BRISBANE IRISH FESTIVAL

The very first Brisbane Irish Festival takes place from March 9 to 17

with festivities ranging from the St Patrick's Day Parade to a Gaelic sports competition.

The festival kicks off on March 9 with a ball at The Irish Club, on Elizabeth St, from 7pm.

Queensland Irish Club

But most of the fun is this weekend with the 23rd annual St Patrick's Day Parade set to fill city streets

from 10.30am Saturday, March 10.

The parade starts from the corner of George and Elizabeth streets and heads through the city.

There will be an Irish Fair from 11am-2pm in King George Square

with traditional Irish music, activities for children and more.

On Sunday, March 11, you can enjoy a family sports day that includes Gaelic football and hurling,

along with Irish dancing and rides from 10.30am at the Queensland Gaelic Football Park, Bowhill Rd, Willawong.

Then you can head to the Irish Club at 2pm for a concert by the QIA Tara Singers

Other events throughout the Irish Festival include:

Monday, March 12: Irish trivia night at various locations across the city.

Tuesday, March 13: Rose of Tralee Fashion Parade, The Irish Club, from 7pm.

Wednesday, March 14: Irish in Queensland: their cultural legacy.

A talk about how the Irish have left their mark on Queensland,

from 12.30pm at the State Library Queensland Auditorium, 29 Stanley St, South Brisbane.

Thursday, March 15: Brisbane traditional Irish Music concert at the Irish Club, 7.30pm.

Friday, March 16: The 114th Annual St Patrick's Eve Dinner, The Irish Club.

For more information visit www.brisbaneirishfestival.com.

EMIGRATION FROM IRELAND

Emigration from Ireland is certainly not new. Over time, there have been many waves of emigration. Today it is happening all over again, as the economy suffers and unemployment rises, the young leave their homeland looking for a new life and fulfilment of dreams.

In the following article, my Great Uncle, Martin Dillon, talks of the young folk leaving Ireland in large numbers, in the 20's and 30's.

Please click on article to enlarge it.

ARE YOU MISSING HALF THE STORIES?

You could be missing quite a lot if you are only reading this blog, and not following As They Were, which is predominantly Irish history and Irish news, or Irish Graves - those who sleep in foreign lands.

These two blogs can be found at

http://astheywere.blogspot.com/ and

http://irishgraves.blogspot.com.au/

On each blog, there is also a list of suggested blogs and sites which may interest you.

Enjoy and please feel free to tell me of your interests.

A STOLEN HEART...

A STOLEN HEART...

We often hear someone say " he/she stole my heart..." however, not quite in the connotation that follows. This really is a tale of a stolen heart...

'Religious fanatic' stole heart of Dublin's patron saint

CHURCH officials now believe that a religious fanatic stole the 800-year-old heart of Dublin's patron saint Laurence O' Toole.

The Dean of Christ Church Cathedral, Dermot Dunne, believes that the culprit hid in the building to take the 12th century preserved heart.

It was stolen from a small heart-shaped wooden box sealed in an iron-barred case.

The priceless relic was noticed missing after the cathedral opened at 9.30am on Saturday.

"Somebody must have hid in the cathedral overnight on Friday and slipped out first thing on Saturday morning. There was no sign of forced entry and all our doors are alarmed.

"If anybody went in or out it would set off the alarm immediately and the alarm didn't go off," Mr Dunne said.

He added: "The cage is pretty robust; it would take a lot to cut the metal but somehow they managed to do it."

He said "there are various speculations as to a motive. Was it a religious fanatic who is into collecting relics?

Read more.....

http://www.herald.ie/news/religious-fanatic-stole-heart-of-dublins-patron-saint-3039683.html

NEW IN IGP ARCHIVES

Courtesy of Christina Hunt and IGP Archives

February was a short month :)
Here are the files added to the IGP Archives  from Feb 15th - Feb 29th

Derry/Londonderry Genealogy Archives - Military & Constabulary
1840-1841 Royal Irish Constabulary
http://www.igp-web.com/IGPArchives/ire/derry/military.htm

Donegal Genealogy Archives - Military & Constabulary
1840-41 Royal Irish Constabulary
www.igp-web.com/IGPArchives/ire/donegal/military.htm

Dublin Genealogy Archives - Headstones
Mount Jerome, Dublin Dublin - Part 38
http://www.igp-web.com/IGPArchives/ire/dublin/photos/tombstones/mt-jerome-ndx.htm

Fermanagh Genealogy Archives - Education
Boys admitted into Charitable Charter School 1787-1933
List of National Schools in 1862
www.igp-web.com/IGPArchives/ire/fermanagh/education.htm

Limerick Genealogy Archives - Military & Constabulary
1840 & 1841 Royal Irish Constabulary
www.igp-web.com/IGPArchives/ire/limerick/military.htm

Monaghan Genealogy Archives - Headstones
Monaghan Town, Coolshannagh, St. Patrick's (CoI), Parts 1 & 2
www.igp-web.com/IGPArchives/ire/monaghan/photos/tombstones/markers.htm

Offaly (Kings) Genealogy Archives - Military & Constabulary
Kings 1840 & 1841 Royal Irish Constabulary
www.igp-web.com/IGPArchives/ire/offaly/military.htm

Wexford Genealogy Archives - Cemeteries
Duncannon Fort Burials
www.igp-web.com/IGPArchives/ire/wexford/cem.htm

We have the best contributors!
Christina

QUEENSLAND BDMS PROJECT

Thanks to Gould Genealogy...       http://www.gouldgenealogy.com/2012/03/australian-genealogy-and-history-snippets-february-2012/

 Alona keeps us well informed each month. There is much more on the site above.  Thank you...

This will be a very welcome change...

Queensland BDMs Project
News on the GSQ website mentioned that the Queensland Registrar-General is planning to have death indexes to 1980 online by April 2012. Also a gradual increase in online content is planned until around 2015 when a high percentage of paper records should be available through the Queensland BDM website.  Currently the deaths online go up to 1964, while the births are up to 1914, and marriages 1934.

Times Past – Old Time Radio

This is a site I have used for a while........

The reminder comes from Gould Genealogy.

The Times Past website is a place for old time radio and nostalgia. On this site you'll find a variety of nostalgic content from old radio shows of the golden era, as well as photos, video and much more. All the content on this site is contributed by the members of the community and is free to listen to.
Website: http://timespast.ning.com/
Blog:  http://otrarchive.blogspot.com.au/

http://www.genealogysa.org.au/resources/online-databases.html

The BDM Indexes cover the following:

The South Australian BDM Indexes are now online.  They are free to search, but you will pay if you want more info than you first see...

- Newspaper Birth Notices Index from 1960 onwards
- Newspaper Death Notices Index from 1972 onwards
- South Australia Cemeteries Index
- Birth Registration Certificates Index 1842-1928
- Marriage Registration Certificate Index 1842-1916
- Death Registration Certificate Index 1842-1972

KOOKABURRA HAS THE LAST LAUGH

I've always loved kookaburras, Australia's laughing bird, or at least that's what they sound like.

These two like to visit my Dad's place and play among the branches, delighting adults and children alike.

For a wonderful story about a kookaburra, with a difference, follow this link to the Macleay Argus and John Jeayes's tale about his frequent visitor...

http://tinyurl.com/7ku2gz5