New: A Gift From Trinity College in Dublin

After the 1641 Irish rebellion, about 8000 depositions were taken from witnesses. Most of testimony was from Protestants but there were some Catholic deposed too. The depositions (Trinity College Dublin, MSS 809-841) have recently been released online. Access is free but you will be required to register before you can view them. The testimonies document the alleged crimes committed by the Irish rebels. Many names of victims, rebels, neighbors, witnesses and others appear in the records along with locations so they are of significant genealogical value. The depositions are searchable by name and location. The names may be spelled differently than they are now so be sure to try various spellings. Interesting reading but prepare yourself for the extreme violence described in the depositions. Check it out at http://www.1641.tcd.ie/

Public Records Office of Northern Ireland in Belfast

For those of you headed to Belfast to do research, remember that PRONI ( Public Records Office of Northern Ireland) is in transit to its new, state-of-the-art premises in Titanic Quarter in Belfast. In the meantime, the Linenhall Library in Belfast has generously agreed to host a series of lunchtime lectures delivered by PRONI staff on the last Wednesday of the month as follows:

24 November 'Using on-line sources for genealogical research' by Mr Stephen Scarth, Head of Public Services, Public Record Office of Northern Ireland

26 January 'Vere Foster: the man who paid women to go away' by Dr Ann McVeigh, Public Record Office of Northern Ireland

23 February 'Preserving the past for the future' by Mr Brendan Campbell, Chief Conservator, Public Record Office of Northern Ireland

30 March 'Church Records for Family History' by Valerie Adams, Presbyterian Historical Society (Ex PRONI)

27 April 'The Blitz on Belfast' by Mr Ian Montgomery, Public Record Office of Northern Ireland

The talks, which are free of charge, will start at 1pm in the Performance Area of the Linenhall Library. Everyone welcome.

IGSI visiting the North Central Wisconsin

IGSI instructors are excited about heading to North Central Wisconsin to visit the Northern Waters Genealogical Society on June 4, 2011. We will be offering a class in one of the breakout sessions that day to help you get started on researching your Irish family history. The event is being offered at the Presque Isle Library and Community Center, which is located in North Central Wisconsin on the Wisconsin/Michigan state border, serving residents of NW Vilas County Wisconsin, SE Iron County Wisconsin, and S.Central Gogebic County Michigan. Watch for further information in in the Lakeland Times, FYI, WRJO, and Wisconsin Public Radio. Also, flyers are placed monthly at all three of the participating libraries.Presque Isle Community Library, the Frank B. Koller Library in Manitowish Waters and the Boulder Junction Library.

Mark Your Calendar! British Isles Days Are Just Around The Corner

There is nothing that jump starts my genealogy research more that attending a genealogy conference. That's why I am anxiously awaiting next April when the Irish Genealogical Society & the Minnesota Genealogical Society are co-sponsoring British Isles Days on April 29 & 30 in the Twin Cities area. If you have British, Irish, Scottish or Welsh in your family ancestry, this will be an important event for you to attend. There will be breakout sessions to help you with your research, exhibits and vendors. More details will be posted here as they becomes available.