Meeting Overview

The Irish SIG meeting focused on discussing upcoming meeting times and exploring Irish genealogical resources. Paula announced that the next meeting would be held on March 9th at 2:30 PM and would run until 4:00 PM. The group then explored the Irish Genealogy website, with Paula demonstrating how to search for records and Janice sharing her success in finding a burial record for her ancestor Hugh Greg. They discussed various genealogical resources, including church records, civil registrations, and online databases. The conversation ended with a brief discussion about newspaper clippings and the challenges of researching ancestors who lived in different eras.

Meeting Time and Irish Programming

The group discussed changing their meeting time to March 9th at 2:30 PM, with Paula agreeing to send an email to confirm the new schedule. They also talked about a PBS series called "From That Small Island: The Story of the Irish," which Paula recommended watching. Janice shared information about Ancestry's heritage tours, which allow users to virtually visit ancestral locations. The group briefly discussed other PBS shows related to Ireland, including "Ridley" and "Ireland with Michael."

Irish Genealogy Research Resource

The group discussed the Townland Atlas book by Brian Mitchell, which Paula shared is a valuable resource for researching Irish ancestors in Ulster. Paula explained how the book provides detailed information about townlands, civil parishes, registration districts, and maps, which can help researchers navigate their genealogical searches more efficiently. The group agreed that the book's organization and content were well-structured and helpful, and Paula offered to lend it out to members who could benefit from its information.

Irish Genealogy Resources Discussion

Janice shared her experience with a $75 virtual tour of Ireland and mentioned that she would receive a recording of it. Paula inquired about accessing the Education Center on Ancestry, and Janice agreed to provide the link. They discussed new genealogical resources, including access to Irish genealogy records and upcoming Zoom classes from Irish by Ancestry. Julie was thanked for her outstanding research plan, which others planned to follow and improve upon.

Irish Genealogy Research Challenges

Paula explored Irish genealogy resources, specifically church and civil records, but encountered difficulties finding specific records. She discovered that IrishGenealogy.ie appears to focus on records from the Republic of Ireland, rather than the whole island. Paula expressed uncertainty about the coverage of the site and discussed the complexity of accessing records across both the Republic and Northern Ireland. She suggested that Janice, who is in Dublin, might be able to assist further by looking up her own information. The group successfully located a burial record for Janice's ancestor Hugh Greg in Dublin from 1787 using an online database. They discussed various Irish genealogy resources, including church records, civil registrations, and online databases like Roots Ireland and the National Library of Ireland. Janice shared her experience with newspaper clippings from America mentioning Irish ancestors, and the group explored the challenges of researching Irish genealogy compared to other countries. Paula announced she would send an email next week to continue the discussion and share any new resources or information.

Next Steps

1. Paula: Send an email to the group next week about the proposed March meeting time (2:30 PM on March 9th) and solicit feedback on day/time preferences 

2. EWGS (Julie): Send out a link to the edited recording of this meeting, cutting out the initial discussion about hours

3. Paula: Text Ron a picture of the potential Boyd connection 

4. Janice: Attempt to get a recording of the Ancestry heritage tour video  

5. Janice: Put the link to Ancestry's Education Center in the chat