While it is good to see so many Irish genealogical records appearing online, it is disappointing, frustrating and wrong that so many of the Irish Family History Foundation Centres ARE NOT offering any online records. Here is the current list of Counties NOT ONLINE at the Irish Family History Foundation (IFHF). Note only Cloyne in Co. Cork IS online the rest of the county is NOT.

Is anybody asking why this is the situation after so much money has been spent on digitizing the records. The Fas Project started about 15 years ago and so many problems seem to have arisen since then, it is time to overhaul the procedures and bring them into the 21st century. Digital scanning of Catholic Church registers and additional records, which are on missing registers, needs to be taken from available microfilm. The Catholic Church needs to wake up and respond to the people who want Catholic records made available.

Some areas of Kerry for example were never microfilmed but some of the records were digitized. It seems this computerization is now abandoned. Cork City has many digitized records whch are not online. What is the situation in ohter parts of the country?

The 1911 Census for Cork is now online. Now there are nine counties online and more to follow……

1911 Census

Finally a long overdue update!

National Archives update

The National Archives update states that the Cork 1911 Census returns will be online by the end of May.

As my Missouri relatives would say: SHOW ME! Missouri is known as the “Show Me” State of the USA.

Skibbereen in West Cork, hosts events to commemorate the Famine. See:
Skibbereen Heritage for details.

“Skibbereen has been chosen as the host town for the first provincial National Famine Memorial Day in 2009. There will be a ceremonial event in Skibbereen on Sunday the 17th of May and a corresponding one held in Canada on Sunday the 10th of May 2009.
Between these two dates, the people of Skibbereen have come together to put together a programme of Famine-related events. There will be music, drama, talks and a variety of commemorative events organised by the people of the locality.”

Here is a link to Grosse-Île in Quebec, “the last resting place for over 6,000 Irish souls”.

I thought I would blog about the use of digital cameras in genealogy as I find that having a digital camera is a vital item in a genealogist’s tool kit. If you are in a library and short of time, a digital camera enables you to record data quickly. Also, if you are not allowed to photocopy records, you can photograph them using a digital camera, without doing any damage.

If you want to record headstones inscriptions, then a digital camera is invaluable. When you see a monument or other artifact when you are out and about, you can capture it for posterity.

If you want to send images to family or friends, having a digital camera makes it easy to email them. You can upload them to your website, blog, flickr etc. You can also print them off.

Access to the Irish Times Digital Archive is extended to 11th April 2009.

I was reminded by the latest irish Family History Society newsletter that the Glasnevin cemetery records will be available to be purchased online. The webpage Glasnevin Genaealogy wepage gives some details. the proposed date for making the service public is the 8th April 2009. I welcome this very much.

This service will provide access to our extensive database containing more than 1 million records dating as far back as 1890.

A standard Burial or Cremation search provides details on the deceased from our records. An extended burial search also includes details of all others buried in that grave.

I wonder why only records going back to 1890, are being made available. I found the burial of an O’Shea, who died in 1884, in their records so why are the earleir records not being made available or is that going to happen later?

It was brought to my attention by a fellow genealogist that the Irish Times newspaper online archive is FREE to search for a few days. Here is the link http://www.irishtimes.com/150/

To celebrate 150 years of publication, the Irish Times are allowing free access
to their digital archive (1859 onwards) from 27 March to 6 April.

ENJOY!!!

Things are changing in the world of online resources for Irish genealogical research. The availablility of online searchable records or indexes means that people who had given up all hope of finding ancestors, have been given new opportunities. I list the three main online sources below:

• Griffith’s Valuation (survey taken of heads of households circa 1850) at:
  http://griffiths.askaboutireland.ie/gv4/gv_family_search_form.php

• 1901 and 1911 Census records is online for some counties but all counties will be represented soon at: http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/

• Irish Civil Records Index from 1864 at:
  http://pilot.familysearch.org/recordsearch/start.html#c=1408347;p=collectionDetails;t=searchable

If anyone can name others, please comment and I will add them.

I just read on the APGI website of the death of Rosemary ffolliott on the 12th March 2009. Here is a link to the APGI obituary: Obituary