SEVEN CITY ROADSHOW, CHRIS PATON AND DIRK WEISSLEDER.. first stop...

 I have taken the liberty of republishing this banner and and the video below to highlight what was a great beginning to to the Roadshow of RESEARCHING ABROAD.

 As a long time follower of Chris Paton, I didn't want to miss the opportunity of hearing Chris and perhaps meeting him, so as soon as Unlock The Past announced he was coming to Brisbane, I pencilled in the date.

Just in case you don't know of Chris's work, here is a brief introduction...

Chris Paton (Scotland) www.britishgenes.blogspot.co.uk

Originally from Northern Ireland, Chris Paton is a Scottish based professional genealogist, running the Scotland's Greatest Story ancestral research service (www.ScotlandsGreatestStory.co.uk ). He is a regular contributor to several UK and Ireland based family history publications, and author of 13 family history books (9 of them published by Unlock the Past). He also writes the daily The GENES Blog (GEnealogy News and EventS) at www.britishgenes.blogspot.co.uk , as well as his own personal genealogy blog https://scotlandsgreateststory.wordpress.com/blog

Hear from Chris 

Chris gave us lots of links and suggestions re research... many of which can be found on his blog or in his talks..

There wasn't a moment to let your mind wander, as so much was being said...according to Chris, he has a very odd accent, explained by being born in Northern Ireland, yet now living in Scotland. 

Personally, I could listen to him all day, not just for the accent, not even because we share a common christian name, but because he is so passionate and enthusiastic about his subjects. He tends to sprinkle his talks with lots of humour, finding absolute delight in the odd, strange and of course, very interesting records. He had us laughing and learning at the same time...especially when he found a touch of scandal about his wife's family. 

Briefly, it seems they were involved in a 'slight skirmish' in Ireland, and a battle had taken place on the family farm. Not only was the farm house damaged, but it was ransacked, and the losses were great..after all, a mahogany dining table had been taken, along with other furniture, and of all things, suits, shirts, pants, etc. A claim was sent to the authorities for compensation, very thoughtfully only claiming half the original value of the clothing, allowing for fair usage.. but the most interesting claim was for three sets of lace curtains, which the raiders had seconded for 'making into stockings' .. yes, that is correct. 

We were laughing even before Chris gave us an interpretation of the actions and statements of the raiders as they 'discussed' the marvellous soft lace they could remake into stockings.    😀

 If you missed seeing Chris this time, do look for his next visit, or rush to book at one of the other venues...

You can find all the details here..

Allow me to introduce you to the 

'Christrio'

my genie mate, Chris Wright, Chris Paton and Chris Goopy

It was a very full day, beginning and ending with Chris Paton, ably supported by various members from UNLOCK THE PAST, including Rosemary Koppitke, who brought us up to date with the latest technologies from My Heritage and Helen Smith on the microphone.

Geoff Doherty, President of the Genealogical Association of Queensland, talked about the British Isles Resources held by GSQ 

Ann Swain, from QLD Family History Society, talked about the resources held at QHFS

Kirsten Perris, from the State Library of QLD, explained just what SLQ has regarding to British Isles...

All in all, a very busy and productive day, with the added benefit of catching up with old friends/genie mates and meeting those with whom we are friends online and finally being able to meet in person.

I expect each and every day in the program will be as informative and as much fun as the first.

DISCLOSURE:

As an Ambassador for the seminar, I was given a free ticket.

HISTORIC GRAVES | THE ON-LINE GRAVES AND GRAVEYARDS FINDER

Courtesy of Clara Hoyne

HISTORIC GRAVES | THE ON-LINE GRAVES AND GRAVEYARDS FINDER

May be of interest:

http://www.historicgraves.ie/

There are a number of counties in this site, inc Cork, Kilkenny  and Waterford with a selection of graveyards from those counties. In the one graveyard I "visited" there were only a few inscriptions indexed but you could zoom in on even a very hard to read stone.

Clara

FOOTNOTE: 

This is a great site. Be sure to read the terms and conditions and respect them. Access is free, as this a community effort, something many of you are also involved in. I would suggest that you make yourself a cuppa and delve to your heart's content. There are a limited number of graveyards as yet, but many more to come. There are some very interesting blogs, also stories about certain areas and a map that shows you where they have covered so far. Cemetery details are quite precise, so well worth copying down if you are lucky enough to not only find a grave that you were seeking, but perhaps able to go actually look for it.

 We are very fortunate to have so much available to all of us through the work of volunteers.

 Here are just a few other sites of graveyard photos...

http://www.flickr.com/photos/59366723@N07/5449548340/       (Jane Lyons)

http://www.igp-web.com/laois/marker.htm  (Jim Cassidy)

http://www.from-ireland.net/grave-transcriptions/all   (Jane Lyons)

http://www.igp-web.com/IGPArchives/index.htm  ( Christina Hunt and many others... go here and then search by county for gravestones)

http://www.clarelibrary.ie/eolas/coclare/archaeology/graveyards.htm

There are many more... search for gravestones, Ireland  and settle in for the day...

 Crissouli

CLARE CHATTER

With thanks to Clara

From: "Clara Hoyne" <secretary@clareroots.org>

 

Rolling Back The Years Calendar 2012 issued with the Saturday 7 January 2012 edition of the Irish Independent

February 2012 is headed:

1934 TRANSATLANTIC AIR RACE

The photograph is captioned:

          RACING THE ATLANTIC 1934

"A crowd of people with one of the pilots flying in a special transatlantic race in Co Clare".

It is a shame that the publication of this excellent and very rare 1934 photograph has been spoilt by poor 2012 editing.  

It was not strictly a "special transatlantic race" – it was a record attempt for the first transatlantic flight between New York and Rome.

Both of the pilots, not one of the pilots, are in the photograph:

Lieut Cesare Sabelli (Italy) is shown with a necktie front row third from the left.

Capt George R Pond (USA) is shown wearing aviator's goggles and holding the pipe

They departed Floyd Bennett Field in New York at 7:24 am (local time) on Monday 14 May 1934 for an attempt at the first direct flight from New York to Rome.  The aeroplane was a Bellanca CH-300 Pacemaker monoplane, named "Leonardo da Vinci" and carrying the serial number NR13137.   Engine trouble off the coast of Ireland forced them to make an emergency landing at 8:25 pm on Tuesday 15 May at Moy near Lahinch, Co Clare.

The photograph would have been taken in Lahinch on the following day, as the shadows show, and almost certainly outside The Commercial Hotel.

On November 10, 1935, Charles Kingsford-Smith and his co-pilot George R. Pond died trying to set another England-to-Australia flight record. While cruising over the Bay of Bengal during a monsoon, Smithy lost control of his plane and spun into the water. Although rescue parties recovered pieces of the plane, they never found any trace of Smithy or his co-pilot.

George Pond was a member of the famous Ponds Cosmetics family (Pond's Cream etc)

                                 -------------------------------------

CLARE ROOTS SOCIETY REFLECTS

TOP 100 MOST POPULAR GENEALOGY WEBSITES (PAGE 3)

IRISH CHATTER

 CONGRATULATIONS 

to all involved with IGP (Ireland Genealogy Project) ably led by Christina Hunt and supported by a very active and dedicated group of volunteers. They have just been listed in the top 100 Most Popular Genealogy websites... very well deserved.

You will have seen many of the Updates from IGP featured here, with permission of Christina.

 If you haven't explored the whole site, now would be a very good time to do so...  www.igp-web.com

To see the company they keep in the top 100, go here....

http://www.genealogyintime.com/NewsStories/2012/Q1/top 100 most popular genealogy websites page3.html

Once again, your work is very much appreciated.

CLARE ROOTS SOCIETY Drumcliff Stage 2 (Calvary Section)

Clare Roots Society under the direction of John Bradley are about to commence stage 2 (Calvary) of recording the gravestones.

This will entail:

Receiving a map of your section.

Photographing Gravestones:

Transcribing inscriptions to a word document.

Returning to manually recording unreadable headstones.

We need approximately 11 individual (or couples) willing to take on a section of 50 graves approximately. A brief session will take place for all participants prior to commencing. We would hope to have it completed by the end of January. You would carry out the recording at a suitable time to yourself.

Unfortunately Clare County Council have mislaid 10 years of records within this section of the Cemetery so our work will be of immense value to future generations. 

You can view our previous work with regard to Drumcliff at:

 http://www.clarelibrary.ie/eolas/coclare/genealogy/don_tran/graves/drumcliff_old_graveyard_ennis.htm

Thanking all in advance:

Clara Hoyne.

 N.B. Don't forget the fantastic book on Drumcliff Cemetery is available through the Clare Roots Society as per 

http://clareroots.org/index.php/2011-06-29-19-06-17/publications

 You can read all about it on the above link. It is far more than a list of names...

PRESS RELEASE FROM IRISH GENEALOGICAL RESEARCH SOCIETY.

Your thoughts? Please feel free to comment below...

The Irish Genealogical Research Society (IGRS)
Press Release
18 November 2011
Archive and library reform moves worry genealogists
The Irish Genealogical Research Society (IGRS) is concerned that a
so-called merger of the National Archives "into" the National Library
could diminish these vital heritage services.
Steven Smyrl, IGRS chairman, says that while the IGRS recognises the
need for savings across the board in Irish public services, it is
concerned that with two bodies under one director, competition for
resources could be fierce.
"The proposed area of control is simply too vast, whether or not, as the
Government proposes, both institutions are to retain their separate
identities. The Government's plan is further complicated by reference to
the possible sharing of services between the National Library and the
National Museum which could dilute the services still further."
Smyrl acknowledges that there are savings to be made through the pooling
of public services resources. "Conservation and administration are just
two such areas that immediately spring to mind, but while libraries and
museums might appear to be similar they are actually very different
service providers.
"Staff trained in the care and control of archive materials require
quite different skills to those working in a library and economies of
scale will not be found by requiring flexibility from staff to work
across borders in the proposed new set-up. It is crucial that specialist
knowledge and training be recognised as essential in service delivery at
national institutions. The historians, academics, researchers and
genealogists using them rely heavily upon the staff's expertise and
knowledge.
"The IGRS welcomes the Government's initiative to see where savings can
be made but advises caution if irreparable damage to public service is
to be avoided. "

CLARE CHATTER

ROYAL IRISH CONSTABULARY

IGP Archives have just added the RIC men who enlisted in 1842 and who were from Clare.

The names are:
BARRY, John
CUNNEEN, John
DOOLIN, Michael
HUDSON, Richard
KEOGH, Michael
LOFTUS, Edward
MALONE, John
McHUGO, Edward
MORONY, Thomas
WOODS, James

If you are interested in seeing more go to:

http://www.igp-web.com/IGPArchives/

Click on CLARE and then Military & Constabulary

More details on site above...including other years...

 courtesy of Christina Hunt

IRISH CHATTER - Irish Migration to Queensland

The Irish have certainly put their stamp on south-east Queensland over the years.

So when were the big waves of migration and why did they come here?

Stephanie Ryan, a senior librarian in family history at the State Library, spoke with Kelly Higgins-Devine.

Download the audio file

IRISH CHATTER - County Kerry

Ireland - County Kerry burials database

Over 70,000 burials records for County Kerry in Ireland can now be searched online. The original burial registers for over 140 cemeteries have been digitised.

http://www.kerrylaburials.ie/en/index.aspx

INDEX TO IMMIGRANTS, BRISBANE 1885-1917

Index to Immigrants, Brisbane 1885 – 1917

Queensland State Archives has just released a new immigration index for the Immigration Agent, Brisbane.
The Index was compiled from Series ID 13097, Registers of Immigrants per Ship Landed at Immigration Depot at Brisbane, 1885-1917 which contains 9 registers.
These registers record the arrival of immigrants per ship landed at the Immigration Depot at Brisbane. Details for each entry under the name of the ship and date of arrival could include the immigrant's name, age, married or single, trade or occupation, read, write, and religion, county or country of origin, date of departure from depot, whether under engagement, name and address of person by whom engaged, or their own private residence if they have one (not all possible entries were completed consistently). Many references indicate simply Work, Lodgings or Friends and a location e.g. Friends, Kangaroo Point.
In some later cases, age, occupation and marital status of the immigrant is given.  Some names of stowaways are included as well as transfers to and from other ports in Queensland e.g. Maryborough, Bundaberg.
This index contains a large number of Russian Immigrants who fled the political troubles in both Russia and China via Japan. The spelling of the names varies considerably throughout the index.
There are 48,566 searchable entries in this index. To view the index visit the Queensland State Archives Website and click on Indexes on the home page.

My website is: www.archives.qld.gov.au

With acknowledgement to Nnub Qld State Library

IRISH PLACENAMES -JOHN GRENHAM

IRISH CHATTER

Can't find that placename you are looking for? This may help...

Thanks, Clara

http://www.logainm.ie/

IRISH CHATTER

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/features/2011/1107/1224307162868.html

A runaway success

The Irish Times - Monday, November 7, 2011

Madeleine Peyroux's abiding fascination with the retro sound comes from her admiration for women such as Billie Holiday who were 'pioneers of their style'

ALAN O'RIORDAN

ON HER first night after moving to Paris, a 13-year-old Madeleine Peyroux set out with a friend from her mother's apartment near Père Lachaise cemetery and walked south through the city, across the Seine and towards the Boulevard Saint-Germain.

What was she looking for? She doesn't know, she says, more than 20 years and six albums later, but what she found that night on the Left Bank changed her life.

"We saw these musicians performing and some of them were phenomenal. It was a new and exciting discovery. There was one group I later ended up joining, with amps, and wacky instruments that fascinated me."

She came back the next night, looking for the same music, and was directed by a hash dealer to the Cafe Mazet, where the buskers would gather because the barman could always be relied upon to change money for them. The Mazet is still there, next to the pretty arcade of the Cours du Commerce Saint-Andre, but these days it's a British-theme pub, flying the Cross of St George under its obligatory Guinness sign. Such are the streets around the Latin Quarter nowadays, but they retain their charm for Peyroux and hold dear memories.

Soon, she was passing the hat for one of the busking groups. A few years later, she was singing with the Lost Wandering Jazz and Blues Band on the streets and in the clubs of Paris. She dropped out of school, but had a musical education that has made her the artist she is today: with a voice like an ethereal Billie Holiday, steeped in blues and folk jazz.

"I was brought up with early jazz and blues," says Peyroux, who was born in Athens, Georgia, to parents she describes as hippies, and moved to Paris with her mother when they divorced. "But with the band I was introduced to artists like Bessie Smith and I got a huge education when it comes to blues, ironically not while in the States."

Peyroux's repertoire has grown from her first album, Dreamland , in 1996, which showcased a young singer unafraid to make standards her own, to her emergence as a songwriter on later albums, mixing interpretations with her own, usually melancholy, meditations. Her hallmark jazz-folk style has broadened its musical palette, too, over the years. Of course, it's always been a smooth blend, and for a certain type of music fan, Peyroux will always be damned with faint praise for her crossover appeal and placed, with her millions in sales, alongside Norah Jones.

Yet, she is more interesting than she's given credit for – witness the backward-looking reinventions of songs such as La Javanais on her 2009 album Bare Bones , a Serge Gainsbourg number written for Juliette Greco in the 1960s but transported back a couple of decades by Peyroux, with added delicacy and poignancy. Ditto her version of Leonard Cohen's Dance Me to the End of Love , which makes a 1980s classic sound like it was first sung in a smoke-filled 1930s jazz club.

Peyroux's abiding fascination with a retro sound comes from her admiration for women like Holiday who were "pioneers of their style". For her, these artists are "not as straightforward and traditional as we maybe have come to believe. When I go back to those early songs, I see they are more complex not just musically, but in their story, in their drama."

Peyroux doesn't hesitate to call her songs pop, but she aims to bring to them the broader perspective of folk. She instances her 2009 song Our Lady of Pigalle , about a Paris streetwalker, as an example of how she tries to capture that "personalised, emotional complaint you find in pop but also give an individual, emotional voice to social commentary".

So, is there something of the left-wing bohemian still lurking in this successful, world-touring artist? "Well," she says, "I'm not excited about going out busking now. I am mature – by which I mean I'm tired! But I am still looking for that special place, where we can be bohemian and survive. I think in that life in Paris we did fall into that make-your-own-way-of-life philosophy, and I wish I could find that again. I still look for it."

It's tempting to wonder if she'll find it in Ireland, but she's already searched the place. Her grandfather came from Co Clare and Peyroux has traced his footsteps. She even carries an Irish passport. Martin Malone was her grandfather's name, she says, and in the 1920s he went Awol from the British army to catch a ship to New York. There's a little laugh: "He was the only person who seemed proud when I ran away from school."

---

Madeleine Peyroux plays the National Concert Hall, Dublin, on Tuesday. See nch.ie

Clare Roots Society Newsletter August

Each month, I write at least one newsletter for the CRS... though they can be read in their entirety at 


clareroots.org/index.php/clare-gene-news

I will post some of the highlights here for you as well.

Two recently published books

The Great Famine - Ireland's Agony  1845 - 1852 by Ciarán Ó Murchada 

published 2011 by Continuum International Publishing Group. 

ISBN: HB: 978-1-8472-5217-3

The book contains a fine Prologue on O'Connell's Monster Meeting on 15 June 1843 two miles north of Ennis

The Clare War Dead - a History of the Casualties of the Great War - by Tom Burnell published 2011 by The History Press Ireland

ISBN: 978 1 84588 7032

Plus, not to be outdone,  from our own Clare Roots Society stalwarts....

Drumcliff Cemetery - the Hidden History of Ennis Eric Shaw and Larry Brennan

A new digital atlas is available to trace population movement during Ireland famine. “Two new digitized atlases show the levels of emigration during the Great Famine, right up until the rise of the Celtic Tiger in 2002, 

as well as an analysis of Ireland’s population change.

http://www.irishcentral.com/news/Trace-Irish-Famine-population-with-new-digital-atlas-126827108.html

The National Archives (UK) has announced that their extensive collection of crime, court and convict records will be transcribed, digitised and published online.

http://www.slq.nnub.net/notice/show/3074

Listen online to Associate Professor Grace Karskens from the University of New South Wales as she discusses the convict secrets of The Rocks precinct in Sydney. Afterwards you can test your knowledge
by taking the fun quiz.

 http://www.slq.nnub.net/notice/show/3059 

The British Library and Google have struck a deal to digitise over 250,000 out-of-copyright books from between 1700 and 1870. 

http://www.slq.nnub.net/notice/show/3063

What is Picture Queensland? -

 http://www.slq.nnub.net/notice/show/2610

From the Australian War Memorial....

Research Centre news: key naval records now online

Reports of Proceedings (ROPs) are the official record of activities of the Royal Australian Navy (RAN). They were submitted by commanding officers to the Navy Office either monthly or quarterly in both wartime and peacetime.

The ROPs that are open for public access are being scanned progressively and will be added to the website as scanning is completed.

The archival series AWM78 comprises ROPs of HMA Ships and Establishments accumulated from September 1939 onwards.

 Crissouli