Who Do You Think You Are Live 2013 - 2 days in, 1 to go...

It's been a mad couple of days so far at Who Do You Think You Are Live in London, in what has been one of the busiest events I can remember. I have no idea what the footfall is just yet, but having worked at the show every year bar the first one, this year has felt absolutely manic - both by myself and by most vendors I have spoken to. Hopefully that means good returns for all in attendance!

From a news point of view, it is an odd year, in that there are no major new vendors seemingly here, and little by way of major announcements (bar the news from last night's Brightsolid bash, as reported yesterday) - in fact, one of the things notable is those who are not here. As an Ulsterman, it's great to see Ireland so well represented by PRONI, the North of Ireland FHS, Eneclann, the new Irish Family and Local History Handbook, and other vendors, but two major Irish vendors are not here this year - Roots Ireland and the National Archives of Ireland. In a year when the Gathering is Ireland's big project, their absence seems bizarrely self-defeating. From a personal POV, it does mean that I have been inundated with Irish research requests, which I've had a lot of fun in dealing with, whilst my Irish talk today was packed out (as was my Scottish marriages talk yesterday - thanks to all who attended, hope they helped!), and my new Irish book almost sold out - there's about 4 copies left in London, so if you want one on Sunday, best to get in quick! If you can't get a copy at the show, you can pre-order now and it will be despatched first week in April (I have been reliably informed).

Other news - had a brief chat with the FindmyPast team, and it looks like some improvements may be coming to the search system in due course. I also had an update from Ancestry on Lord Morpeth's Roll, the big Irish release this year, with some 250,000 names from 1841 recorded. The full detail on this is embargoed for now, but it will be an extraordinary document with some interesting research challenges for researchers when uploaded - watch this space! In terms of a release, there is only one date when Ancestry could even possibly consider doing so, and it is fairly imminent...!

In the evening I caught up for a quick bite with several genies at Pizza Express, then met up with Scottish Genealogy Network (http://scottishgenealogynetwork.blogspot.co.uk) chums for a meet at the Hand and Flower pub to mark our first anniversary as an informal networking group still meeting on a monthly basis - also managed to catch up with some of the great and the good from England, including Geoff Swinfield, Roy Stockdill and John Hanson!

Scottish Genealogy Network, 1st anniversary

Quick final note - there is a blur that appears each year at the event, in the form of Else Churchill. A very public thank you Else for all your input in getting the SoG side of things organised, and to all at the SoG for what I think will be one of the best events yet when history comes to record the impact on the genie scene of WDYTYA Live in the 21st Century!

Chris

Pre-order my new book, Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet, through Pen and Sword (30 April 2013), or purchase early at Who Do You Think You Are Live 2013 in London. For my other genealogy books, please visit  http://britishgenes.blogspot.co.uk/p/my-books.html; whilst for my online Scottish based genealogy courses please visit the Pharos Teaching and Tutoring Ltd site.