March 13, 2008
Yesterday (March 12th 2008), saw the official launch of an Irish website where you can access church records of genealogical value…at a price….€5 (initial offer) per go. Is this a bit steep?
I quote: “The Irish Family History Foundation is the coordinating body for a network of county based genealogical research centres on the island of Ireland. These centres have computerised millions of Irish genealogical records, including church records, census returns and gravestone inscriptions.”
The site is: www.irish-roots.ie but it is listed as www.irish-roots.net on the site…..so take your pick.
Some counties do not yet have records available online. Let’s hope the digitizing process speeds up too as it has been slow sometimes due to the lack of co-operation of the holders of the original records. But, even when records have been digitized, they often have not available in a useful way to the public. I welcome the initiative of making the records available online but I think the price is a bit off putting.
See alsowww.jamesgalvin.com for comments.
February 22, 2008
I just saw a reference in a British genealogical magazine to Transportation Records 1788-1868 which an online database listing Irish convicts transported to Australia (I spotted a New Zealand one in there too so there might be more). This database is provided by the National Archives of Ireland and is a searchable online database compiled from transportation registers and petitions to government for pardon. The results provide name, age, sex, place of imprisonment, trial date and description of their crime (often petty).
It is great to see another online database being provided by the National Archives of Ireland. it gives me hope!
January 13, 2008
The Public Records Office of Northern Ireland (PRONI) website PRONI has a searchable wills index and other genealogical resources. Details of what is available are listed on the website at History of Probate.
December 10, 2007
I was interested to hear (on the radio) of a new exhibition in the National Library of Ireland Exhibition. The exhibition is entitled “Strangers to Citizens: the Irish in Europe, 1600-1800″ and it opens 12 December 2007 and runs throughout 2008.
The Irish migrated to continental Europe as soldiers, students, priests, professionals, and merchants etc. Many thousands emigrated to Spain, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Russia, and Sweden and elsewhere. Over time they integrated into these Eurpean societies and often becam leaders and peopleof distinction. Apparently, this exhibition tells their story.”
I’m sure it will be of great interest to people who have relatives who migrated to Europe in the various capacities listed above: Wine Geese, Irish Regiments, religious, merchants etc. Some names that come to mind are: Hennessy, Coppinger, Shea.
December 3, 2007
On RTE 1 News, I just heard that the Dublin 1911 Census is now searchable online at Irish 1911 Census
That is wonderful news. Happy searching….
Just heard:
Additional counties will be added in the following order:
- Kerry
- Antrim & Down
- Donegal
- Cork
- Wexford
- Galway
- King’s County (Offaly)
- Limerick
- Mayo
- Waterford
- Armagh
- Carlow
- Cavan
- Clare
- Fermanagh
- Kildare
- Kilkenny
- Leitrim
- Londonderry (Derry)
- Longford
- Louth
- Meath
- Monaghan
- Queen’s County (Laois)
- Roscommon
- Sligo
- Tipperary
- Tyrone
- Westmeath
- Wicklow
The 1901 census will follow after that. The entire project is scheduled for completion by mid 2009.
November 20, 2007
Today, I read an article in the Irish Examiner supplement (written by Ailin Quinlan) which states that the “West Cork Heritage Centre which holds over 360,000 files on the region’s families and receives queries from all over the world - but can only give a limited service because it is not computerized”. The Bandon-based heritage centre is seeking funding to help computerize the “Mountain of information, files and index cards” held there.
Diarmuid Begley, Chairman of the West Cork Heritage Centre said that the centre holds the records of parishes throughout West Cork. A local woman, Catherine FitzMaurice recently set up a genealogy website: Bandon Genealogy to help people seeking their West Cork roots. The Bandon Historical Journals are being indexed too.
November 3, 2007
I spotted this link:
Familysearch Indexing on a Cork Genealogy Message board. It is good to know that Irish “Birth” and “Death” Civil Records (which generally start from 1864) are being indexed by the LDS (Latter Day Saints). I would like to see a greater effort from authorities within Ireland itself to digitize genealogical records (including BMD records) and to make such records available on the internet. The Co. Clare Library is a case in point where a concerted effort has been made to add genealogical records for that county, to the internet. Other county libraries take note!
Using out of date techniques and outmoded thinking has slowed down progress in certain genealogical projects within Ireland. It is time to use the latest advances in digital technology. Microfilm readers are still the mainstay of many of our libraries. Often the microfilm is worn out and no effort is made to improve the situation.
October 15, 2007
CBC Ottawa has a link to an interview which discusses the progress of the digitization of the Irish 1901 and 1911 Census. It gives the background to the lack (in general) of earlier census material for Ireland as well. The CBC Ottawa website will carry the interview for a bit longer at CBC Ottawa
The 1911 Dublin Census will be first to go online in late 2007 on the National Archives of Ireland website.
October 3, 2007
The Irish Times digital archive could be useful for genealogy. I haven’t tried it yet but here is the link: Irish Times Archive
Another useful source for genealogy is the digitized books on Google. You can search for items of interest and see what comes up. Some of these books are available in their entirety in pdf format while others are only available in snippets. I have downloaded the two volumes of Charles Gibson’s History of the City and County Cork as well as other books of interest.
