Ireland

“Long before we discovered that he had fathered two children by two different women, one in Drimoleague and one in Clonakilty, Father James Monroe stood on the altar of the Church of our Lady, Star of the Sea...and denounced my mother as a whore.” Even before he was born, and his pregnant, unwed mother was…

Our friends at the Fountaindale Public Library and the Plainfield Public Library will host an Irish Genealogy Workshop and Webinar on Wednesday, March 15 and Thursday, March 16. The webinar is presented by the Ulster Historical Foundation, and will cover both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. If you are interested in attending one…

The Family History Library in Salt Lake City will present a 5-day research seminar on the British Isles beginning Monday, March 13. The brochure lays out their entire schedule. The daily sessions take place in the afternoon, but Friday, March 17, the whole day is devoted to Irish research. What? You say you can't get to Salt Lake…

It's happy days for those with Irish ancestors, including our own Ellen Jennings. On July 8, Ellen and others of Irish ancestry went to the National Library of Ireland's website as they released all the Catholic parish records online---and for free! Until now, it required a bishop's permission to view these records and you had to view them…

Last night at the Lake County (IL) Genealogical Society meeting, Maureen Brady gave an information-packed presentation on doing genealogy in the British Isles. If you have ancestors from the British Isles (loosely defined for our purposes as England, Scotland, Wales, the Isle of Man, the Channel Islands, Northern Ireland, and the Republic of Ireland). Here are…