OCTOBER DEIREADH FÓMHAIR 2005 ISSN 1393-3183 • th 15 Anniversary Celebration • Editor: E-mail: [email protected] Irish Genealogical Project – C. & A.G. Report 2004 • 50 th Anniversary of the European Flag The Newsletter of the Genealogical Society of Ireland Volume 10 • Issue 10 The Genie Gazette October 2005 IRISH GENEALOGICAL PROJECT – TIME FOR ACTION A Further Damning Report from the Comptroller & Auditor General Another damning report by the Comptroller & have been set for these objectives and no end 2007. To enable commencement of Audit General on the Irish Genealogical mechanism is in place to measure the tourism commercial inputting, IGL has allocated Project (IGP) has increased calls for action by impacts attributable to the IGP. €75,000 for this purpose in 2005.” the Minister for Arts, Sport & Tourism, Mr. Consequently, the likely effectiveness of the “More Reports Commissioned” John O’Donoghue, TD, to finally bring an end project in contributing to tourism growth The Accounting Officer concluded by to this embarrassing and very costly project. cannot currently be established”. The author “stating that the Board of IGL has now “IGP - Value for Money?” of the 1996 report clearly left nobody in any been left in no doubt that if the project is to The Irish Genealogical Project was established doubt that radical steps were necessary to be funded further, there must be a clear in 1988 as an employment training and tourism rescue the project and to ensure value for business strategy for completion in expansion initiative based on the money for the Irish and European taxpayer. accordance with value for money computerisation of the church registers from “Slow Progress Reported” principles.” and notwithstanding this clear each parish in Ireland. The computerisation The latest report by the Comptroller & warning, further reports have been was to have produced a resource for “roots Auditor General makes for further commissioned by the Board of IGL from tourism” with a central signposting system depressing reading. The Department’s consultants to establish a business model for directing clients to the county of origin of their Accounting Officer reported to the the delivery of its services etc. in relation to ancestors etc. A comprehensive service was Comptroller & Auditor General that “Of the “genealogy tourism”. The report states that planned based on a countrywide network of total current estimate of 13.7 million the Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism, Heritage Centres offering research data for a church records, some 10.5 million (76%) Mr. John O’Donoghue, TD met with the fee. But by the end of 1996 when Mr. John have been indexed and inputted to the Board of IGL in June 2005 and has asked Purcell, the Comptroller & Auditor General computerised database. The bulk of the the Board to revert to him with a sustainable produced his “Value for Money” report on the remaining 3.2 million records require to be business plan for completion of the project. Irish Genealogical Project management of this indexed and inputted. He noted that 19 of On receipt of this plan, the Minister will project was in a shambles. According to the the 33 county based genealogy centres have then decide on whether or not to commission report published on April 22 nd 1997, public inputted 100% of their church records. a separate independent consultancy sector agencies in Ireland had expended circa Work in the centres, carried out in the evaluation of the project. Ir£15 million (circa €19 million) on this project main by FÁS trainees, is well supervised “Time for Action, Minister” from 1988 to July 1996 and yet, according to and has been executed to an acceptable Anyone who has followed this sorry saga for the report, only 29% of the records had been standard with an error rate of just 1.8% the past number of years will be forgiven for computerised by July 1996. In 1993 a (against a norm of 3%).” The report was the horrible sense of “deja vu” with company called Irish Genealogy Limited (IGL) considering progress since 1988 and, whilst, previous Ministers also demanding was incorporated to function as the Project’s in the intervening years the Irish economy sustainable business plans from Irish co-ordinating agency, but it did not commence has changed utterly resulting in fewer Genealogy Limited. However, this damning trading until August 1996 when a Chief persons available for this type of training report, once again, focuses on the need for a Executive had been appointed. Again, based work, the Accounting Officer stated radical overhaul of this project – something according to the 1996 report, this company was that “This has resulted in records being this Society has been calling for since the to develop a marketing plan by June 1997. In indexed/input at a rate of just 1% per early 1990’s. Indeed, following publication 1996 it was found that “the monitoring of the annum. This would require 20-25 years to of the 1996 report, this Society publicly progress in implementing the project has been complete the inputting of the 3.2 million advocated the winding-up of Irish ineffective. No budget or measurable targets church records outstanding. IGL is now Genealogy Limited and the transfer of the were set and the gathering of relevant contemplating completing the task mainly control of each of the IGP Centres to the management information was sporadic and on a commercial basis together with some Public Library Service in each county. In the generally ineffective”. Whilst the Irish inputting by volunteers. In 2004, IGL August 1997 issue of this newsletter the Genealogical Project (Heritage Centres) was estimated that if funding of the order Society maintained that the same sanctions originally established as a means of stimulating €150,000 per annum were available and should apply to the IGP and IGL as would extra tourism revenue for the country, the 1996 augmented by local area funding, some pertain in the commercial world should such report was scathing stating that “no targets 90% of records could be indexed/input by a report be delivered by a company’s GSI WEBSITE: www.familyhistory.ie THE GENIE GAZETTE 2 OCTOBER : DEIREADH FÒMHAIR 2005 auditor. This time, following a second Dr. Hyde who taught Morrisroe Irish in contains an excellent blend of articles, front damning report and numerous calls for a addition to material relating to Dr Hyde’s visit pages, editorial comment and illustrations and sustainable business plan, the Minister must to the U.S.A. to raise funds for the revival of is a kaleidoscope of Irish History spanning the act decisively to bring this farcical situation the Irish language. Tom Morrisroe was a past 100 years. Its one of these great books to to an end. It is abundantly clear from the member of the Garda Síochána , stationed in send to Irish people and those interested in 2004 report that the Board of Irish Mayo and subsequently in Galway before his Ireland overseas especially Corkonians where Genealogy Limited, consisting of various lost his life in a 1954 car accident. The ever they reside. A really excellent book as the stakeholders, including commercial collection was presented to NUI Galway’s material had been drawn from the archives of genealogists representing APGI and James Hardiman Library which already hold the Irish Examiner with the news stories and AUGRA and members of the Irish Family 120 manuscripts collected by Dr. Hyde during features shown exactly as they appeared. History Foundation (IFHF) representing the his folklore studies and other related material. IFHS SEMINAR The Irish Family History managers of each of the Heritage Centres, is NUI Galway librarian Marie Reddan said Society will hold an All Day Seminar on incapable of providing effective governance that the collection of papers represented an Saturday October 8th at 10.00hrs in the Dublin of this increasingly costly project because of important primary resource for research into City Library and Archive, 138-144 Pearse persistent disagreements between various the social, cultural and political history of late Street, Dublin 2. The programme is as follows stakeholders. The report states that in a letter nineteenth century Ireland. – 10.00hrs Registration. 10.30 hrs Dr. Séamas of May 2005 which IFHF sent to IGL it GOLFERS ON STAMPS In September An O Maitiu, Local Historian on’ St. Kevin’s maintained “that the recording of new data Post released 4 postage stamps celebrating the Church and Graveyard – Camden Row, had virtually stagnated in the past six contribution of Irish golfers to the Ryder Cup Dublin.’ 11.30hrs Ms Mary Belgan on’ More years. The Index appears to be a big and Ireland’s hosting of this prestigious golfing Irish genealogy on the Internet.’ 12.30hrs to database due to the inclusion of records event next year at the K Club. The 2002 14.00hrs Break for lunch – not provided. other than those on births, marriages and winning Ryder Cup team including Darren 14.15hrs Ms Ann Martha Rowan, Archivist, deaths and remains in a partially completed Clarke, Pádraig Harrington and Paul on’ Biographical records at the Irish state and was unlikely ever to be McGinley are featured on a 48c stamp while Architectural Archive.’ 15.15hrs Ms Patricia completed.” . Whilst, the report fails to a second 48 c stamp features Eamon Darcy, Moorehead on ’ A case study of a Dublin provide any further information on the Christy O’Connor jnr. and Philip Watson . family with Cork ancestors.’ disagreement between the stakeholders, it Featured on a 60c stamp are Ronan DUBLIN HISTORICAL RECORD Articles appears that confidence in the structures has O’Rafferty, Christy O’Connor snr and the featured in the Autumn 2005 issue of the evaporated amongst certain stakeholders.