The Murder of an Irish Revolutionary Ancestor: Killer was a Future Neighbour of the Family!
11 January 2018Many of the visitors to the Irish Family History Centre (CHQ Building, Dublin) have very interesting ancestors. One US gentleman, Michael, wanted to research both sides of his family but he also wanted to prove family lore that one of his ancestors was involved in the Irish revolutionary period (1910s...
Behind the Scenes: “I learned more about my family in the last 30 minutes than in the last 10 years!”
11 January 2018This short tale is a contender for ‘the perfect case’. We genealogists at the Irish Family History Centre can handle most types of enquiry (and we’ve had some doozies in our time!). Nevertheless, what we are best set up to do is to help those who are starting out on...
A Thank You from our Research Manager
22 December 2017As a historian of the family my focus is on the local, the parish, the micro world. Often the task is to reveal the lost histories of families who do not stand out in the records. Ordinary lives don’t usually warrant a page in history. In the past, people were...
A Christmas Miracle…in August
21 December 2017More of the ‘miracle’ later, but first a bit of context… The Genealogy Advisory Service (GAS) in the National Library of Ireland (NLI) has two permanent members of staff who are supplemented by genealogists from Eneclann and Ancestor Network through the busier periods of the year. The set-up of the...
Behind the Scenes: Helping Neighbour gives us a Lesson in Census versus Institution Information
21 December 2017We at the Irish Family History Centre (IFHC) have many business neighbours in the chq Building on Custom House Quay in Dublin. Over the past year, we have built up a good rapport with them, including – perhaps predictably – the coffee shop Starbucks. Back in early 2017, we had...
Santa Claus’s Irish Ancestry
21 December 2017Santa! That cheery, portly, white-bearded man squeezing down your chimney with a “Ho! Ho! Ho!” to deliver you a present on Christmas Eve. That’s the Santa Claus we all know and love. But there is another Santa Claus. A very real Santa Claus. A Santa who possibly has Irish ancestry....
Work Experience for a Budding Genealogist
08 December 2017My name is Laura and I am currently fifteen years old. I am in Transition Year. For my work experience, I decided to go and apply for the Irish Family History Centre. Big thank you to Noel Jenkins who is a family friend and helped me apply. I am so...
Behind the Scenes: I Cursed You for Months After My DNA Test. Please Accept a Box of “Aungier Danger” Doughnuts!
08 December 2017In early December 2017, a tall, moderately elderly man from Dublin’s inner city – we’ll call him ‘Dermot’ – came in to the Irish Family History Centre (CHQ Building, Dublin, Ireland). He wanted to “have a word” with us. This sounded ominous. Earlier in the year, Dermot had come in, not...
Irish Surnames and Sources Seminar Resounding Success
08 December 2017Genealogists attending the seminar in Cork Wednesday 6th December saw genealogists gather at University College Cork, for the eagerly anticipated seminar Irish Surnames and Sources: What about the evidence and how to use it. The title was coined by our own Fiona Fitzsimons, one of the expert speakers on the day. There were six...
News Digest: Dec 2017
08 December 2017The Red Book of Ossory now available online. The important medieval manuscript The Red Book of Ossory is now available online for free through the archives of the Church of Ireland. The Red Book contains a wide range of documents most notably from Bishop Richard Ledred. Also included is the...
Developing research skills in Irish Family History: Intermediate to advanced.
08 December 2017On Thursday 7th Dec. Blanchardstown Library held a reception to mark the completion of this course. 31 students completed the Eight-week course taught by Fiona Fitzsimons in Autumn-Winter 2017. Blanchardstown Library provided light refreshments on the evening. Our guest speaker was author Jim Lacey, who spoke on the history of...
Behind the Scenes: A Visitor Reveals a Surprise Connection Between my Husband and Work Colleague!
24 November 2017In early October 2017, I brought a lovely couple to the Irish Family History Centre (IFHC), Brenda and Pete, who live in Cape Town (South Africa) but who were born in Zimbabwe. Pete is my husband’s second cousin, and he and his wife were ‘up’ in the northern hemisphere visiting...
