street names, discover which industries formerly occupied sites, study transformations in the landscape to see how an urban site has emerged from a rural area. At street level features include benchmarks, pillar boxes, public water pumps, gas plugs, hydrants and lamp posts. Other useful information includes the parish, barony, townland, ward and municipal boundaries which are all clearly marked. With building types such as mills, foundries, dye works, barracks shown not only is architectural history visualised but clues to working life in the past are revealed. Interested in 19th century forms of recreation – then locate places of culture and entertainment such as billiard rooms, galleries, tea houses, bull rings and Turkish baths.

The Ordnance Survey Ireland (OSI) 19th Century Historical Maps provide a fantastic wealth of detail to explore.

The collection can be viewed in the UCD Digital Library at: http://digital.ucd.ie/view/ucdlib:40377

The UCD Digital Library is an institutionally supported, preservation-oriented digital repository that holds a heterogeneous collection of resources from UCD’s cultural heritage repositories and an increasing number of data assets captured or produced by UCD research activities. It is accessible at http://digital.ucd.ie.

The Foundation’s North American Lecture tour is now under way having begun last Saturday in Toronto, Canada. The turn out for the first dates on this tour have been incredible and as Fintan and Gillian are speaking to crowds of enthusiastic genealogists the Foundation is delighted to offer superb savings on the following titles.

Tracing Your Great War Ancestors: The Somme: A Guide for Family Historians
Now only £10.00! (RRP £12.99)

If you want to find out about an ancestor who served on the Somme during the First World War – during the Battle of the Somme in 1916 or at any time during the fighting in this sector of the Western Front – this book is the ideal guide. It provides practical information and advice on how to conduct your research. It will help you to discover when and where your ancestors served and give you an insight into his experience of the war. It is also a fascinating introduction to researching the Great War as a whole.

Writing your Family History: A guide for Family Historians
Now only £10.00! (RRP £12.90)

Writing your Family History: A Guide for Family Historians is a practical step-by-step guide to writing a family history is designed for anyone who wants to bring their ancestors’ stories to life. This publication looks at ways of overcoming the particular problems family historians face when writing a family history — how to deal with gaps in knowledge, how to describe generations of people who did the same jobs or lived in the same area, how to cover the numerous births, marriages and deaths that occur, and when to stop researching and start writing. Writing your Family History provides examples to help readers find their own writing style, deal with family stories, missing pieces of information and anomalies.

Threads from an Irish Backcloth: Applying particularly to the district of Lisburn
Now only £8.00! (RRP £9.99)

Threads from an Irish backcloth applying particularly to the district of Lisburn is a delightfully esoteric exploration of one family’s history drawn together from the many threads that spread out from the district of Lisburn to the rest of the world. This is no work of fancy but like any Irish family history it is the assemblage of information concerning four small groups that inter-married and each of which were settled in Ireland and quite certainly came with Scottish roots.

Kith and Kin: The continuing legacy of the Scotch-Irish in America AND Robert Dinsmoor’s Scotch Irish Poems
For only £13.99! (RRP £20.00)

In Kith and Kin: The Continuing Legacy of the Scotch-Irish in America author Alister McReynolds presents a collection of life stories that serves to highlight that the Scotch-Irish contribution to life in America was, and is, more valuable and less of a cliche than the images of rascality, motor sports and corn liquor suggest.

Robert Dinsmoor’s poetry is perhaps the greatest achievement of Scotch-Irish writing in the nineteenth century. His work frames a vibrant culture whose ties of faith, family and friendship crisscrossed the Atlantic. He records people, places and events with humour and compassion, and was rightfully accorded the status of the’Rustic Bard’ of New Hampshire.

Both these publications offer a fascinating and unique view into the experience of the Scots-Irish in the New World.

Available from http://www.booksireland.org.uk/

Happy St. Patrick’s Day

12 Months Subscription for 6 Offer during March 2016

During the month of March (1-31st) you can purchase a 12 month subscription for the price of 6 months.

To avail of this special 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 at enquiries@rootsireland.ie or one of our county genealogy centres.

New records have recently been added for Counties Antrim, Down, Monaghan and Sligo. Check for updates at Rootsireland News and Blog

Éamonn Ó Modhráin – A Revolutionary Journey will be launched on Sunday, 28 February 2016 at 7.00 p.m. by the Mayor of Kildare, Cllr. Brendan Weld in the Riverbank Arts Centre, Newbridge, Co. Kildare.

Following the formal launch there will be two short presentations from James Durney, Kildare’s historian-in-residence, and Robert Doyle historian, followed by a question and answer session.

Discovered while clearing out an attic by family member Robert Doyle, Athgarvan, in 2010, the Ó Modhráin family’s documents and personal effects are a collection of historical items that give a unique insight into Irish nationalism at a local level. Éamonn Ó Modhráin (1881-1954) was a prominent nationalist and republican in Kildare during the early years of the 20th century. He was active in the Gaelic League, was arrested and imprisoned in 1916 and prominent in the War of Independence and Civil War.

Throughout 2016, the  four eastern Ontario Municipalities of Beckwith, Drummond/North Elmsley, Perth and Tay Valley  will be celebrating the 200th Anniversary of Canada’s Perth Military Settlement.  They want to welcome visitors interested in participating in this historic year.  

Please click on this link https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B_E9HkoKVz1baVZyaGVQQXJnNENjQ0tjM05rR3ltRWRTSHdJ  for the letter and flyer with more information. 

County Sligo Heritage and Genealogy Society is delighted to announce the release of a collection of 14,000 Civil marriage records for County Sligo. The records can be searched and viewed online through the www.rootsIreland.ie website. These records cover the time period from 1864 to 1920 and are the most recent collection of records Sligo has made available to researchers online.

The Civil Registrar Districts covered by these records are listed below:

District	Marriages
Aclare	1866-1920
Ballymote	1864-1920
Castleconnor	1864-1920
Easkey	1864-1920
Gurteen	1864-1920
Skreen	1864-1920
Sligo No. 1	1864-1920
Sligo No. 2	1864-1920
Tubbercurry	1864-1920

This set of records will be particularly valuable to researchers, who for one reason or another were unable to uncover a church marriage record for their ancestors. This may have occurred due to the records being lost, damaged, or as often happened, the marriage had taken place in a parish where church record keeping had not yet commenced

They will also be very useful to people whose ancestors married in the period 1900 to 1920, a period, which up until now, was not covered by our Sligo online records collection.

Even if your research has already uncovered a church marriage record, these records may still be of some interest to you because, if your ancestors married after 1864, they may have two records of marriage, namely a civil record and a church record. As each record may contain different details it is worth checking both.

A civil marriage record is particularly informative as it typically includes the date and place of marriage, the names of the parties, their ages (often just ‘Full’ or ‘Minor’), current marital status, occupations, addresses, fathers’ names and fathers’ occupations. It also usually includes the witnesses to the marriage.

The Civil Records of  Marriage are the official State records of marriages in Ireland.  Non-Catholic marriages were registered from April 1845, while universal registration of all births, marriages and deaths began in 1864.

The annual Tipperary Book Fair takes place this Sunday, 14th February from 2pm-6pm in Fethard Ballroom, Co. Tipperary. The Fair is not to be missed as there will be approximately 40 dealers selling books of every shape and size and price. The Fair is organized by the Fethard Historical Society. Terry Cunningham is available for info and any details you might need at:-

Ph 086-3905373 or
Email: bookfair@fethard.com or www.tipperariana.com

Dublin City Book Fair takes place on Sunday, 28th February in the Tara Towers Hotel, Merrion Road, Dublin 4. We will have more details later.

There will also be a Book Fair in the Boyne Visitor Centre, Oldbridge, Co. Meath on Sunday, March 6th which is World Book Day. Keep an eye out for more info.

Eddie and Kay Murphy
lyonshillbooks@eircom.net
www.dublincitybookfair.com

February sees the first of three lectures to mark the centenary 1916-2016 by Offaly History.

There are many different views on 1916 and the National Volunteers, the Irish Volunteers, participation in the First World War, Home Rule, McNeill, Redmond, Pearse and so much more. Our aim is to look at the facts and have an appreciation of the sincerely held views of the participants and the consequences of the steps taken. In May and June we will visit sites and museums in Dublin to follow up on what we have discovered.

From our library a number of books will be on display on the 1916 period. We will also use our social media to illustrate different views and happenings. We hope all the lectures will be available as podcasts/and YouTube excerpts in conjunction with the Offaly Heritage Officer and the Offaly County Library.

8 February at 8pm at Offaly History Centre, Bury Quay, Tullamore. Brig. General Jim Cullen on ‘The military strategy of the 1916 Leaders’ – A Retrospective Military Analysis of the 1916 Rising.

A few days in April 1916 altered the course of Irish history. The lessons learned in this brief period had an important influence on the study of insurgency and counter-insurgency operations in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. This will be an exciting story. We look forward to seeing you. There will be no countermand for this lecture! Admission €2 to members and €5 to non-members. This includes the tea and biscuits after the lecture and a chance to talk to the other Souls.

The lecture will briefly consider the leadership, military strategy and tactical measures of both sides of the conflict in Dublin during Easter Week. We will also see how the fog of war can quickly alter plans and operational assumptions when conflict begins.

Brig. General Cullen will look at two 1916 battle sites, i.e. the GPO and Mount Street Bridge, to examine tactics and how unanticipated circumstances affected plans. In closing, we will consider questions about measures employed by both sides.

Forthcoming Lectures

19 February – Edenderry History Seminar on ‘Exploring 1916 : a Midlands perspective’. Hosted by the Edenderry Historical Society at Oaklands Community College, Edenderry 7-10 p.m.

Speakers:
Michael Byrne, Tullamore and the 1916 Rising
Maria Gillen, Emily Weddall and 1916
Oliver Conlon, Frank Burke of Carbury and 1916
James Durney, Kildare and the 1916 Rising
Ciarán Reilly, ‘The year began with a bang’: Edenderry 1916

Response: Dr. Philip Brady will offer a response to the papers

Admission €10. All are welcome and refreshments will be served
Enquiries: edenderryhistory@gmail.com

14 March – The Tullamore Incident with Michael Byrne
20 March – 100th anniversary of the Tullamore Incident. Details of events to mark that date will be published in the March newsletter of Offaly History.
25 April – Offaly’s links to the 1916 Rising and its aftermath.
The talk will give an overview covering the years 1912-1920 and will look at the Rising from diverse perspectives in Offaly: Irish Parliamentary Party, Sinn Féin, Unionists, Irish Volunteers, RIC, British Army, civilians and the local press, with Philip McConway.

Please direct enquiries to:

OFFALY HISTORY Bury Quay, Tullamore, Co. Offaly. Telephone: 057-9321421 Opening hours 9-4.30 Mon-Friday Office and Family History Thursdays 7.30p.m.- 10.30 p.m. Library evening Web site: www.offalyhistory.com Email: info@offalyhistory.com

CONSERVING YOUR DUBLIN PERIOD HOUSE COURSE 2016

The Irish Georgian Society and Dublin City Council have assembled a team of conservation experts to present a series of talks on the history and significance of Dublin’s period houses and practical advice on their conservation. Attendance at the talks will prove invaluable for owners of all periods and types of houses, from the modest Edwardian artisan dwelling to the substantial red-bricks of the Victorian suburbs and the fine townhouses of our Georgian city squares, providing an A to Z for their care and conservation. These talks will also benefit building professionals and practitioners and are approved for CPD by the Royal Institute of Architects of Ireland, Engineers Ireland, the Society of Chartered Surveyors Ireland, the Irish Planning Institute and the Heritage Contractors.

Talks, which will commence on Tuesday 1st March 2016, and continue for 12 weeks, will take place from 1pm to 2pm, in the Helen Roe Theatre, RSAI, 63 Merrion Square, Dublin 2.  The talks are priced at €15 each, payable at the door, or booked in advance at a reduced rate of €125 for all twelve talks.

The Irish National Monuments Service has just deployed a new public map viewer – Historic Environment Viewer. This viewer allows access to the records  of  National Monuments Service (SMR) and those of the National Inventory of Architectural Heritage (NIAH). See here: http://webgis.archaeology.ie/historicenvironment/