News

SEÁN P. Ó SÉAGHDHA, ADVOCATE FOR THE IRISH LANGUAGE Máire Mac Conghail,  B.A., F.I.G.R.S., F.A.G.I. Seán P. Ó Séaghdha, (birth registered, John Patrick), was born 7 July 1887 in Cork City, the first born of James O’Shea, a compositor/printer, and his wife Mary “Minnie” O’Brien. James must have experienced a ‘downturn’ in employment, as the family was resident in Birmingham, England, by early 1899. Within a year James was dead– December 1899 – at the young age of 40, leaving his family impoverished. Seán P. assisted his mother financially by initially working as an errand boy, then as a railway … Read More

FROM COUNTY DOWN TO YORKSHIRE: PATRICK BRONTE (1777- 1861): Father of the renowned literary sisters, Charlotte, Emily and Anne. Linda Clayton MAGI FIGRS Patrick Brunty was born 17th March 1777, the eldest of ten children born to agricultural labourer Hugh Brunty and Alice (nee McClory) of the townland of Imdel in the Parish of Drumballyroney, County Down. Following spells as an apprentice blacksmith, a linen weaver and a teacher in the local village school, he left Ireland, aged 25 years, to study in England at St John’s College, Cambridge. It appears to have been in Cambridge where he became known … Read More

A recent article in the Irish Echo, a New York Irish-American newspaper, extolled the contribution of one of Accredited Genealogists Ireland’s (AGI) former presidents to the world of Irish genealogy and to wider civil society. Steven Smyrl has been a member of AGI for over thirty years, and during that time has achieved significant success not only in improving the data recorded in Irish civil registration records, but also in gaining public access to records of great use to genealogists. Steven’s work in probate genealogy made him all too aware of the shortcomings in data recorded in death registrations in … Read More

The popular collaboration between City Colleges and Accredited Genealogists Ireland will run the Certificate in Family History Foundation Course during the summer term. The aim is to deliver comprehensive courses in family history research for the dedicated amateur and budding professional alike. The “Professional Certificate in Family History Research” takes place online every Thursday evening from 27th April 2023, over the course of ten weeks.  Lectures are given by AGI members who are recognised experts in their field. Students are introduced to the building blocks of genealogy: Civil records Church records Census records In addition they then guided through exciting resources, … Read More

PAYING THE RENT Aidan Feerick B.A., M.A.G.I & Tony Hennessy M.A.G.I. Our farming ancestors paid their rents twice a year on what were known as Gale Days. One was Lady Day (25 March) and the other was Michaelmas (29 September). This practice of the periodic payment of rents varied between estates. Payment could be in cash or in kind; turf, oats, barley, or animals were sometimes accepted in lieu of rent. Sometimes, tenants paid a part or all their rent by working for the landlord. At other times, agents traveled around the estate collecting the rent; in some places, the … Read More

Gillian Johnson, having utilised the Association’s Affiliate Programme, has now been admitted into Membership of Accredited Genealogists Ireland. Over the years Gill Johnson has developed her approach to genealogical research by extensively investigating and documenting her own family history. She has been fascinated with genealogy from an early age, evident in the many interviews she conducted with older family members, recording family lore for future generations. In her professional life, for almost a decade Gill has been working with Timeline, a Dublin-based genealogical research company run by fellow AGI Member, Nicola Morris. As an employee of Timeline, Gill has undertaken … Read More

On Saturday 18th March, AGI Member Sandra Doble gave an online lecture entitled ‘Researching Your Church of Ireland Ancestors’ to the New York based genealogy society, The Irish Family History Forum (IFHF). Her talk particularly examined Church of Ireland parish registers and the challenges of using these resources given so many were destroyed in 1922 in the fire which consumed the Public Record Office of Ireland. Despite the destruction, there survives many transcripts and abstracts which help to plug the gaps. Sandra also covered a myriad of other resources pertaining to Church of Ireland families, including vestry minutes books, marriage … Read More

AN IMPORTANT FAMILY OBITUARY PAINTS A VIVID PICTURE Kiara Gregory, M.A.G.I. David Moriarty from Decatur in Georgia was researching his Moriarty family history in Kerry Local History Library, when he found an obituary of my great-great grandfather, Timothy Moriarty, in The Kerryman1, dated 4 September 1909. According to his obituary, Timothy Moriarty was eighty six when he died, and he was a fit, tall, sporting man. His career, as discussed in his obituary, was very interesting, and on this I will focus. Timothy Moriarty was seneschal or judge of the Manor Court for the barony of Corkaguiny in Co. Kerry. … Read More

AGI member Michael Walsh is to give a talk entitled “From Tithes to Griffith’s: Property and Valuation Records”  at the National Archives of Ireland on Thursday, February 16 next. Michael’s talk will introduce participants to the key factors of the major land and property valuations in 19th-century Ireland. Among the record collections covered will be the following sources: Tithe Applotment Books, early townland valuations and notebooks compiled as part of the valuation process, Griffith’s Valuation (valuation sheets and associated maps), Valuation Revision Books, and other information and resources underpinning the valuations. For more information, see the National Archives site. You … Read More

FROM LOG CABIN TO MUD HUT: The extraordinary childhood experiences of Reverend Philip Homan of Villierstown, Co. Waterford. Justin Homan Martin, M.A.G.I. (Emeritus) By the close of the eighteenth century many of the descendants of John Homan, Esq., (of Moategranoge, Co. Westmeath, d. 1683) had migrated toward Dublin; my mother’s ancestral branch had by then established itself at Ardenode (otherwise Ardenwood) near Ballymore Eustace, Co. Kildare. In the year 1812, Isaac Homan (a Dublin barrister and second cousin to members of the above branch) found himself a victim of “heavy and unforeseen” pecuniary circumstances and was obliged to depart Dublin … Read More