Ulster Historical Foundation US lecture tour

The Ulster Historical Foundation (www.ancestry.com) is shortly about to commence its annual talks tour in the United States, which takes place March 3rd-22nd 2017.

Want to discover your Irish and Scots-Irish ancestors?

Join experts Fintan Mullan and Gillian Hunt from the Foundation during their annual USA lecture tour to learn how to get the most out of Irish resources and records, gain strategies for breaking down brick walls, and grasp important historical context that may help fill in gaps in your research.

Whether you are just beginning your Irish research or have been at it for years, you won’t want to miss these workshops!

Here's the itinerary:

Friday, 03 March - Phoenix, AZ
Host: The McClelland Library
Web: www.azirish.org/upcoming-ulster-historical-foundation

Saturday, 04 March - Phoenix, AZ
Host: The McClelland Library
Web: www.azirish.org/upcoming-ulster-historical-foundation

Sunday, 05 March - Tacoma, WA
Host: Lakewood and South Hill Libraries
Web: www.piercecountylibrary.org/calendar.aspx?id=281

Tuesday, 07 March - Nashville, TN
Host: Andrew Jackson’s Hermitage
Web: www.thehermitage.com/event/exploring-your-scotsirish-genealogy

Thursday, 09 March - Michigan City, IN
Host: Michigan City Public Library
Web: www.mclib.org

Saturday, 11 March - Bentonville, AR
Host: Northwest Arkansas Genealogical Society
Web: www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~arnwags

Sunday, 12 March - York County, PA
Host: South Central Pennsylvania Genealogical Society
Web: www.scpgs.org/meetings

Monday, 13 March - Green Bay, WI
Host: Brown County Library
Web: www.browncountylibrary.org

Wednesday, 15 March - Bolingbrook, IL
Host: Fountaindale Public Library and Plainfield Public Library
Web: www.fountaindale.org

Thursday, 16 March - Bolingbrook, IL
Host: Fountaindale Public Library and Plainfield Public Library
Web: www.fountaindale.org

Friday, 17 March - Richmond, VA
Host: Library of Virginia
Web: libraryofvairishancestryday.eventbrite.com

Saturday, 18 March - Philadelphia, PA
Host: The Genealogical Society of Pennsylvania (GSP)
Web: genpa.org/events

Sunday, 19 March - Pittsburgh, PA
Host: Heinz History Center & Westmoreland County Historical Society
Web: http://www.heinzhistorycenter.org/events/irish-genealogy-workshop

Tuesday, 21 March - Little Rock, AR
Host: Arkansas Genealogical Society, Butler Center for Arkansas Studies.
Web: www.butlercenter.org

Further details at https://www.ancestryireland.com/northamericantour2017/

Chris

My next 5 week Scottish Research Online course commences Feb 21st 2017 - details at http://pharostutors.com/details.php?coursenumber=102. For details on my genealogy guide books, including A Beginner's Guide to British and Irish Genealogy, A Decade of Irish Centenaries: Researching Ireland 1912-1923, Discover Scottish Church Records (2nd edition), Discover Irish Land Records and Down and Out in Scotland: Researching Ancestral Crisis, please visit http://britishgenes.blogspot.co.uk/p/my-books.html.

Free PRONI workshop in March

News of a forthcoming workshop from PRONI in Belfast (www.proni.gov.uk):

PRONI: Showcase of Resources
27 February 2014, 6.00-8.00pm

In partnership with Digital Circle, PRONI is hosting a workshop showcasing the resources available to researchers and developers.

PROGRAMME
• Introduction - Maggie Smith
• As true as I’m standing here: amazing anecdotes from the archives - Ann McVeigh
• Photographic Collections at PRONI - Joy Carey
• Map Collections at PRONI - Wesley Geddis
• Politics and Power: The Londonderry Papers - Lorraine Bourke
• Questions to the Speakers
• Close - Stephen McGowan

This event is organised by PRONI with the support of the Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure and in partnership with Digital Circle.

Admission is free. To register please please copy and paste the following link into your Internet browser: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/digital-circle-showcase-event-at-proni-tickets-10628581373.

A second showcase on First World War sources at PRONI will be held 20 March 2014, 6.00-8.00pm.

The Heritage Cafe at PRONI will be open from 9.00am to 4.00pm
PRONI is approximately 1½ miles from Belfast City Hall
By bus, please take the Metro 26 route

Chris

My latest genealogy books are Tracing Your Family History on the Internet (2nd ed), Discover Scottish Civil Registration Records, and Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet. My next Pharos course is Scottish Research Online, which commences Feb 27th 2014, 5 weeks, price £45.99.

PRONI witchcraft conference for Halloween

From PRONI (www.proni.gov.uk) in Belfast:

31st October 2013

To mark the publication of Dr Andrew Sneddon’s new book Possessed by the Devil: The Real History of the Islandmagee Witches & Ireland's Only Witchcraft Mass Trial (History Press Ireland, 2013) PRONI will be hosting an evening conference looking at various aspects of belief in the supernatural in Ireland before the Twentieth Century.

Programme
5.30 to 6.00 pm Refreshments

6.00 to 7.30 pm Conference

Cara Hanley (University of Ulster) ‘Portrayals of Witchcraft, Gender and Sexuality in Early Modern Imagery’

John Fulton (University of Ulster) ‘Mary Butters: the Carnmoney Witch, 1807-8’

Jodie Shevlin (University of Ulster) ‘Demonic Possession, Exorcism and the Roman Catholic Clergy in the Pre-famine Period’

Andrew Sneddon (University of Ulster) ‘Writing the History of Witchcraft and Magic in Ireland’

Speakers
A history lecturer at the University of Ulster, Dr Andrew Sneddon’s first book, Witchcraft and Whigs: the Life of Bishop Francis Hutchinson, 1660-1739, was published in 2008, while, Possessed by the Devil: The History of the Islandmagee Witches & Ireland's Only Witchcraft Mass Trial was published in 2013 by the History Press. He is currently writing a book for Palgrave Macmillan on Witchcraft and Magic in Ireland over the last 400 years.

John Fulton (University of Ulster) is currently pursuing a PhD in history with a thesis exploring attitudes to the supernatural in Enlightenment Ireland.

Cara Hanley’s (University of Ulster) doctoral research explores the cultural representations of witchcraft in eighteenth and nineteenth century England.

Jodie Shevlin (University of Ulster) is undertaking a PhD exploring popular and elite attitudes to ghosts, fairies and demonic possession within nineteenth-century, Irish Catholicism.

Please contact PRONI at proni@dcalni.gov.uk to book your place.
WHEN: 31st October 2013
WHERE: PRONI
HOW MUCH?: Admission is FREE but booking is essential


COMMENT: I would love to go to this - I have recently found that I have family from Islandmagee and have only recently been chasing up on the peninsula's history  (I've ordered a history book about the area 2 days ago!).     Not sure what this is in my throat that is making me *cough* just now, ahem *cough* sorry about this folks, possibly a fur ball... **PRONI's YouTube channel**... ahem... ahh, cleared it now! There are so many good events happening these days, it would be good to try to get a few more of them back onto PRONI's YouTube again for those who are slightly geographically challenged like myself!!! (End of hint/plea!)

(With thanks to Gavin McMahon!)

Chris

My wife Claire is planning to swim from the Scottish island of Cumbrae to the town of Largs on September 14th to raise money for local charity Gillian's Saltire Appeal, providing respite for families affected by cancer (Claire's mum and sister in Ireland have previously come through cancer, whilst my mum, based in England, currently has bladder cancer). Her Just Giving sponsorship page, with further details, is at http://www.justgiving.com/Claire-Paton1. If you can help to sponsor her, even by a wee amount, we'd be very grateful - many thanks!