Green cards may be needed for post-Brexit UK-Ireland car travel

I don't propose to get into a running commentary on this blog about the current Brexit shenanigans in London just now - but I will point out relevant potential issues that may affect genealogists as a consequence of what is tragically beginning to look like a no-deal exit by the UK from the EU on March 29th.

The first of these may be of interest to anyone intending to travel from Britain or Northern Ireland to Dublin for Back to Our Past (http://backtoourpast.ie) later this year from October 19th-21st, or for anyone from the Republic wishing to travel to Britain for any of the large family history events taking place in England after March 29th.

If the UK leaves without agreeing a deal, the UK's Association of British Insurers (www.abi.org.uk) has advised that you will need to apply for a green card from your insurance company to travel with your car from the UK into the EU, and from the EU into the UK. Sadly, this also applies to travel between the UK and the Republic of Ireland, even though the Common Travel Area is to be maintained. You will most likely continue to be insured by your company (though do check), but you will need the green card to demonstrate this. The ABI's advice is available online at https://www.abi.org.uk/news/news-articles/2019/01/dont-forget-your-green-card---british-insurers-issue-advice-to-customers-on-no-deal-brexit/ and it advises that you will need to apply a month before you travel.

One saving grace, for now at least, for those travelling from the UK into the Republic of Ireland is that you will not need to apply for an international driving permit (IDP) to visit - I am as yet unclear if this is also true for travelling from Ireland to the UK. An IDP will be a necessity, however, if travelling from Britain to the European continent. In the UK, these will be made available at Post Offices from the start of February.

Further information from the UK's government is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/prepare-to-drive-in-the-eu-after-brexit/requirements-for-all-uk-citizens-driving-abroad-from-29-march-2019.

The Irish Times has the story across the water at https://www.irishtimes.com/news/ireland/irish-news/irish-motorists-will-need-green-cards-to-drive-in-uk-under-brexit-1.3760534. This notes that in Ireland "Insurers and insurance brokers in the Republic will begin issuing green cards to policyholders from March ahead of March 29th, the scheduled date for the UK to leave the EU."

Further coverage is available on the BBC at https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-46891186.

Chris

My next Scottish Research Online course starts March 11th 2019 - see www.pharostutors.com/details.php?coursenumber=102. Details of my genealogical research service are available at www.ScotlandsGreatestStory.co.uk. For my Scottish and Irish themed books, visit https://britishgenes.blogspot.com/p/my-books.html. Further news published daily on The GENES Blog Facebook page, and on Twitter @genesblog.

Stopover in Dubai

I'm currently stopping over in Dubai for a couple of days with my brother, before traveling on to Australia tomorrow. Having popped down to the Kite Beach by the Burj Al Arab earlier, I came across a great wee thing - a beach library! Take whatever books you like, read them, and return when finished!

This would be a great idea for our beach back in Largs, Scotland - except for the lack of sunshine, heat and the almost certain risk of hypothermia on most days of course...

I'll be traveling to Brisbane all tomorrow, and arriving on Monday, in advance of my first talks on Tuesday with the Unlock the Past Researching Abroad roadshow, so no posts from me again until early next week. See you soon! In the meantime, a few more pics from Dubai... :)

Chris

My next 5 week Scottish Research Online course commences Sept 11th 2017 - details at www.pharostutors.com/details.php?coursenumber=102. For my genealogy guide books, visit http://britishgenes.blogspot.co.uk/p/my-books.html, whilst details of my research service are at www.ScotlandsGreatestStory.co.uk. Further content is also published daily on The GENES Blog Facebook page at www.facebook.com/BritishGENES.

Strike action to affect trains next Monday and Tuesday

Proposed UK wide strike action next Monday 25th and Tuesday 26th will see severe disruption to services, should you be planning to visit any archives or libraries for your research.

Here in Scotland, very few services will likely be running, but for those that will, a dedicated timetable page has been established at http://www.scotrail.co.uk/plan-your-journey/uk-wide-rail-strike-plan-your-journey.

It is of course possible that the strike may be averted before then, but forewarned and all that...!

UPDATE 21 MAY - the strike has been called off!

Chris

The latest British GENES podcast is available at http://britishgenes.blogspot.co.uk/p/podcasts.html. For details on my latest book Down and Out in Scotland: Researching Ancestral Crisis, and my other genealogy guide books, please visit http://britishgenes.blogspot.co.uk/p/my-books.html.

New Scottish air routes to London and Dublin should help researchers

For those of us based in Scotland, Ryanair (www.ryanair.com) is planning to move some of its services to Glasgow International Airport from October 26th. There will be a new three times a day service from Glasgow to London, and also a three times a day service from Edinburgh to London. From Glasgow there will also be an improved Dublin service, moving from one flight a day to three. Fairs are said to be starting from £19.99 each way.

This should make it easier to get to London and Dublin based repositories from Scotland for research work - though Stansted to Kew is still a bit of a hike! If planning to go to Kew, a map of accommodation nearby is available at http://www.lodgings.net/17039_london-national-archives.html, should it be easier to plan a 2 day research trip with an overnight at Kew.

More details on the forthcoming flights is available at http://corporate.ryanair.com/news/news/140703-ryanair-launches-3-new-scottish-routes-to-dublin-london-edinburgh-london-glasgow-london-glasgow-dublin-3-times-daily/?market=en

Chris

Now available for UK research is the new second edition of the best selling Tracing Your Family History on the Internet: A Guide for Family Historians, whilst my new book British and Irish Newspapers is also now out. And FindmyPast - please reinstate the original Scottish census citations on your new site.