An Introduction

Hi!

So, I'm totally new to the world of blogging but really looking forward to getting started. I've been waiting to have a concrete subject to muse upon because I figure nobody wants to listen to my gripes and complaints! But having spent a very fruitful morning-afternoon in the General Register Office in Dublin (more on that to come!) I realised that genealogy was the answer, lame as it may sound!

I have always loved the BBC series 'Who Do You Think You Are,' which has been long-running in the UK and recently arrived on screens both in Ireland and the US. It's fascinating to look back and discover your family history, but it is time-consuming and often incredibly frustrating. It can also be dull too! In my head I've wanted to become mildly famous, for the sole purpose of the BBC doing all the genealogical research for me. Alas, that hasn't happened, nor does it seem ever likely to. Thus, my 4-5hr stint in the General Register Office in Dublin today!

Before I start blogging on my family and discovery's I make, I'm going to use this initial blog to introduce the difficulties facing many people looking to find their ancestors in Ireland:

1. The commonality of Irish names: From my own experience I understand how frustrating this can be. I am currently dealing with surnames such as Whelan/Walsh/Moore along with forenames like Catherine/Mary/Margaret/John/Patrick etc. Not only does this mean wading through indexes and eternal cross-referencing, but more often than not you find yourself being led up the wrong tree and all your hard work has been put to tracing someone else's family history!
2. Census records: currently there are two major census records available online for the public to search and view original copies for free - 1901 and 1911. http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/ A brief bit of history will help to illuminate this paucity of public records. In 1810, the creation of the Commission of Public Records. A Public Record Office was opened in 1867 and from then on there was the collection of national records. These were stored in the Custom House, Dublin. During the Civil War in 1922, the building sustained devastating damage and a fire destroyed most of the records. If you look at a picture of the building today you can see how the large drum that supports the dome is a darker colour stone to the rest of the building. The main building building was restored, but the dome was built new, such was the destruction that occurred. Thus, the lack of census records for the 19th century. Although we ought to be thankful for the work done by the National Archive in the wake of the civil war in compiling the surviving records and more recently, for making them readily available for inspection online for free.

I'll leave it there for the moment. From now on I'll be updating on my family tree, and sharing information I discover, and links and resources which I feel will be worthwhile to whomever is reading this, or wants to research their own Irish family history.