Story by Zara King@ZaraKing_UTV A genealogy expert has shown UTV Ireland evidence from land records which prove, beyond reasonable doubt, that George Clooney’s ancestors lived on land in Knockeen in Windgap, Co. Kilkenny. Known as the “Clooney homestead”, George Clooney’s ancestral house and land has since been passed down through...
Family historians often start to work up a case, with very few documents to work from. The very first thing you learn as a researcher is to compare all documents, in case one may hold a key piece of information that opens up the story. Probably my all time favourite...
Okay, so the latter part of that might not quite be true to The Hollies version, but it can be true of tracing one’s ancestors. I’ve spoken before in tips about the importance of lateral thinking when conducting genealogical research. We often get people who’ve come to us, indicating that...
“I would say that the single most common error I see among genealogists, is that they don’t question the bias of their sources. Many people invest so much in tracking down a relevant document, that once they find it, they accept it uncritically. Or, people put too much weight on...
How should we steer the future development of Genealogy/ Family History as an expert discipline? The Genealogical Society of Ireland recently reported on the change of name of one of Ireland’s genealogical groups. Under the headline ‘APGI becomes AGI’ they outlined in forensic detail the various corporate and non-incorporated...
Ireland Reaching Out (Ireland XO) is a volunteer-based, non-profit initiative which builds vibrant, lasting links between the global Irish Diaspora and parishes of origin in Ireland. Here are some images from the Launch of their new website www.irelandxo.com at Iveagh House last week. Eneclann Directors Fiona Fitzsimons and Brian Donovan. Minister Jimmy...
The fun of the genealogy service in the National Library is that we never know in advance who we’ll meet, or what stories we’ll hear. Our job is to listen, to identify verifiable facts and events, and to guide enquirers in their research. The search never ends, because family history...
I have recently been researching a family that lived on Inishbofin, not the island off the Galway coast but a smaller one off the coast of Donegal. I had located the family in the 1901 and 1911 Census and was now interested in finding a birth certificate for one member...
In a recent case I used a cluster of marriage records (church and civil). A close examination of the names of the recorded witnesses – the best man and the brides-maid – opened up the research. At first the witnesses appeared to be unrelated to the bride and groom. A...
Dr Bruce Durie has enjoyed two successful careers in different fields. He began his professional life as a biochemist/ pharmacologist. In 1977 he was awarded the IBRO/ UNESCO Fellowship as ‘Scotland’s most promising young neuroscientist.” In the 90s, he moved into family history, and later completed a doctorate in History...
When news of the Australian Seminar evening in Trinity College on the 20th of May, reached one of our readers, it struck a personal note. Ronald Land is the great-grandnephew of the police officer who was in command at the time of the capture of Ned Kelly, Read his story here. “You all...
The great (frustrating) thing about genealogical research is that just when you think you’ve seen it all, something new crops up. Before joining Eneclann I spent 9 months with the National Archives of Ireland correcting errors in the 1911 Census, submitted as corrections by users of the site. That’s right,...