Explore the lives of men, women and children living through war and revolution and social changes that made modern Ireland

How do people experience war and revolution? How does political change, violence, total war, affect life in its most basic ways? Looking at Ireland through war and revolution, this course considers these and other questions about Irish life between 1912 and 1923.

The course looks beyond the familiar names and the famous faces – the traditional histories can tell us about them. Instead, it explores how the events that shaped the nature of modern Ireland – the Great War, the Easter Rising, the Irish war of independence and civil war – were experienced by the people who lived through them or in spite of them.

Through videos, assignments and discussions, through innovative approaches, this course introduces you to the history of Ireland in one of its most tumultuous periods. Considering the choices of those who fought in all sorts of ways for all sorts of causes, looking at the continuities of everyday life, this course allows us to question our broader understanding of these years.

Looking at the intricate and complex tapestry of lives lived, often in the midst of chaos, we might begin to ask different questions of these years. Do we understand war better if we consider the motivations that took a single soldier to the front, whether that front was in Flanders or Dublin? Does our sense of the entire period change when we examine general social and cultural trends or when we investigate their effect on private lives?

Find out more at https://www.futurelearn.com/courses/irish-history

We are pleased to announce that we have added over 51,000 new baptismal, marriage and burial records to our website. Name Denomination Location Type of record Years No. of entries Holy Cross Roman Catholic Belfast Baptisms 1918-1929 1,632 Holy Family Roman Catholic Belfast Baptisms 1895-1929 2,188 St. Malachy’s Roman Catholic Belfast Baptisms 1913-1923 2,287 St. Matthew’s Roman Catholic Belfast Baptisms 1899-1929 10,024 Dundrum & Ballykinler Roman Catholic Co. Down Baptisms 1894-1920 627 Dundrum & Tyrella Roman Catholic Co. Down Baptisms 1921-1930 274 Holy Cross Roman Catholic Belfast Marriages 1908-1929 716 Holy Family Roman Catholic Belfast Marriages 1895-1929 684 Sacred Heart Roman Catholic Belfast Marriages 1890-1929 846 St. Joseph’s Roman Catholic Belfast Marriages 1872-1930 1,632 St. Malachy’s Roman Catholic Belfast Marriages 1883-1929 3,014 St. Vincent de Paul Roman Catholic Belfast Marriages 1896-1929 399 Dundrum & Ballykinler Roman Catholic Co. Down Marriages 1894-1920 151 Dundrum & Tyrella Roman Catholic Co. Down Marriages 1921-1929 52 Milltown Cemetery Roman Catholic Belfast Burials 1869-1895 27,232 The majority of these records relate to baptisms and marriages in Roman Catholic churches in Belfast from 1900 to 1930 which are not available online elsewhere. We have also added over 27,000 burial records from Milltown, the main Catholic cemetery in Belfast. These burial records include the name, age and address of the deceased and cover just the first volume of burial registers from 1869 when the Cemetery opened, to 1895. Catholic baptismal records can be very informative as often details of the individual’s later marriage – the date, place and name of spouse – were recorded alongside the baptismal entry. Places of marriage recorded in the St. Malachy’s baptismal register include: Brisbane, Australia; Cairo, Egypt; London, England; New Jersey, U.S.A. and Ottawa, Canada. Other later notes included details of ordinations. Priests also often made notes if a parent was deceased, not a Catholic or from outside the parish, for example: ‘Mother a native of Falcarragh, Co. Donegal’. These additional details can be of huge importance in searching for ancestors, for example, within the baptismal register of Dundrum and Ballykinler in County Down the priest noted the following information on two baptisms: ‘Father is a Protestant living at 40 Garwood St Belfast; baptised conditionally in Ballykinlar chapel having previously been baptised in a Protestant church in Belfast.’ ‘Father Presbyterian. Child received into Catholic Church at about 7 years old; both parents deceased, mother Catherine married a second time a Protestant named Nelson.’ Marriage records vary in detail. For example the priest at St. Joseph’s Church recorded the names and address of both parents of the bride and groom as well as the names and addresses of the witnesses from 1873; St. Vincent de Paul registers include this level of detail from 1913. Civil marriage registers never record the names of the mothers or the addresses of the parents and witnesses so these are invaluable details unavailable elsewhere. In particular if the bride or groom had moved to Belfast but were not born there, it can often be very challenging to discover their original place of birth but marriage registers that include the parents’ address can suggest a potential area to research. It should be noted that the addresses of the bride and groom referred to their address on the day of marriage, which was not always their usual residence. Often one spouse stayed somewhere other than their usual residence on the night before the wedding, to be close to the church. This is demonstrated in one register where the couple gave their address as Carrick Hill in Belfast but the priest noted ‘One night in Carrick Hill, immediately from Newry’. Often witnesses were found to be siblings of the bride or groom; knowing the addresses of the witnesses at the time of the marriage can help confirm these relationships. There are examples of additional notes written by some priests in cases where the parents of the bride and groom were not Catholic, were deceased or were living elsewhere: ‘Father of bridegroom in America’. Other details recorded included whether the bride or groom were converts or had any sort of blood relationship, which required a dispensation from the Church. This was something to which priests in certain parishes seemed to pay particular attention. Other pieces of information, not always available elsewhere may have been recorded, for example, a priest recorded that the groom had been ‘shot in Boer War’. Finally, many priests made a note to say which parishes they had notified about the marriage which can also suggest a possible place of birth, for example: ‘Notice sent to Barrow-in-Furness; notice sent to Lisburn’. You can search these records at www.down.rootsireland.ie with a current subscription.  Click Online Sources to see the full list of all records the supplied by the Ulster Historical Foundation to this website.

The Genealogy Event will take place on 2nd and 3rd September 2016 at Fitzgerald’s Woodlands House Hotel, Adare, Co. Limerick

Folklore, Irish Convicts, Landed Gentry & More!

The countdown begins to this September’s conference in Adare.  Each day the conference will begin daily at 9:30AM and run through to 4:20PM on each of the Friday and Saturday. With a combination of 30MIN and 40MIN talks, 18 talks are planned – so ample learning opportunities – with a number of social and cultural events as well.  A conference summary is below, with a more detailed program viewable here.

THURSDAY 1st SEPT: SPECIAL EVENTS

11:00AM – 2:00PM – (Interest List) Nenagh Castle & Town Tour, with Lunch

6:00PM – 8:00PM – Welcome Reception and Special Presentation by Limerick Genealogy
An evening reception with a special presentation by Limerick Genealogy: Roots of the Rising: Family Histories of Ned Daly and Con Colbert

SPECIAL EVENT: 5:30PM – 10:00PM – Country House History & Tour with Evening Dinner, Longueville House, Co. Cork

FRIDAY 2 SEPT: DAY 1: CONFERENCE

9:30AM – 10:00AM – Getting Started on Genealogy: Tracing the Irish Roots of Mary T Fisher, a lady’s companion in Boston in 1880s.
10:10AM – 10:50AM – Valuation Records
11:00AM – 11:40AM – Glasnevin Cemetery
11:50AM – 12:20PM – Shipping Records and their Usefulness When Searching for Your Ancestors (& Lunch A)
12:30PM – 1:00PM – Sources from Glucksman Library’s Special Collections, University of Limerick’ (& Lunch B)
1:10PM – 1:50PM – National Folklore Collection
2:00PM – 2:40PM – Immigration
2:50PM – 3:30PM – National Archives: Overview
3:50PM – 4:20PM – Creating Family Trees

SAT. 3 SEPT. DAY 2 – CONFERENCE

9:30AM – 10:00AM – Handwriting Interpretation
10:10AM – 10:50AM – National Archives: 19th Century Irish Convict Records
11:00AM – 11:40AM – Using atDNA to Connect Cousins & Break Through Brick Walls
11:50AM – 12:20PM – School Records
12:30PM – 1:00PM – Irish Genealogy Resources
1:10PM – 1:50PM – DNA and Researching Surnames
2:00PM – 2:40PM – Census Records
2:50PM – 3:30PM – Landed Gentry: Case Study
3:50PM – 4:20PM – Maps

SPECIAL EVENT: 6:15PM – 9:00PM – Whiskey History, Tasting and Casual Pub Fare, Michael Flannery’s

SUN. 4 SEPT: SPECIAL EVENT

11:00AM – 2:00PM (INTEREST LIST) NENAGH CASTLE & TOWN TOUR, WITH LUNCH

Conference tickets are now on sale with two special offers:

1) EARLY BIRD PRICING: Save up to 15% if purchased before 1 July &
2) EARLY BIRD TICKET & CONSULTATION PACKAGE: New this year purchase both your days’ conference ticket and a preferred rate for 1 HR consultation with Limerick Genealogy (Limerick or general genealogy research).

TICKETS NOW ON SALE (& PAYMENT OPTIONS)

Tickets are available online via the link below through the Evenbrite ticket system.  As in prior years PayPal is the secure method presented at time of purchase, however if you do not have a PayPal account, cannot recall your login, you do have an option to bypass the PayPal system.  This is how:

1. Once you select the ticket(s) and the “Order Now” button, you will be directed to a page to enter your contact details and a “Check Out with PayPal”.

2. When you have entered your email address, address select “Check out with PayPal”

3. This will move you to a screen that in small font underneath the PayPal sign on will state “Don’t have a PayPal account”.  Press this link and this will then grant you the opportunity to pay via credit card direct.

Alternatively you may contact info@bbnygroup.com for assistance, call into Limerick Genealogy at Lisssanalta House, Dooradoyle or contact them via research@limerickgenealogy.com

BUY TICKETS NOW

Monaghan Genealogy has added the following records to its collection of data at www.monaghan.rootsireland.ie

Catholic Parish Records

Inishkeen Baptisms 1836-1849
Inniskeen Marriages 1839-1850 and 1876-1877

Church of Ireland Parish Records

Aghabog Marriages 1845-1915
Aughnamullen (Christchurch) Baptisms 1888-1901
Ballinode Marriages 1845-1852
Ballybay Baptisms 1867-1914
Kilmore Burials 1832-1915
Kilmore Marriages 1826-1844
Kilmore (Stranoodan) Baptisms 1861-1914
Rockcorry Marriages 1857-1916
Tehallan Baptisms 1806-1880

Presbyterian

Aughnamullen (Corlea) Baptisms 1882-1915
Aughnamullen (Corlea) Marriages 1845-1915
Muckno (2nd Castleblayney or Frankford) Marriages 1845-1912

Reformed Presbyterian

Tullycorbet (Creevagh) Marriages 1861-1912

Graveyard Records (Mixed denominations)

Ematris (Edergole Old Graveyard) Headstones 1574-2001
Errigal Truagh (Old Graveyard) Headstones 1670-1911

Civil registration

Kilmore Marriages 1864-1906

Vaccination Register

Donaghmoyne 1869-1884

It was a big day at the Johnston Central Library in Cavan on 27th January as staff welcomed Hollywood actor Chris Noth and a film crew from USA version of the genealogy series, Who Do You Think You Are?

He was visiting to tracing his Cavan‎ ancestry for the show which will be aired later in 2016. His great great grandfather came from the villlage of Knockbride.

Speaking to local radio station Northern Sound News, County Librarian Tom Sullivan said: “As far as we can ascertain it’s the Knockbride/Ballieboro area. Maguire is his ancestor’s name and they would have emigrated to Canada.

Chris is pictured here with Tommy Ryan (CEO of Cavan County Council), Tom Sullivan (County Librarian), council and genealogy staff, Concepta McGovern and Mary Sullivan. ©Lorraine Teevan Photography and Cavan County Library.

Cavan Genealogy is based in the Johnston Central Library, Farnham St., Cavan. You can contact the centre at cavangenealogy@eircom.net or search the records at www.cavan.rootsireland.ie

Dublin City Book Fair on Sunday 24th January at the Tara Towers Hotel, Merrion Road from 11am – 5pm.

Admission €2.00

We resume our Book Fairs this Sunday, usual venue and would like to welcome all our collectors and browsers. Our bookbinder, Phil Furlong, will be on hand to give advice and to exhibit some of his works. Bring along any old books or ephemera you would like preserved for another hundred years or so and Phil will advise at no cost. There will also be Free Valuations. Where would you get anything free nowadays?

Listed below are some items our dealers are bringing to the Fair along with many thousands of other books, Antiquarian, Rare, Firsts, Periodicals, Bargains, Ephemera and Prints.

James Howell Rare Books, Dublin will have the following books for sale:

Corballis, Caroline, Hunting in County Kilkenny, 1999, Signed by the Author.

Extracts from the Minutes and Advices of the Yearly Meeting of Friends Held in London, From its First Institution. Second Edition, London , 1802.

Cavendishe, William, A New Method and Extraordinary Invention to Dress Horses and Work Them according to Nature. First Edition, Small Folio, London, Printed by Tho. Milbourn, in the year 1667. Full Antique Leather, Blind Stamped designs, Edge Dentelle, Gilt Titles. A lovely copy.  The first published work on the art of dressage.

A Collection of Signed First Editions by various authors including Ian Rankin, Roddy Doyle, John Boyne, Emma Donoghue including “Room”  Pauline Bewick, Ian McEwan, Colm Toibin, Colm McCann, Aidan Higgins.

We will also have a large selection of scarce and out of print books for sale.

Dublin Bookbrowsers are offering:

Carr’s Stranger in Ireland (1806); Edmund Borlase. The Reduction of Ireland to the Crown of England with the Governors Since the Conquest By King Henry II. Anno MCLXXII. With Some Passages in Their Government a Brief Account of the Rebellion Anno Dom MDCXLI (1675); Somerville’s ABC of Fox Hunting (1903);Waterford Estate Papers from the 19th & early 20th century. Plus the regular range of assorted books of Irish & general interest.

Broadford Books will have:

A selection of new arrivals including first editions of Oscar Wilde, Siegfried  Sassoon and Robert Gibbings, Fine bindings and antiquarian. Also on offer will be one of the most extensive photographic archives of the Northern Ireland troubles in private hands.

Allod Books have for sale: George Boole – mathematical papers; First edition triple-decker novels in original boards, including one by John Keats’ brother-in-law;  Collectors’ edition (250 copies) bibliography of Patrick O’Brian; Litton Falkiner – Illustrations of Irish History; John Clare – first editions and others; a collection (over 20 books) of dictionaries of proverbs and sayings.

Gerard Carroll of Kerry Books, Author and Historian will be in attendance and will be selling and signing copies of his books listed below.

Mr Justice Robert Day (1746-1841): the Diaries ..(published 2005)
The Pocket History of Kerry (2007)
The History of Tralee, Its Charter and Governance (2009)
The Earls of Desmond, the Rise and Fall of a Munster Lordship (2013)

Finally, we will have an author that we know only as Rose, who will be launching her first book and signing copies on Sunday at the Fair. Who knows? It could be a bestseller!

See our ad on Saturday in the Irish Times and we are now also on Facebook and Twitter.

For more info. call Eddie Murphy
Mob. 087-2567908
Or Email:-lyonshillbooks@eircom.net
www.dublincitybookfair.com

For more info. call
Jim Vallely, Email:-craobh@btinternet.com

28th January – AGM and Dorothee Herman on the Offaly History trip to Germany
 in April 2015 –an illustrated account. Refreshments to follow.

8th February – Brig. General Jim Cullen on ‘The military strategy of the 1916
 Leaders’.

19th February – Edenderry History Seminar on ‘Exploring 1916: a Midlands
perspective’.

14th March – The Tullamore incident with Michael Byrne

20th March – 100th anniversary of the Tullamore Incident
For more details contact: OFFALY HISTORY, Bury Quay, Tullamore, Co. Offaly, Telephone: 057-9321421

Opening hours: 9-4.30 Monday-Friday Office and Family History

Thursdays 7.30p.m.- 10.30 p.m. Library evening

Web site: www.offalyhistory.com and Email: info@offalyhistory.com

Tracing your Irish Ancestors Conferences with the Ulster Historical Foundation, Belfast

The details for Ulster Historical Foundation’s next Tracing your Irish Ancestors family history conferences are now available.

These events are aimed at both the dedicated family historian and those who may prefer to spend more time savouring the enchanting landscape and historic sites of their ancestors.

The programmes will comprise an engaging and entertaining mix of research in the archives with the help of the Foundation’s experienced genealogists, talks from acknowledged experts and a variety of tours and day trips, all making for a memorable experience.

Highlights include: visits to Titanic Belfast and the Giant’s Causeway, the National Archives in Dublin and the Public Record Office of Northern Ireland (PRONI) in Belfast, the famous Walls of Derry and the hills of Donegal, dinner at Belfast’s historic Reform Club and afternoon tea at Barons Court, home of the Duke of Abercorn.

The Foundation is currently offering a special ‘Early Bird’ registration offer: sign up to attend either the Summer Conference or the Autumn Conference before the 31st January 2016 for only £699.99! (The price after 31st January will be £749.99).

So why not banish those winter blues and lift your spirits by booking a place on Tracing Your Irish Ancestors? You will be very welcome. For more information please visit the following websites:

Summer Conference – 15th to 22nd June 2016

www.ancestryireland.com/family-history-conference/summer/

Autumn Conference – 4th to 10th September 2016

www.ancestryireland.com/family-history-conference/autumn/

If you have any queries please email: enquiry@uhf.org.uk

Testimonial from 2015 conference attendees:

Loved this conference last month and so glad I visited the Antrim coast. Wonderfully organized and learned so much history. Highly recommend

Maureen Hanlon, California, USA

What a wonderful week this was, I cannot believe just how many places that we all visited together, thank you so much to everyone involved in all the hard work for giving us such a wonderful time, I also met up with many new friends.

Kay Howard, Essex, England

This conference was extraordinary. It was exceptionally well organized by the most accommodating and professional people – not to mention their wonderful sense of humour. Although I wasn’t able to learn any more about my own ancestors, I did learn a great deal and have new sources of information to explore. Then perhaps another visit to Belfast is in my future. Thank you for a memorable experience.

Jacque Leeper, Georgia, USA

If it is as wonderful and helpful as your September family history conference, everyone is in for a great time. Everything was great from our guides on the tours, to helpful staff at PRONI and the other places of records/deeds/archives … I now have an understanding of where to look, where to go, and best of all, I was travelling through the same countryside as my ancestors had lived. Met some interesting people in my co-attendees of the conference and some great staff from UHF. Thanks to all of them and wishing the new folks good success! Oh, and bring clothes a bit baggy because the food was wonderful!!!

Jane Jackson, Ontario, Canada

1916 App now available

Step into County Wicklow 100 years ago by Catherine Wright

The app WicklowLife1916 is now available to download free of charge on android phones or tablets from the Playstore and on apple phones or ipads from the App Store.  

Everyday life in Wicklow

In this app we hope to evoke a sense of everyday life in County Wicklow during the year of the Rising through weekly updates of newspaper snippets featuring local news stories, advertisements and events as presented in the two main County Wicklow newspapers of the day –The Wicklow People and The Wicklow News-Letter and Arklow Reporter.  You may find these snippets sometimes quirky, often poignant and on occasion quite amusing!  

Varied subjects

Subjects covered in this edition include a report on a violent incident on an Aughrim farm, a school attendance case in Enniskerry, an eccentric character in Shillelagh, a concert in Tinahely and Christmas in the workhouse. Interesting adverts also feature, including anti-dandruff shampoo, treatment for cold weather ailments, 1916 bedroom furniture and Butler’s Dentist & Chemist in Wicklow Town. 

County Wicklow Archives Service

The 1916 WicklowLife App is the work of the Wicklow County Archives Service, and Wicklow County Council and material is taken from the County Archives collection.  The app was developed by Showoff – a Wicklow-based app development company.

County Wicklow 1916 Commemorative Programme

The app project is part of the Wicklow County Council 2016 Steering Group commemoration programme.  Please see www.wicklow2016.com for our programme of events for the coming year.