Ireland's Genealogical Gazette (April 2013)
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ISSN 1649-7937 Cumann Geinealais na hÉireann Ireland’s Genealogical Gazette (incorporating “The Genie Gazette”) Vol. 8 No. 4 www.familyhistory.ie April : Aibreán 2013 Genealogy—A National Resource? The recent launch of the newly website www.rootsireland.ie on to operate their services, others revamped and much improved a ‘pay-for-view’ basis. These were absorbed by the local www.irishgenealogy.ie as a centres were established during authorities. The IFHF with- ‘Genealogy Portal’ by the the 1980s as part of a nationwide drew from IGL which soon Minister for Arts, Heritage & community employment and after was dissolved. The IFHF the Gaeltacht, Mr. Jimmy training programme to provide continued to coordinate and to Deenihan, TD, has been jobseekers with computer skills. develop the services of the IGP widely welcomed at home and Details of baptisms, marriages heritage centres and eventually GENEALOGY abroad. This new facility is an and burials from the local parish established a central ‘pay-for- exceptionally useful ‘one-stop- registers were transcribed onto view’ facility rootsireland.ie. HERALDRY shop’ for family history as it index cards and later entered During the 1990s questions provides access to the main into a computer database. The arose as to the rightful owner- VEXILLOLOGY on-line resources and offers centres were fully funded by the ship of the databases compiled advice on their use. Although State including staff costs, train- by the IGP, especially, since SOCIAL HISTORY it contains links to ‘pay-for- ing, office and computer equip- this work was largely funded view’ sites, its main website ment, utilities and services. They by the taxpayer. As many now Heritage Matters provides access to records of were managed by local compa- appreciate that genealogy is a baptisms, marriages and buri- nies established for that purpose ‘national resource’, maybe it is Book Reviews als free of charge from an with, initially at least, voluntary time to re-examine this issue in increasing number of parishes boards of directors. During the view of the enormous eco- Open Meetings throughout Ireland. Whilst first half of the 1990s concern nomic and cultural potential of News & Queries most genealogists, at home was expressed about the slow the ‘free-to-view’ websites like and abroad, are rejoicing at the pace of the computerisation and www.irishgenealogy.ie prospect of viewing more and following a very critical report more of these parish registers in 1996 by the Comptroller and Bratacha 2013 on-line free of charge, the Auditor General into the opera- operators of the heritage cen- tion of the Irish Genealogical “The Fighting Irish….. tres have reportedly con- Project (IGP), a new company, in Defeat, in Victory, the www.eneclann.ie demned the move as injurious Irish Genealogy Limited (IGL), to the financial viability of was established to promote and Music Lives On” their centres. The Irish Family coordinate the marketing of the Pavilion, Dún Laoghaire CONTENTS History Foundation (IFHF) centres. During the Celtic Tiger represents the operators of the years the numbers of trainees Friday May 10th 2013—8pm Irish Elites in the Nine- 2 various IGP heritage centres available plummeted and many Tickets €12 (concessions €10) teenth Century that provide access to local centres were forced to close or parish records through the to rely on purely voluntary staff www.paviliontheatre.ie The Roscommon Famine 2 Diaspora Weekend Genealogy 2 Bratacha E-magazine & Event Guide Courses The Bratacha 2013 Steering Saturday May 11th 2013. This Soci- Genealogy Village’ and a ‘Parade Group has just published a full ety is one of the four ‘lead organisa- of Flags’ through Dún Laoghaire. James Scannell Reports .. 3 colour e-magazine to promote tions’ hosting Bratacha 2013 as part The e-magazine has a full listing Portfolios Allocated Bratacha 2013—Festival of Flags of The Gathering Ireland. The oth- of the topics to be covered by the & Emblems . Produced by Irish ers are Dún Laoghaire Harbour lectures and seminars, including Irish DNA Atlas Project 3 Lives Remembered Ltd of Dun- Company, Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown biographies of the expert speakers dalk, this e-magazine is probably County Council and the National from Ireland and overseas. All the Diary Dates 4 the first use of this medium to Maritime Institute of Ireland. lectures and seminars are open to promote an event in Ireland. The Amongst the events to be held is a the public and are free of charge. The Famine Irish: 4 e-magazine has articles on geneal- full and varied programme of lec- The lectures and seminars will be Emigration & New Lives ogy, heraldry, vexillology, local tures and seminars, an exhibition, held at the County Hall, Dún history, maritime history and a Ireland’s first ‘Heraldic Collo- Laoghaire, Co. Dublin. See the Précis of March Lecture 4 full guide to all the events to be quium’ , a ‘Military History Collo- website: www.bratacha.com or held during Bratacha 2013 which quium’ , a world premier concert at http://interactivepdf.uniflip.com/2/ Outreach Programme runs from Thursday May 9th to the Pavilion Theatre, a ‘History & 71043/299167/pub/ Monthly Newsletter of the Genealogical Society of Ireland ISSN 1649-7937 PAGE 2 IRELAND’S GENEALOGICAL GAZETTE (INCORPORATING “THE GENIE GAZETTE”) VOL. 8 NO. 4 Irish Elites in the Nineteenth Century A new publication from interesting subject of ‘blocked mobility’. The challenge elites, politicians and journalists, and compares the Four Courts Press deals for each essayist, from an Irish perspective, was essen- numbers of journalists and newspapermen connected with an often overlooked tially two-fold involving the evaluation and, in many with the Irish Parliamentary Party and the post- and under-researched aspect ways, the deconstruction of the prevailing narrative independence position. Pamela Emerson (U Ulster) of the Irish historical narra- and the exploration of a wider definition of elites in looks at the influence of the overtly respectable tive—the emergence of nineteenth-century Ireland. The essays begin with pastime of reading by examining the membership of elites in Irish society. ‘Irish Andrew Tierney (U. Liverpool) exploring the some of Belfast’s book lending institutions, including Elites in the Nineteenth ‘architectures of gentility’ as expressed in domestic the Belfast Literary Society and the Belfast Society Century’ edited by Ciarán buildings designed in the context of a ‘polite culture’ for Promoting Knowledge, and their impact on Bel- O’Neill (ISBN: 978-1- as statements of mobility or arrival. Susan Galavan fast’s civic identity. Brian Griffin (Bath Spa U) looks 84682-3510 : 280pp : H/bk (TCD) looks at the expansion of the city of Dublin and at archery as an elite pursuit and its social trappings : Price €55.00) published in in particular, the buildings erected by Meade & Son. from the 1830s to the 1870s. Patrick Maume (RIA) association with the Society Interestingly they converted Georgian mansions for the traces the fascinating life and times of Canon Samuel for the Study of Nine- poor and erected villas for the rich, indeed, one of the Hayman (1818-86), who wrote for the Patrician , a teenth-Century Ireland family, Alderman Joseph Meade was elected Lord London-based genealogical publication run by Sir (SSNCI) explores the fascinating story behind the Mayor was simultaneously a philanthropist and a slum Bernard Burke. Anna Pilz (U Liverpool) examines the emergence of elites at all levels and for many reasons landlord. Kevin Mc Kenna (NUI Maynooth) examines complexity of Lady Augusta Gregory’s status within throughout Irish society, Catholic and Protestant, the role of the legitimisation and rituals of one of the society, her roles as landlord, widowed mother and during the nineteenth century. Nowadays the word most prominent and well-studied relationships in cultural nationalist within elite circles on both sides of ‘elites’ is widely used derogatively to describe an nineteenth-century Ireland, that of landlord and tenant. the Irish Sea. Neil Smith and Mervyn Busteed (U alleged sinister and cosy relationship between big Maeve O’Riordan (UCC) looks at elite women as Liverpool) explore the elites emerging in the Irish business, vested interests and the political classes in household managers in the late nineteenth-century and middle class in Manchester and the establishment of Ireland and around Europe. Ciarán O’Neill (TCD) in their relationship with the household servants, most of Catholic education in the city. Raphaël Ingelbien (U his introduction makes the point that ‘we live in an age whom, tended to be of the same religion as their em- Leuven) illuminates the much neglected phenomenon when ‘elite’ has become a multi-purpose and no- ployer. Joanne McEntee (NUIG) explores the world of of tourism amongst the rising Catholic elites and the purpose word’ and that a leading British academic, solicitors as elites in mid-nineteenth century Irish adoption of distinctively Irish ways of travelling. John Scott, has argued that the word ‘elite’ is one of landed society and, in doing so, she explains the multi- Timothy G. McMahon (Marquette U) explores Irish the ‘most misused in the sociological lexicon’ leading layered legal framework in which they operated. Anglican missionary activity in ‘the Empire’. Fintan many scholars to believe that the concept has become Matthew Potter (U Limerick) deals with what he Cullen (U Nottingham) examines the world of politi- ‘completely vacuous and without any significant recently dubbed the ‘Shannon