I’ve been very fortunate that a few of my close cousins have agreed to be DNA tested, helping to expand our family knowledge. One of those tests came through from Family Tree DNA (FTDNA) last week, and as the genetic blender would have it, produced a cousin match which doesn’t genetically match in common with … More The Reddans from Gortnaglogh: Part I
My good friend and genimate GeniAus reminds us each year to be positive about what we’ve achieved. Initially I felt like I’d achieved little in 2016, perhaps mainly because my blog languished for much of the year, and even my 7th anniversary went past unacknowledged but not forgotten. It seems that retirement and relocation require … More Accentuate the Positive 2016
A week or two ago, one of my Facebook friends (thank you whoever you were!) recommended this post by Mary from Searching for Stories blog: Spreadsheet Magic – Importing Data from Ancestry.com. Do go and look at the post, and Mary’s many other fantastic posts. I thought I knew a bit about Excel but it … More Applying a lesson
In the coming weeks I’ll be thinking out loud on this blog about my research plans for an upcoming trip to Ireland. One of my key objectives is to get to understand the confusion of Callaghans from Courtown, Parish of Ballygarrett, County Wexford. When I wrote about this family previously (here and here), the digitised … More A confusion of Callaghans
As the Irish people commemorate the centenary of the Easter Uprising this weekend it seemed an appropriate time to share a piece of family memorabilia relating to Ireland’s fight for independence and self-government. This brochure was found among my Irish-born grandfather’s possession. Published in 1921, long after he’d been in Australia, we don’t know how … More Family Memorabilia and Ireland
The days have ticked along and I imagine many of us have crossed eyes from staring at the digitised Irish Catholic parish registers…I know I have! Hasn’t the National Library of Ireland done us all proud? What a great program they have that even with all the Irish at home and abroad, the system didn’t … More Reviewing the Irish registers
Today is THE BIG DAY for Irish researchers as we’re all hoping our brick walls will tumble. The calendar has turned to 8 July Down Under but it seems we’re going to be waiting until 9 July at midnight for the Big Event. What Big Event? The release of the National Library of Ireland’s digitised … More Are you going green?
Despite my blog drought and house obsession, I have spent some time on my DNA results which I only recently uploaded to Gedmatch. I had been ambivalent in the past but it is actually very useful, especially for Ancestry results which don’t come with as much info, and for which I have fewer matches (which … More DNA Mysteries and Mazes
One of the challenges of any conference is the selection of competing topics when inevitably we want to listen to at least two of the choices, if not more. Perhaps that’s why Keynotes are so appealing – not only are the presentations by experts in their field but we don’t have to pick and choose. … More Congress 2015: Inspirational Keynotes
In recent months Find My Past[i] have been releasing a wonderful and vast array of records each Friday under the banner of Findmypast Fridays (the image here is their logo for this promotion). It makes for pretty happy Fridays! Last Friday’s releases included Irish Poverty Loans 1821-1874 and the Clare Electoral Rolls 1858-1989. Sadly I had no … More FMP’s Clare Electoral Rolls are grand
Family history across the seas 