Seven Signatories: Tracing the Family Histories of the Men Who Signed the Proclamation, by AGI Member Paul Gorry, details the ancestry of the signatories of the Proclamation of the Irish Republic in 1916. Researching their varied origins involved a range of genealogical sources. Their stories illustrate the value and uses of these sources.
The book developed from a project of the Irish Family History Foundation / Rootsireland while Paul was engaged in editing some of the organisation’s online material. He was asked to research and write up family histories for the seven signatories. Enough material was gathered to warrant a special issue of Clann, the online magazine of Rootsireland. This was published to coincide with the centenary of Easter 1916. Since then it was decided to give the project permanency and greater exposure by producing it in book form. Kildare County Council and Merrion Press / Irish Academic Press took on the task of publication.
The book is now available for purchase on the publishers’ website: