CLARE CHATTER

Clare Roots Society

Clare Roots Society will host a talk entitled Murderers, rebels and drunkards: Your ancestors and the law at the Civic Rooms, Drumbiggle on Thursday 16 February 2012 at 8 pm. Brian Donovan of Eneclann will give the talk.

There are over 3 million prison records 1790-1924 and 20 million petty sessions (or magistrates') court records 1828-1912 available for Ireland, yet they are rarely consulted for historical research let alone genealogy.

But they are one of the biggest sources of information for tracing people in the 19th century, and also contain many of the stories that bring a bare pedigree to life. Most families were touched by these records, as defendants, witnesses, criminals, victims, and parties to civil actions. It is no surprise that the Cork authors Somerville & Ross chose to use the Resident Magistrate and his court as arena for their stories of Irish society. Quite simply it was the stage where all manner of local issues and disputes were aired. Along with the prison records they are a window into our ancestor's lives and interaction with the growth of the law. The website www.findmypast.ie is exclusively publishing all of this material fully indexed by all personal names and places.

Brian studied History at Trinity College, graduating in 1989. He subsequently lectured and tutored in the university and since then has also lectured throughout Ireland and the US on history, genealogy and electronic publishing. Brian's experience in digital technology, as well as his background in history, helped motivate the founding of Eneclann, with Fiona Fitzsimons, in 1998. Brian specialises in Eneclann's digitisation work, both for commercial clients and for Eneclann's own publications. He has overseen the development of Eneclann's CD catalogue, as well as the Archive CD Books Ireland project. Brian is also closely involved in developing Eneclann's online publications, playing a key role in establishing www.findmypast.ie. This website is a major online resource for Irish genealogical records with over 10 million items online to date, and a further 25 million due out this year. Brian was also the technical advisor for the landmark Trinity College project to digitise the 1641 Depositions, as well as many other cultural and educational initiatives.

All are welcome to the talk. There is a cover charge of €5 for non-members.

N.B. To listen to an interview re Brian's talk, go to

Recording posted at http://www.clareroots.org/index.php/2011-06-29-19-06-17/meetings-a-lectures

THE FAMILIES OF KILMALEY PARISH.. A 200 Year Review.. UPDATE

When you set out to research your family, and then find that that leads to helping others research theirs, it suddenly starts to snowball... who can resist adding just a little more, or finding the link to the family you knew the name of, but weren't quite sure whether they were related or not?


 It helps that you know not only the names, but the parish, and the history and the details that others are searching for...what to do then?


If your name is John Mayer, you decide to help others, who may never be able to visit the homeland of their ancestors and before too long, your kind deed has become far greater than you imagined...


Meet John Mayer.. the author of THE FAMILIES OF KILMALEY PARISH A 200 Year review...


John is a member of Clare Roots Society and as such has contributed a great deal for the benefit of others. Look on the Clare Library site, genealogy, to see his contribution of photographs and inscriptions of the gravestones of Kilmaley cemetery.

John's Irish connection began in Kilmaley Parish and so, on frequent family visits, he decided to explore the history of not only his own family, but that of 200 families within the parish. The result is the massive tome you see in this photo, which encompasses dates and photos ( where possible) of people or gravestones, of details of connections to other families and so much more, much of which has helped me in my own research within Kilmaley Parish. 


 For full details of his book, and where to purchase, you can see my earlier article at 


http://thatmomentintime-crissouli.blogspot.com/2011_11_01_archive.html


 John covers families from  FURROOR, KILCLOGHER, KILLANIV, KINTURK and all the towns and villages encompassed within those townlands...


 John's experiences when visiting the land of his mother's family stayed with him... just to quote a little of these..


"As a six year old boy growing up in Chicago, Kilmaley was such a different world to me. In those days my uncle's home was still thatched and I would get water for my grandmother at Sharry's Well. Going to the creamery at Tobin's was a great adventure. Whether I was heading there by horse and cart from John Hehir's in Feighroe, or on a big shiny new tractor from Patsy McMahon's in Lecarrow More, life couldn't get better."

 For details on the book www.lulu.com and search for Kilmaley, or use this tiny URL to go directly.

http://tinyurl.com/7jjlxxu

 Now, if only all Parishes were so fortunate... be sure to let John know where you heard about his book.

From a very satisfied researcher....

Liz Haren  Nov 27, 2011 "Yay! I just got my Kilmaley book!! It is huge!!! And it has my Haren's all over it. I'm thrilled. "

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. "