IGRS Launches 80th Anniversary Archive

Do you have an interesting tale to tell about one of your Irish ancestors? Then the Irish Genealogical Research Society would like to hear from you.  Since the Society’s beginning, eighty years ago, their main objective has been to offset the loss of the Irish Public Records at the Four Courts, Dublin, in 1922, by creating a unique collection of Irish genealogical material.  That founding policy continues to this day and is the stimulus for the Society to celebrate its 80th anniversary by creating a special archive of the personal stories of Irish-born ancestors.

The IGRS are interested in hearing about one special ancestor in no more than 2,500 words. They are not asking you to deposit whole family trees, although you are welcome to include a short branch at the end it you wish to place your ancestor in context. They ask you to introduce your chosen ancestor with a few words explaining why they are important to you; and to end with some personal reflections on their life to make the story yours, too. 

All stories received will be deposited the Society’s 80th Anniversary Archive and they intend to publish a selection of them as an e-book. If you would like to submit a story, you are asked send it to the project co-coordinator, Ruth Mathewson, including your full name, address, and email address.  The deadline to make a submission is Wednesday, 31st August 2016. 

New to Ancestry

Two new collections of records relating to the 1916 Easter Rising have been added to Ancestry.
Digitised in partnership with The National Archives at Kew, the releases together provide access to more than 2,600 records, each providing crucial information about Irish Republicans involved in the uprising.
The larger of the two collections, spanning 1916-1922, contains a series of Courts Martial Files, containing details of individuals arrested and tried without a jury for their nationalist activities. This includes papers ordering the execution of the seven signatories of the 1916 Proclamation – Padraig Henry Pearse, Eamon Ceannt, Thomas James Clarke, James Connolly, Sean MacDiarmada, Joseph Mary Plunkett and Thomas MacDonagh.
The second collection, spanning 1914-1922, gives family historians the opportunity to search newspaper clippings and notes gathered by the British intelligence, naming people suspected to have been disloyal to the crown.
If your ancestor was a part of the unrest around this period, there may be information he for you.  And even if they were not a part of the uprising the data still provides a fascinating insight into this piece of Irish history.