Forthcoming PRONI talks and events - and volunteers needed!

Forthcoming events at PRONI (www.nidirect.gov.uk/proni):

Death in the North Channel: The Princess Victoria Disaster
31 January, 1-2pm
Stephen Cameron speaks on the mv Princess Victoria ferry which operated between Larne and Stranraer. She left Stranraer on 31 January and sailed into what has been called ‘The Great Storm of 1953’. The ship was lost and only 44 men survived the sinking. No women or children were saved.

Historic Environment Record of Northern Ireland (HERoNI) Lectures
- HERoNI lecture: Belfast Architecture of the 1930s
24 January, 1pm
Dr Tanja Poppelreuter, lecturer in the History and Theory of Architecture at the University of Salford, Manchester brings to attention the multi-faceted architecture of the 1930s.

- HERoNI lecture: Salt of the Earth
7 February, 1pm
Timandra Nichols, Second Warden, Salters’ Company will outline the 600-year old history of the Salters’ Company, a livery company in the City of London and 9th in order of precedence of the 110 livery companies.

Dreadful monsters and poor relations: the debate over Irish public finances​​​
6 February, 7pm
The Ulster Society for Irish Historical Studies invites you to a talk at PRONI by Prof Julian Hoppit, FBA, from University College London.

History of Milltown Cemetery​​
13 February, 1pm
Author, Tom Hartley will talk about the history of Milltown Cemetery, those who are buried there and the importance of symbolism.
Tom has written three comprehensive books on Belfast cemeteries.

Sir Samuel C Davidson and his amazing Sirocco Works​​​
20 February, 1pm
PRONI is pleased to welcome Eric Woods who will discuss the life and achievements of Sir Samuel Davidson, founder of the Sirocco Works.

Could you help us enhance access to our collections at PRONI?
We are currently looking for additional volunteers in conservation, our digital image library and enhancing our digital collections.
If you would like to get involved and help to safeguard our community heritage, find out more and how to apply below!
FIND OUT MORE at www.nidirect.gov.uk/articles/volunteering-proni

PRONI Workshops
Various dates

Getting Started
Various Dates, January - March, 11am-1pm
Introductory workshops for those interested in local and family history.

Online Resources
Various Dates, January - March,
11am-1pm & 7-9pm
Introduction to using online records for family and local history research.


To book a free ticket at any of PRONI's events, follow the links at www.nidirect.gov.uk/information-and-services/public-record-office-northern-ireland-proni/whats-proni

(With thanks to the PRONI Express)

Chris

Order Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet (2nd ed) at https://www.pen-and-sword.co.uk/Tracing-Your-Irish-Family-History-on-the-Internet-Paperback/p/16483. and Tracing Your Scottish Ancestry Through Church and State Records at https://www.pen-and-sword.co.uk/Tracing-Your-Scottish-Ancestry-through-Church-and-State-Records-Paperback/p/16848. Further news published daily on The GENES Blog Facebook page, and on Twitter @genesblog.

Back To Our Past's Belfast genealogy talks schedule confirmed

The genealogy talks schedules for Back To Our Past on Friday 14th and Saturday 15th February 2020 are now confirmed and listed online at https://backtoourpast.ie/schedules/belfast-genealogy-lecture-schedule/. The venue is the ICC in Belfast (www.iccbelfast.com).

I am delighted to say that I will be returning to the event, having previously attended in 2018, to give a talk on Tracing the Irish in Scotland. This will take place at 1.30pm on Saturday 15th, weather and ferries permitting. I'm very much looking forward once again to not having to apologise to a crowd for my accent!

The DNA talks schedule is also available on the site at https://backtoourpast.ie/schedules/belfast-dna-lecture-schedule/.

(With thanks to Martin McDowell)

Chris

Order Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet (2nd ed) at https://www.pen-and-sword.co.uk/Tracing-Your-Irish-Family-History-on-the-Internet-Paperback/p/16483. and Tracing Your Scottish Ancestry Through Church and State Records at https://www.pen-and-sword.co.uk/Tracing-Your-Scottish-Ancestry-through-Church-and-State-Records-Paperback/p/16848. Further news published daily on The GENES Blog Facebook page, and on Twitter @genesblog.

Northern Irish government set to resume work

After three years, it looks like everyone has finally caught themselves on in Belfast and decided to resume sitting as a government at the Assembly in Stormont. See https://www.rte.ie/news/ireland/2020/0110/1105463-northern-ireland-politics/. It's good news for democracy and for Northern Ireland.

Quite apart from the very serious issues that have been left to drift through the suspension, there is, of course, always a genealogy angle to such developments! In this case, the suspension of Stormont had led to a cessation of Freedom of Information enquiries being dealt with by government agencies, as the legislation requires there to be a sitting minister (see https://www.communities-ni.gov.uk/temporary-suspension-foi-requests-proni-faqs). This has impacted on the ability of agenices such as PRONI (www.nidirect.gov.uk/proni) to deal with applications, for example, concerning enquiries into Northern Ireland's 1939 National Identity Register, a major census substitute.

Fingers crossed for things to go smoothly, and a for a resumption of normal service soon!

UPDATE: Deirdre Hargey of Sinn Féin has been appointed the new Communities minister, the ministry which oversees PRONI. Congratulations to her.

Chris

Order Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet (2nd ed) at https://www.pen-and-sword.co.uk/Tracing-Your-Irish-Family-History-on-the-Internet-Paperback/p/16483. and Tracing Your Scottish Ancestry Through Church and State Records at https://www.pen-and-sword.co.uk/Tracing-Your-Scottish-Ancestry-through-Church-and-State-Records-Paperback/p/16848. Further news published daily on The GENES Blog Facebook page, and on Twitter @genesblog.

All pre-Partition marriage records now available on IrishGenealogy.ie

Joseph Madigan, Minister of Ireland's Department of Culture, Heritage and Gaeltacht, has announced the completion of additions to historic marriage records for pre-Partition Ireland, with the release of marriage records from 1845-1864 on Irish genealogy (www.irishgenealogy.ie):

Delighted to announce new register records are now available to the public on the http://irishgenealogy.ie website!

Birth records–1864 - 1919
Marriage records–1845 -1944
Death records–1878 - 1969

A rich tapestry of Irish history

As noted the update also includes the latest additions for birth records from 1919, marriage records (Republic only) from 1944, and deaths (Republic only) from 1969, respecting the online closure periods for access to these records of 100 years, 75 years and 50 years respectively.

(Note that Northern Ireland's records platform at https://geni.nidirect.gov.uk has a rolling programme of updates to its database to comply with the same closure periods.)

Have fun exploring! 

(With thanks to @JosephMadigan) 

UPDATE - have just carried out a search and it appears the records may have been added twice - I'm getting double copies of results!


UPDATE 2: I've noticed with some of the birth records from 1919 and deaths from 1969 that whilst images are not available, transcripts are - for example, see https://civilrecords.irishgenealogy.ie/churchrecords/transcript-civil/2c07cb12977959 and https://civilrecords.irishgenealogy.ie/churchrecords/transcript-civil/0ff08d0490408. Not sure I have seen this before on the site?

Chris
 
Order Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet (2nd ed) at https://www.pen-and-sword.co.uk/Tracing-Your-Irish-Family-History-on-the-Internet-Paperback/p/16483. and Tracing Your Scottish Ancestry Through Church and State Records at https://www.pen-and-sword.co.uk/Tracing-Your-Scottish-Ancestry-through-Church-and-State-Records-Paperback/p/16848. Further news published daily on The GENES Blog Facebook page, and on Twitter @genesblog.

Ulster Historical Foundation announces US talks tour for 2020

The Ulster Historical Foundation (www.ancestryireland.com) has announced the dates and venues for its 2020 tour of the United States, from March 6th-22nd.

The locations being visited are: 

Friday, 6 March 2020 - Chicago IL (9:00am–5:00pm)
Saturday, 7 March 2020 - Madison WI (9:00am–5:00pm)
Sunday, 8 March 2020 - York PA (1:00pm–5:00pm)
Monday, 9 March 2020 - Staunton, VA (9:00am to 4:30pm)
Wednesday, 11 March 2020 - Bloomington, IN (12 noon–7:00pm)
Friday, 13 March 2020 - Richmond, VA (9:30am - 12:30pm)
Saturday, 14 March 2020 - Frankfort, KY (full day event)
Sunday, 15 March 2020 - Philadelphia, PA (full day event)
Tuesday, 17 March 2020 - Pittsburgh, PA (9:00am–4:30pm)
Wednesday, 18 March 2020 - Charleston, SC
Thursday, 19 March 2020 - Chicago, IL
Friday, 20 March 2020 - St Charles, MO (8:45am–1:00pm)
Saturday 21 March 2020 - Little Rock, AR (9:00am–3:00pm)
Sunday, 22 March 2020 - Coeur d'Alene, ID (11:00am-6:00pm-includes 1hr early luncheon)

For the full itinerary, full details of individual venues and links to book places at each please visit https://www.ancestryireland.com/usa-lecture-tour-2020/.

Note that the schedule is still flexible, and can take additional venues. As it states on their web site:

You may note from our previous itineraries that we travel widely across North America and are happy to visit any location where an invitation to us is extended.

If you know of a society, library or group near to you that would be interested in an Irish and Scots-Irish family history research programme, perhaps you would put us in contact with the local programme organisers by emailing enquiry@uhf.org.uk with the subject heading ‘Lecture Tour’.

Chris

Order Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet (2nd ed) at https://www.pen-and-sword.co.uk/Tracing-Your-Irish-Family-History-on-the-Internet-Paperback/p/16483. and Tracing Your Scottish Ancestry Through Church and State Records at https://www.pen-and-sword.co.uk/Tracing-Your-Scottish-Ancestry-through-Church-and-State-Records-Paperback/p/16848. Further news published daily on The GENES Blog Facebook page, and on Twitter @genesblog.

Ulster Historical Foundation half price access to BMD records

From the Ulster Historical Foundation (www.ancestryireland.com):

50% off all our birth, marriage & death records

Most people wait until the new year to begin new projects or set new goals for themselves, but why wait? TODAY is as good a time as any to start (or continue) that special (or troublesome) family history research project.

As part of our Boxing Day sale all 2 million pay-per-view birth, marriage & death records on AncestryIreland are HALF PRICE!

Visit our website to take advantage of this limited time offer, which must end 03 January 2020!

Chris

Order Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet (2nd ed) at https://www.pen-and-sword.co.uk/Tracing-Your-Irish-Family-History-on-the-Internet-Paperback/p/16483. and Tracing Your Scottish Ancestry Through Church and State Records at https://www.pen-and-sword.co.uk/Tracing-Your-Scottish-Ancestry-through-Church-and-State-Records-Paperback/p/16848. Further news published daily on The GENES Blog Facebook page, and on Twitter @genesblog.

PRONI - where everybody knows your name!

Having missed the PRONI user forum meeting last week due to the hectic general election the day before, I visited Belfast yesterday to do a bit of research at PRONI (www.nidirect.gov.uk/proni), which is rapidly competing with the bar from Cheers as the place to bump into folk!

I first bumped into Tunji Lees, who regular readers may remember flagged up the existence of the Scottish WW1 Pension Appeals Tribunal records at the National Records of Scotland a few years back, as catalogued under PT6, and which are now being indexed thanks to funding from the Wellcome Trust (see http://britishgenes.blogspot.com/2018/01/scottish-ww1-pensions-appeal-records.html). Tunji is carrying out a surname study of the Lees surname in the north, and was having a lot of fun with the records yesterday!

I also caught up with Martin McDowell from the North of Ireland Family History Society, who is currently working on a Ballycarry DNA project in County Antrim (see https://www.nifhs.org/dna/ballycarry-dna-project/), and putting together the talks strand for the next Back To Our Past event in Belfast next February.

The big find for me was discovering a map from 1859 of the northern part of Islandmagee in County Antrim, detailing the townlands there where my lot were based, and making me as happy as the proverbial whatsit...!

A final visit to the Christmas market was enough to recharge my batteries for a few more months.

Happy Christmas to all at PRONI!

Chris

Order Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet (2nd ed) at https://www.pen-and-sword.co.uk/Tracing-Your-Irish-Family-History-on-the-Internet-Paperback/p/16483. and Tracing Your Scottish Ancestry Through Church and State Records at https://www.pen-and-sword.co.uk/Tracing-Your-Scottish-Ancestry-through-Church-and-State-Records-Paperback/p/16848. Further news published daily on The GENES Blog Facebook page, and on Twitter @genesblog.

PRONI uploads digitised NI tithe books and school grant aid records

The Public Record Office of Northern Ireland (www.nidirect.gov.uk/proni) has initiated a major evolution with its online catalogue, with the release of two important digitised record collections for the six northern counties now constituted as Northern Ireland (Antrim, Down, Armagh, Fermanagh, Tyrone, Londonderry). The collections are the Northern Ireland Tithe Applotment Books 1823-1837 (FIN/5/A), and the National Education Commisioners Grant Aid Applications (ED/1).

Tithe Applotment Books

The tithe applotment books can now be downloaded for each parish.

i) From the home page at https://www.nidirect.gov.uk/proni, click on eCatalogue.
ii) Click on Search PRONI's eCatalogue
iii) Scroll down and click on the green Search the eCatalogue button.
iv) On the top right of the catalogue search screen, click Browse.
v) Type in FIN/5/A and click on Search.
vi) On the results page, which states the following, go to the second option:

vii) If you click on the word More in the Title/Description column, you will gtet a short summary describing what the tithe records are.
viii) If you instead click on the blue PRONI reference FIN/5/A link in the first column, you will now be taken to a more detailed listing for each parish in alphabetical order.

ix) The View link at the end column allows you to download a hefty PDF file for the relevant parish. When you click on it you will first be asked to agree to a copyright statement:

Then you will be asked if you wish to save the relevant PDF file or to open it. Upon completion, this is the sort of thing you will then see:

COMMENT: Some of the files are quite large, but the quality of the digitisation is superb. Note that the records cannot be keyword searched - you'll have to go into them the good oul' fashioned way!

I have downloaded a couple of parishes, but one parish of interest, Islandmagee (simply noted as Island in the list) is showing as a damaged file which 'cannot be repaired'! I have notified PRONI, suspect it is just a minor teething issue.

Tithe records for the Republic of Ireland are already freely available at http://titheapplotmentbooks.nationalarchives.ie.


National Education Commissioners Grant Aid Applications

The search technique for these is similar to the above, with the results portrayed in county order over a series of files covering different periods from 1832-1899. For example, County Antrim is presented across ED/1/1 to ED/1/10, each of which subdivides further to individual schools - the ED/1/1 link, for example, leads to individual PDFs for 163 separate school applications (ED/1/1/1A to ED/1/1/164). Note that the applications are for named schools, so don't be going in looking for parish names in these.

Again, the presentation is superb, and the files with these are considerably smaller, so will open much quicker.

Have fun with the records!

Chris

Order Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet (2nd ed) at https://www.pen-and-sword.co.uk/Tracing-Your-Irish-Family-History-on-the-Internet-Paperback/p/16483. and Tracing Your Scottish Ancestry Through Church and State Records at https://www.pen-and-sword.co.uk/Tracing-Your-Scottish-Ancestry-through-Church-and-State-Records-Paperback/p/16848. Further news published daily on The GENES Blog Facebook page, and on Twitter @genesblog.

PRONI adds History of Belfast City Cemetery talk to YouTube

PRONI has added a video to its YouTube channel entitled History of Belfast City Cemetery. Here's the blurb:

Author, Tom Hartley, talks about the history of Belfast City Cemetery which opened on the 1 August 1869 as a cross denominational burial ground for the people of Belfast. This event took place on 17 October 2019.

The talk can be viewed at https://youtu.be/6No9QLVxqbY and is presented here also for convenience:

Chris

Order Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet (2nd ed) at https://www.pen-and-sword.co.uk/Tracing-Your-Irish-Family-History-on-the-Internet-Paperback/p/16483. My next Scotland 1750-1850: Beyond the OPRs course starts 4 November 2019 - see https://www.pharostutors.com/details.php?coursenumber=302. Further news published daily on The GENES Blog Facebook page, and on Twitter @genesblog.

Ulster Historical Foundation announces 2020 programme

From the Ulster Historical Foundation (www.ancestryireland.com)

Are you already thinking of what to do or where to go for your 2020 vacation?

Now that our final conference of 2019 has ended we are delighted to announce that details and booking information for each of our 2020 research programmes and conferences are now available.

Tracing your Irish Ancestors: Family History Conference
10 - 17 June 2020

Our classic 8-day conference programme returns in June 2020!

This programme will include brand new tours to famous historic sites across the island of Ireland and crucially for the research enthusiast, all your time can alternatively be spent researching in the archives of Belfast and Dublin with the Foundation's team of researchers (or a mix of the two).

Assisted personal research, talks, tours and sightseeing are all part of the eclectic, friendly and fun mix of Tracing Your Irish Ancestors. Join us for the journey. We will be delighted to see you.


June 2020 Highlights

To uncover the history of this place, our extensive programme of tours throughout the week will take you through rolling countryside to sites of international renown from the Giant’s Causeway on County Antrim’s wild Atlantic coast to the famous and historic Walls of Derry and Hillsborough Castle, the official Northern Ireland palace of the Royal Family!

Our 2020 June programme will see delegates:

• Journey into the heart of County Down, enjoying visits to Hillsborough Castle, Killyleagh Castle, Inch Abbey and the St Patrick's Centre.
• Take a trip through Belfast and south County Antrim, enjoying visits to one of Belfast's most interesting visitor attractions at Crumlin Road Gaol and Ireland's oldest and best preserved Norman citadel at Carrickfergus.
• Experience brand new tours to some of Dublin's most popular visitor attractions - locations to be announced soon.
• With visits to Hillsborough Castle, Carrickfergus Castle and Inch Abbey and more, our June 2020 programme will see delegates tour the churches, castles and causeways of Ireland.

Irish Family History Experience: Introduction to Irish Genealogy
07-12 September 2020

Folllowing the success of the first programme which ran in June 2019, next year will see the return of the Foundation's Irish Family History Experience: Introduction to Irish Family History in September 2020

This programme will appeal to the budding family history researcher wishing to make the first step towards research success as well as the dedicated family historian wishing to break down those genealogical brick walls.

In just six days our September programme will give you the skills and experience to further explore your family history and help you find your Irish and Scots-Irish ancestors.

Irish Family History Experience will offer you the opportunity to spend three days learning from the experts in the classroom and researching in the Public Record Office Northern Ireland (PRONI) followed by the option of three days of tours to sites such as Kilmainham Gaol and the Giant's Causeway or assisted research in PRONI.

Book your place for June or September with just a £350 deposit
Given the current low value of sterling (GBP) against other currencies now is a particularly good time for overseas visitors to book their 2020 getaway. Sign up to one of the Foundation's family history research programmes today and save up to $160 on your booking (based on today's exchange rate compared to last week).

The present exchange rate values will ensure overseas delegates can make a very tidy saving on the cost.


Researching your Irish Ancestors: Assisted Research Programme
05-09 October 2020

Limited space available!

This enhanced research programme offers you the chance to spend a week researching in the archives each day being guided and supported by our team of researchers, and presents a great opportunity to break down any genealogical brick walls and unlock your family history.

This programme will also have a maximum capacity of 30 people meaning that you will experience more one-on-one time with our research team than you would at any of our other conferences and classes.

As our team know the archives and how to mine the information for your family tree, working closely with our researchers will greatly enhance your experience in the archives as well as improving your chances of success.

For more information, and to book a place on any of the above, visit https://www.ancestryireland.com

(With thanks to the UHF)

Chris

Order Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet (2nd ed) at https://www.pen-and-sword.co.uk/Tracing-Your-Irish-Family-History-on-the-Internet-Paperback/p/16483. My next Scotland 1750-1850: Beyond the OPRs course starts 4 November 2019 - see https://www.pharostutors.com/details.php?coursenumber=302. Further news published daily on The GENES Blog Facebook page, and on Twitter @genesblog.

Forthcoming events at PRONI in Belfast

Forthcoming talks and events at the Public Record Office of Northern Ireland (www.nidirect.gov.uk/proni):

History Teacher’s Association of NI: AGM
22 October, 6-8pm
The History Teacher’s Association welcomes all to sit in on their event. The guest speaker will be Dr Rosie Hickey from the Prison Memory Archive.

Cold War Heritage in Northern Ireland
24 October, 1pm
Dr James O’Neill will use archaeological examples to explore how the Cold War impacted on Northern Ireland during the 20th century.

Archives of Internment
24 October, 10am-1pm
PRONI would like to invite you to an event exploring the Prisons Memory Archive and PRONI’s other archives on internment.

Bank Buildings: The Story Behind the Façade
29 October, 1-2pm
Richard Graham navigates the history of one of Belfast’s most iconic sites, from the first building in 1797 until the last, which was engulfed by fire in August 2018.

A Haunting Halloween at PRONI
31 October, 6-7.30pm
Dr Andrew Sneddon, Lecturer at the University of Ulster, historian, and expert on the history of the supernatural in Ireland, will join PRONI to explore some of the spooky ghost stories from the archives.

Reflections on the Nineteenth-Century from the Beyond 2022 Project​
7 November, 7-8.30pm
A presentation will be given by Dr Peter Crooks on the virtual reality project which is recreating the Public Record Office of Ireland and its collections that were destroyed in 1922 during the Civil War.

Launch of Linenopolis Exhibition at PRONI​
8 November, 1-2pm
An exciting new exhibition launching at PRONI, celebrating Belfast's linen heritage. It explores the social history, lives of the workers. The Artists Wilma Kirkpatrick and Helen O'Hare will showcase a selection of embroidered linen samplers.

The Civil Rights Movement and the Role of the IRA​
13 November, 1-2pm
Journalist, author and broadcaster, Malachi O’Doherty will be giving a presentation looking at the change of the Civil Rights Movement in Northern Ireland over the past 50 years and will expand upon research from his book which will be available on the day.

Beyond the Centenaries: The First World War and its impact on Ireland​
14 November, 2-4.30pm
A conference and workshop chaired by Dr Timothy Bowman will be held at PRONI which will look at Ireland between 1912 and 1921 mainly focusing on the aftermath of the First World War.

Linenopolis: The Health & Welfare of Mill Workers​
21 November, 1-2pm
PRONI’s David Huddleston will examine the workhouse, asylum, school and mill records in PRONI to reveal the health and welfare of mill workers during the late 19th century.

Using WikiTree
27 November, 1pm
Anne Johnston will deliver an introduction to WikiTree, a free genealogy website that maintains over 17 million ancestral profiles which can be used to research your own family tree.

A Beginner’s Guide to Using DNA for Family History​
28 November, 1-2pm
DNA can now be used to track your family’s history even beyond paper records. Come down to PRONI and hear Martin McDowell give a talk about the usefulness of DNA for family history.

New Online Records at PRONI
29 November, 11am-3pm
This event will feature a series of presentations and demonstrations showcasing digitized records that will be made available online.
(See http://britishgenes.blogspot.com/2019/09/proni-to-release-new-digitised-records.html)


PRONI Workshops:
1) Getting Started
13 & 25 Nov, 16 Dec, 11am-1pm
Introductory workshops for those interested in local and family history.

2) Online Resources
26 November, 6 December, 11am-1pm
Introduction to using online records for family and local history research.

To book a seat at the above events visit https://www.nidirect.gov.uk/articles/talks-and-events-proni

(With thanks to the latest PRONI Express)

Chris

Order Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet (2nd ed) at https://www.pen-and-sword.co.uk/Tracing-Your-Irish-Family-History-on-the-Internet-Paperback/p/16483. My next Scotland 1750-1850: Beyond the OPRs course starts 4 November 2019 - see https://www.pharostutors.com/details.php?coursenumber=302. Further news published daily on The GENES Blog Facebook page, and on Twitter @genesblog.

Family Footsteps returns to BBC Northern Ireland

A second series of BBC Northern Ireland's series Family Footsteps kicked off last night. Here is the blurb for the first episode:

Gavin Andrews leads the Smyths, an Ulster-Scots family from Bangor, on a genealogical detective trail as they piece together their family tree and discover fascinating insights into the lives of their family members in the 18th and 19th centuries. It's an adventure packed with surprises that ultimately leads to a connection with a notorious historical figure.

Episode 1 starts with a boat trip for the Smyth family as they cross Belfast Lough from Bangor to Carrickfergus, where Peter's family lived for generations. Their first big discovery is that the former family home is now a tanning parlour! The trail leads them to Belfast's industrial past where they discover some relatives who became big shots in a very big business - linen. Going further back, they find out about other business interests which took this adventurous family overseas. Their next family footstep takes them all the way to the majestic St Petersburg in Russia, where it's revealed one of their ancestors, Robert, ran a prestigious bookshop. Amongst his customers were Russia's literary elite, including author Vladimir Nabokov. This leads to revelations of royal connections for the Smyth family – Robert’s sister, Lizzie, who became a trusted retainer for Nabokov's aunt, a famous Princess. The Smyths feel it's all a long way from Bangor!

I'll definitely need to tune into this one - not only am I originally from Carrickfergus, but my grandmother from Carrick was originally a Smyth!

The seriesis being shown on Monday evenings at 7.30pm on BBC NI. To watch last night's episode, visit the iPlayer at https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m0009qj9/family-footsteps-series-2-episode-1 (possibly UK residents only - not sure about the Republic, if someone can advise!)

(With thanks to Allie Nickell @alliethinks via Twitter)

Chris

Order Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet (2nd ed) at https://www.pen-and-sword.co.uk/Tracing-Your-Irish-Family-History-on-the-Internet-Paperback/p/16483. My next Scotland 1750-1850: Beyond the OPRs course starts 4 November 2019 - see https://www.pharostutors.com/details.php?coursenumber=302. Further news published daily on The GENES Blog Facebook page, and on Twitter @genesblog.

NIFHS hosts Finding Your American Cousins talk

From the North of Ireland Family History Society:

US Genealogist to Give a Talk on “Finding Your American Cousins”

The North of Ireland Family History Society (NIFHS) is starting its 40th anniversary celebrations and is inviting people to a special talk on Sunday 20th October: “Finding Your American Cousins”.

Past generations of your family left here and went to America. What happened to them? Where did they go? If you can “jump the pond” with your research, you may be able to fill in gaps in your family tree and connect with cousins who have precious family photos and stories to share with you.

Donna Moughty, a visiting professional genealogist from America, will talk about what records are available for the time and place where your relatives settled. She will focus on online records and will outline strategies for how to use them effectively. She also asks the question: should I do a DNA test?

Your American cousins may be looking for you. Attend this talk to learn how to find them and connect with them.

Booking is not required for this event which starts at 2.30 on Sunday afternoon, 20th October. Admission £5. Venue: Castle Upton Suite, Hilton Hotel, Templepatrick, County Antrim.

This talk is part of a special year-long programme of events to celebrate the 40th anniversary of NIFHS. The society has its roots in a family history group formed in Bangor in 1979 and now has eleven branches across Northern Ireland and over 1000 members both locally and around the world. The society has many facilities and projects to help family historians, including a library and research centre in Newtownabbey that is also used for family history and DNA classes.

Further details at www.nifhs.org/resources/courses/american-cousins/

(With thanks to Maeve Rogan)

Chris

Order Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet (2nd ed) at https://www.pen-and-sword.co.uk/Tracing-Your-Irish-Family-History-on-the-Internet-Paperback/p/16483. My next Scotland 1750-1850: Beyond the OPRs course starts 4 November 2019 - see https://www.pharostutors.com/details.php?coursenumber=302. Further news published daily on The GENES Blog Facebook page, and on Twitter @genesblog.

NIFHS's new season of Family History Classes

From the North of Ireland Family History Society (www.nifhs.org):

NIFHS - New Season of Family History Classes

The North of Ireland Family History Society has announced its autumn series of genealogy classes. It all starts this Saturday, 5th October, with a one-day beginner’s class run by the society’s former president, Rosemary Sibbett. This is followed on Tuesday 15th October with the first in a series of classes for people who have received their DNA results and who would like help in taking the next steps. The “Family Finder” classes are open to anyone who can upload their autosomal results to FamilyTreeDNA where the society has a DNA project. There is a follow-up, one-day, DNA class in November.

New this season is a class on “Tracing Relatives of the Belfast Shipyards”. The lecturer is Maureen McKinney, Vice-Chair of Belfast Titanic Society, who will share her knowledge of maritime research to help those researching relatives who worked in the Harland & Wolff and Workman Clark shipyards.

The full list of courses is below and more information about each, plus booking information, can be found on the society’s website. There is a mixture of daytime, evening and weekend classes. Many are run on a one-day basis to help people travelling a distance.

· Starting your Genealogy - Beginner’s Course
· DNA: Family Finder (1)
· Life in Ulster in the 1830s
· Making the Most of Your Autosomal DNA Results
· Understanding Heraldry
· Using Land Records
· DNA: Family Finder (2)
· Using WikiTree
· School Records
· Tracing Relatives of the Belfast Shipyards
· Finding Family History Stories

The venue is the society’s Library and Research Centre: Unit C4, Valley Business Centre, 67 Church Road, Newtownabbey, BT36 7LS. It’s about a 15 minute drive from Belfast City Centre and there is free parking. The society has a kitchen and there is an on-site café that is usually open until mid-afternoon.

Places must be booked in advance. Fees can be paid at the first class. The cost is £8 for one session, £14 for 2 session-classes or £18 for 3-session classes.

More information about each class and booking details: https://www.nifhs.org/resources/courses/

(With thanks to Maeve Rogan)


Chris

Order Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet (2nd ed) at https://www.pen-and-sword.co.uk/Tracing-Your-Irish-Family-History-on-the-Internet-Paperback/p/16483. My next Scotland 1750-1850: Beyond the OPRs course starts 4 November 2019 - see https://www.pharostutors.com/details.php?coursenumber=302. Further news published daily on The GENES Blog Facebook page, and on Twitter @genesblog.

NIFHS launches Ballycarry DNA Project

The North of Ireland Family History Society (www.nifhs.org) has launched a new Ballycarry DNA Project.

From the site:

Ballycarry is an historic County Antrim village with strong Scottish connections and has a number of families that have lived in the district for many generations. We wish to explore the connections between people who are the descendants of whose who lived in Ballycarry in the past to identify if the families living side-by-side were indeed related to each other. This will allow individuals living today to identify that they are related to each other (and others who have taken tests) and to build up a picture of relationships in the past that will explain their connections. In many instances these connections go back beyond paper records and effectively ‘recreate’ a family tree where one no longer exists.

In order to carry out this project we intend to DNA test individuals who can establish their connections to people who lived in the Ballycarry (Parish of Templecorran) in the 1800s. Doing this will help us to explore links between the testers and other people who have already taken a DNA test. By testing people from a specific area it is anticipated that many connections will be identified and confirmed as the tests can give meaningful information back to each person’s 5x great grandparents (usually at least to the mid 1700s).

For further details of the project, and the launch event on Tuesday 8th October 2019, please visit https://www.nifhs.org/dna/ballycarry-dna-project/.

COMMENT: Whilst I have no identified connections to Ballycarry as yet, I am tripping over lines from nearby Islandmagee, so I am intending to join the main NIFHS DNA project - full details at https://www.nifhs.org/dna/.

(With thanks to Rosemary Sibbett)

Chris

Order Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet (2nd ed) at https://www.pen-and-sword.co.uk/Tracing-Your-Irish-Family-History-on-the-Internet-Paperback/p/16483. My next Scotland 1750-1850: Beyond the OPRs course starts 4 November 2019 - see https://www.pharostutors.com/details.php?coursenumber=302. Further news published daily on The GENES Blog Facebook page, and on Twitter @genesblog.

Finding Your American Cousins talk in Templepatrick

From the North of Ireland Family History Society (www.nifhs.org):

Finding Your American Cousins

You are invited to a talk by our 40th Anniversary Guest Speaker, DONNA MOUGHTY

On Sunday 20th October 2019 at 2.30pm
CASTLE UPTON SUITE HILTON HOTEL, TEMPLEPATRICK
Admission £5
Come along and bring a friend

Donna Moughty is a Professional Genealogist who has been conducting family research for over 25 years. She teaches and lectures on a variety of subjects including Internet, Irish research, methodology and computer topics locally and at national and regional conferences and institutes. Her blog can be found at www.irishfamilyroots.com

(With thanks to Ken Tait)

Chris

Order Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet (2nd ed) at https://www.pen-and-sword.co.uk/Tracing-Your-Irish-Family-History-on-the-Internet-Paperback/p/16483. My next Scotland 1750-1850: Beyond the OPRs course starts 4 November 2019 - see https://www.pharostutors.com/details.php?coursenumber=302. Further news published daily on The GENES Blog Facebook page, and on Twitter @genesblog.

PRONI to release new digitised records online

Just back from Belfast, where I attended the latest stakeholder meeting at the Public Record Office of Northern Ireland (www.nidirect.gov.uk/proni) - and with some very exciting news!

For some time PRONI has been discussing making available through its online catalogue various digitised record sets. This already happens at the archive's search room in Belfast, where, for example, you can access various digitised church records collections (see https://www.nidirect.gov.uk/sites/default/files/publications/Church%20Records%20Available%20as%20Digital%20Copies%20in%20PRONI_0.pdf)

The plan now is to try to make several collections available for users to access from home in time for Explore Your Archive Week, towards the end of November. The collections being made available will include:

ED/1 National Education Commisioners Grant Aid Application ( 1832-1889)
From the PRONI catalogue:
In September 1831, the Commissioners of National Education were established to administer a fund of 30,000 per annum placed at the disposal of the Lord Lieutenant for the education of the poor in Ireland. They were empowered to make grants to local schools on condition that part of the required sum was raised locally and in addition they supervised the work of the schools, supplied textbooks and trained teachers. This class of records which bears the PRONI reference number ED/1, consists of 33 volumes of applications made to the Commissioners for grants for building schools, payment of teachers, provision of textbooks, equipment etc. The applications were made on printed questionnaire forms (occasionally accompanied by correspondence), which were filed and bound together in date order and arranged county by county. They cover the period 1832-1889. ED/1/1 to ED1/28, are available on microfilm and bear the reference number MIC/548, Reels 1 to 52. The National Archives in Dublin hold a few unbound applications from Counties Antrim, Armagh, Down, Fermanagh and Meath, as well as a volume of Rejected Applications from Ulster schools for the period 1868-72.

Tithe Applotment Books (Northern Ireland)
The books from the Republic are already available online at http://titheapplotmentbooks.nationalarchives.ie/search/tab/home.jsp. This collection from PRONI will not be presented in the same way, in that they will not be keyword searchable, but instead must be browsed by the relevant townland or parish (much more preferable, in that when browsing you can pick up on things that a keyword search may miss). They will be presented as large scale PDF documents, via a 'View digital object' button on the catalogue entries. PRONI will be adding to its site a how-to user guide to explain how to work through the collections. 

(NB: It is hoped these will be ready in time for the main launch, but they admit they are working to a tight deadline - nevertheless, if not ready by November, they are imminent)

Photo collections - various collections will be made available, including some gems such as circus photos, historic images from the Steeple estate in Antrim, and material from the Northern Ireland Photographic Association (formed 1967).

Hansard Papers - from the Northern Irish Assembly

Other news:

340 documents have been added to the Conflict Archive on the Internet (CAIN) covering the years 1991-1992. Plans are in place to add further records for 1993-94 over the next year.

State papers form 1995 have now been added to the site's catalogue. (535 fully open, 172 partially redacted, with 45 still closed to access).

I'll blog about forthcoming events on a separate thread.

But hey - the tithe records are coming online soon!

(With thanks to all at PRONI)

Chris

Order Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet (2nd ed) at https://www.pen-and-sword.co.uk/Tracing-Your-Irish-Family-History-on-the-Internet-Paperback/p/16483. My next Scotland 1750-1850: Beyond the OPRs course starts 4 November 2019 - see https://www.pharostutors.com/details.php?coursenumber=302. Further news published daily on The GENES Blog Facebook page, and on Twitter @genesblog.

Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet (2nd ed) now on sale

That thing where you come home and find that the postie has been! Now on sale - Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet (2nd edition), by yours truly...

Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet (2nd edition)

In this, the fully updated second edition of his bestselling guide to researching Irish history using the internet, Chris Paton shows the extraordinary variety of sources that can now be accessed online. Although Ireland has lost many records that would have been of great interest to family historians, he demonstrates that a great deal of information survived and is now easily available to the researcher.

Thanks to the pioneering efforts of the Public Record Office of Northern Ireland, the National Archives of Ireland, organizations such as FindmyPast Ireland, Ancestry.co.uk and RootsIreland and the volunteer genealogical community, an ever-increasing range of Ireland’s historical resources are accessible from afar.

As well as exploring the various categories of records that the family historian can turn to, Chris Paton illustrates their use with fascinating case studies. He fully explores the online records available from both the north and the south from the earliest times to the present day. Many overseas collections are also included, and he looks at social networking in an Irish context where many exciting projects are currently underway.

His book is an essential introduction and source of reference for anyone who is keen to trace their Irish roots.

Contents

Glossary

Preface

Chapter 1 – The Genealogical Landscape
 Recording information
 Gateway sites
 Irish Archives
 British archives
 Libraries
 Heritage
 Societies
 Commercial vendors
 Commercial research services
 Networking and Communication
 Languages

Chapter 2 – The Vital Records
 Civil registration
 Other civil records sources
 Adoption and children
 Records in Britain
 Overseas British records
 Surname distributions
 Parish registers
 Burials
 Wills and probate
 Biographical resources
 Newspapers
 Books and other periodicals
 DNA testing

Chapter 3 – Where They Lived
 Census records
 1901 and 1911 censuses
 1821-1851 census remnants
 British censuses
 1939 National Identity Register (UK)
 Other censuses
 Census substitutes
 Land records
 Other land listings
 Maps, gazetteers and place names
 Photographs

Chapter 4 – Occupations
 The Military
 Merchant Navy
 Law and Order
 Other professions
 The Poor

Chapter 5 – The Decade of Centenaries
 Home Rule Crisis
 Women’s Suffrage
 The Dublin Lockout
 The First World War
 The Easter Rising
 Towards Independence
 The Treaty and Civil War
 Ireland's Revolutionaries
 Legacy

Chapter 6 – Ulster
 Antrim
 Armagh
 Cavan
 Donegal
 Down
 Fermanagh
 Londonderry
 Monaghan
 Tyrone

Chapter 7 – Munster
 Clare
 Cork
 Kerry
 Limerick
 Tipperary
 Waterford

Chapter 8 – Connacht
 Galway
 Leitrim
 Mayo
 Roscommon
 Sligo

Chapter 9 – Leinster
 Carlow
 Dublin
 Kildare
 Kilkenny
 Laois
 Longford
 Louth
 Meath
 Offaly
 Westmeath
 Wexford
 Wicklow

Chapter 10 – Ireland's Diaspora
 Emigration
 United States
 Canada
 Australia
 New Zealand
 South America
 Europe
 Ireland Reaching Out
 Irish Citizenship

Further Reading

Index

To purchase a copy, visit https://www.pen-and-sword.co.uk/Tracing-Your-Irish-Family-History-on-the-Internet-Paperback/p/16483 - I hope it helps!

Chris

Pre-order Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet (2nd ed) for just £11.99 at https://www.pen-and-sword.co.uk/Tracing-Your-Irish-Family-History-on-the-Internet-Paperback/p/16483. Details of my genealogical research service are available at www.ScotlandsGreatestStory.co.uk. Further news published daily on The GENES Blog Facebook page, and on Twitter @genesblog.

Northern Ireland's national archive PRONI - in glorious 3D!

This is a bit of fun - a 360 degree tour of the Public Record Office of Northern Ireland (PRONI) produced by young filmmakers during the Summer VR Filmmaking Programme in 2019.

Click and drag on the image with your mouse as it is playing and you should be able to move around the environment as it plays. The video is embedded here and can also be found at https://youtu.be/xNIofUEegTk.

Chris

Pre-order Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet (2nd ed) for just £11.99 at https://www.pen-and-sword.co.uk/Tracing-Your-Irish-Family-History-on-the-Internet-Paperback/p/16483. Details of my genealogical research service are available at www.ScotlandsGreatestStory.co.uk. Further news published daily on The GENES Blog Facebook page, and on Twitter @genesblog.

Tracing your Irish Ancestors conference in June 2020

From the Ulster Historical Foundation (www.ancestryireland.com):

Book today for one of our conferences and take advantage of the current exchange rate

Are you already thinking of what to do or where to go for your 2020 research trip? Or are you thinking there may still be time to travel in 2019? Sign up to one of the Foundation's family history research programmes today and save up to $160 on your booking.

Given the current low value of sterling (GBP) against other currencies now is a particularly good time for overseas visitors to book their 2020 getaway. The current exchange rate values will ensure overseas delegates can make a very tidy saving on the cost.

Tracing your Irish Ancestors: Family History Conference
10 - 17 June 2020

Our classic 8-day conference programme returns in June 2020!

This programme will include brand new tours to famous historic sites across the island of Ireland and crucially, for the research enthusiast, all your time can be spent researching in the archives of Belfast and Dublin with the Foundation's team of researchers (or a mix of the two).

Assisted personal research, talks, tours and sightseeing are all part of the eclectic, friendly and fun mix of Tracing Your Irish Ancestors. Join us for the journey. We will be delighted to see you.

Click here to find out more about our June 2020 family history conference.


June 2020 Highlights

To uncover the history of this place, our extensive programme of tours throughout the week will take you through rolling countryside to sites of international renown from the Giant’s Causeway on County Antrim’s wild Atlantic coast to the famous and historic Walls of Derry and Hillsborough Castle, the official Northern Ireland palace of the Royal Family!

Our 2020 June programme will see delegates:

• Journey into the heart of County Down, enjoying visits to Hillsborough Castle, Killyleagh Castle, Inch Abbey and the St Patrick's Centre.
• Take a trip through Belfast and south County Antrim, enjoying visits to one of Belfast's most interesting visitor attractions at Crumlin Road Gaol and Ireland's oldest and best preserved Norman citadel at Carrickfergus.
• Experience brand new tours to some of Dublins most popular visitor attractions - locations to be announced soon.
• And along with visits to Hillsborough Castle, Carrickfergus Castle and Inch Abbey, our June 2020 programme will see delegates tour the churches, castles and causeways of Ireland.

Further details at https://www.ancestryireland.com/family-history-conference/summer/2020-highlights - book now with just a £350 deposit

Chris

Pre-order Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet (2nd ed) for just £11.99 at https://www.pen-and-sword.co.uk/Tracing-Your-Irish-Family-History-on-the-Internet-Paperback/p/16483. Details of my genealogical research service are available at www.ScotlandsGreatestStory.co.uk. Further news published daily on The GENES Blog Facebook page, and on Twitter @genesblog.