News

KILL OR CURE Roseleen Underwood MAGI Although it doesn’t happen very often, one of the joys of searching parish registers is finding the unexpected—the odd cartoon or snide comment about the quality of the other priest’s record-keeping, showing that they didn’t always live in harmony and weren’t the perfect beings they might have liked us to believe them. I have even found knitting and crochet patterns for mittens in the flyleaves. The registers of Blackditches (Valleymount) in North Wicklow have a few gems— FOR THE GOUT Boil a handfull of the Elderbark or soft tops on sour Buttermilk & Oatmeal. … Read More

CROSSING THE LINE Robert C Davison MAGI When my Mother died in 2017 she left me a large brown envelope containing my late Father’s army documents. Dad (Christy to one and all) had been born in Belfast in 1922 and was 17 in 1939 when Europe was about to be engulfed in the Second World War. He enlisted in the 8th. Belfast Heavy Anti-Aircraft Regiment of the Royal Artillery and became part of the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) posted to France in what became known as the ‘phoney war’ period, before things really hotted up! When it became obvious that … Read More

Thursday 28 September will see the return of the popular Family History course run in collaboration between Accredited Genealogists Ireland and City Colleges, Dublin. This online course is aimed at both the dedicated amateur and budding professional alike. Autumn term will be a 10-week foundation certificate course with an option to continue studies in Spring 2024 when an advanced level diploma course will run. All lecturers hold credentials as Members of Accredited Genealogists Ireland. Students will be introduced to the building blocks of genealogy such as civil records, church records and census records, and are guided through other exciting resources … Read More

ONCE A PLACE OF CHILDHOOD DREAMS Paul Gorry FAGI I occasionally post photographs of ruined houses on social media, commenting ‘once someone’s home’. The photograph I share here as AGI’s image might be captioned ‘once a place of childhood dreams’. During the summer of 2023, passing this familiar building, one I pass almost daily, my attention was arrested by seeing daylight through the window in the shop door. The back wall of the ground floor had been demolished and the digger that did the work was still there. A few days later the entire innards of the house were gone. … Read More

AGI is thrilled to announce that two new Members have recently been added to its ranks, Jillian Van Turnhout and Hilary O’Connor. Jillian Van Turnhout’s interest in genealogy began almost two decades ago when she completed a course which equiped her to undertake her own family history research. She then subsequently honed her skills further through undertaking research for family and friends. In more recent times she availed of AGI’s Affiliate Programme, before successfully applying for formal Membership. Jillian is a former senator in the upper chamber of Ireland’s parliament, the Oireachtas, and in 2015 she was given Politician of … Read More

JULIA GEARY: MOCOLLOP TO MONTANA – AND BACK AGAIN Tony Hennessy M.A.G.I. I quite recently received a research request from an American woman called Margaret who was due to visit Ireland in August and was wondering if I could help trace her Irish ancestors. Margaret’s great grandmother Julia Geary had left Ireland as a young woman not long after the Famine and settled in Montana. As a stepping off point for my investigations I was given this wonderful photograph of Julia’s memorial stone. It clearly states that ‘Mrs. Julia Helms’ was born 1 August 1840 in Mocollop, Co. Waterford, Ireland … Read More

AGI fellow John Grenham is to give a talk on “Mapping Galway surnames” as part of the free Galway Roots event run by Galway County Council next week. It takes place in the Council Chamber at Prospect Hill on Tuesday August 15 next from 12 to 3.

Accredited Genealogists Ireland (AGI) will be hosting an Open Day and Workshop in Dublin on Saturday, 7th October, 2023. Whether you are already practising as a professional genealogist or just thinking about a future career in genealogical research, this Open Day and Workshop will be relevant to you.  It will provide information on credentials for professional genealogists, on the AGI Affiliate programme, and on the process of seeking accreditation as a Member of AGI. The venue is Wynn’s Hotel, 35-39 Abbey Street Lower, North City, Dublin 1, D01C9F8, on Saturday 7th October 2023, 10.00am until 5.30pm. AGI is the accrediting and … Read More

1861 PAROCHIAL CENSUS FOR ENNISCORTHY Nicola Morris M.A.G.I. There is nothing more helpful to the genealogist when a record set contains an additional element. The parish priest of Enniscorthy helpfully enumerated the Catholic population of his parish in 1861, in tandem with the national census of that year. While the national census returns were destroyed, this record has endured. Within the parochial registers for the Roman Catholic parish of Enniscorthy, published by the National Library of Ireland (registers.nli.ie) can be found this manuscript, headed: Census of the Inhabitants of the Parish of Enniscorthy. Commenced – April 17th 1861. (https://registers.nli.ie/registers/vtls000634062#page/1/mode/1up) The … Read More

At the EGM on Monday 19 June 2023, the President of AGI, Nicola Morris, announced the election of John Grenham as a Fellow of AGI. John entered the world of genealogy in 1981 as one of the panel of Genealogical Office researchers. He is a genealogist, writer, journalist, programmer, consultant, speaker and teacher. John was instrumental in setting up the GO Consultation Service, the forerunner of the current Advisory Services in the National Library and National Archives. John established a genealogy course with the Irish Times and later developed a course with City Colleges, which is now under the AGI … Read More