Picture: Glass wall with Orphand Girls names engraved, Hyde Barracks Sydney

Many, like those from the Peter Robinson Scheme for example who left Ireland for Canada, found themselves in very new and difficult circumstances. As part of the Earl Grey programme, the young Irish girls were transported to Australia where the lived for a time at Hyde Park Barracks until their future was decided. The girls came from all over the 32 counties and while they may still have had one parent living, that father or mother could no longer support them. On leaving the Workhouse each girl was given a chest with personal belongings including some clothes, a bible and a hairbrush. A monument to the girls has been erected at Hyde Park Barracks and is inspired by their experience. 

Between 1848 and 1850 a number of ships carried the girls on the long journey. The Earl Grey, the Digby, the Panama and the Maria, arrived at Sydney for example, while the Inconstant, the Elgin and the Roman Emperor arrived at Adelaide. 

Stories from Galway

Below are some of the girls from Loughrea, Co. Galway who made the journey. Most of the girls took up work as farm labourers or domestic servants. 

Mary Byrnes was aged 15 when she arrived in Australia. Her parents, Patrick and Mary were deceased and Mary could not read or write. Her ship, the Thomas Arbuthnot docked in Sydney in 1850. Mary's details record that she was entirley alone in the colony and had no relatives. She recorded her occupation as 'Domestic Servant' and took up employment with Mr J Newberry, at 79 Market Street, Sydney. 

Ann Deely was also 15 on her arrival in Australia. She was the daughter of Thomas and Margaret, both deceased and also alone on arrival. She was apprenticed as a Domestic to Frederick Hudson at Ipswich, for a period of 3 years earning ₤6-8

Bridget Dowd was the daughter of Ellen and John, both deceased and again 15 years old on arrival in Sydney. She was also apprenticed as a Servant and married Michael Samuel Gill at Ipswich on 2nd March 1851. The couple had 5 children. Michael was a Cooper who lost his left arm in an accident & became a storekeeper and sodawater maker at Bell Street, Ipswich. Michael died in 1878 and Bridget remarried in 1879. She and her second husband, Patrick Edwards, had 6 more children and continued to live at Little Ipswich & Dalby. Bridget died on 15 Nov 1917.

The Famine Memorial Monument

Every year a gathering at the Famine Monument is held to remember the girls. In 2012 Melissa Plant, a descendant of Mary O'Hara from Galway said that "we had known that my mother had Irish ancestry, but it was whilst I was away that my father found out that my great-great grandmother was an Irish Famine Orphan who had traveled to Australia in a ship. Her name was Mary O’Hara, and at the time she was a teenager from County Mayo, in a workhouse in Galway. She came to Australia on a ship called the Lady Kennaway, which was one of the ships that traveled directly to Melbourne. She worked in a brewery for 6 years 2 months, then married an Irishman and had 12 children, the youngest of whom was my mother’s grandfather...This memorial and the dedication of the people who manage it means a great deal to me and my family. It has reinvigorated my interest in finding out more about my Irish ancestry and learning more about our family history". 

A searchable database is available that provides a facility to search by surname, native place, religion and parents' names providing a valuable genealogical resource covering a period when parish records in Ireland are often scarce or non-existent. 

For further information of the girls transported to Australia see the following link to the Irish Famine Memorial, Sydney and Orphan Database: Irish Famine Memorial

Barbara Barclay is looking to connect descendants from Mayo Orphan girls with their Irish place of origin. Mayo Orphan Girls​

Bureau of Military History Collection

The Bureau of Military History provides access to over 1,700 witness statements that refer to the revolutionary period in Ireland between 1913 and 1921. These were recorded in a first person manner and provide a fascinating insight into, not only the events of the time, but also the feelings and opinions of those who were directly involved in this period of change and revolution.

Within the collection are 334 sets of documents, 42 sets of original photographs and 13 vocal recordings that were collected by the Irish State between 1947 and 1957, to ensure that primary source material for the critical revolutionary period of 1913 to 1921 was assembled, co-coordinated and preserved. This Collection is  among the most important primary sources of information on this period available anywhere in the world.

Group of Irish Volunlteers and one member of the ICA inside the G.P.O. Dublin, Easter Week 1916  Reference BMH/P/8

A Bureau of Military History Witness Statement by an Arthur P. Agnew taken on October 7th 1948 sets out his part in events on Easter Monday. He refers to his recruitment into the IRB in Liverpool in 1910 and later how he was trained to shoot a revolver. He stated that 'miniature rifle clubs were popular in England at the time and we were ordered to join these clubs and make full use of them'. Arthur also stated that his grandfather had fought with the Fenians. He states that on Easter Monday he and the other men'marched to Harold's Cross where we boarded a tram. Plunkett insisted on paying the conductor for our tickets. We got off at O'Connell Bridge and and formed up and marched to Liberty Hall'. The Rebellion Handbook also lists an Arthur Agnew as one of a total of 289 prisoners removed from Richmond Barracks, Dublin on April 30th 1916 and detained in Stafford Barracks. Agnew's Dublin address is given as 11 Emerald Street and his home address given as 33 Clare Street, Liverpool.

By using any of the available Witness Statements from the Bureau of Military History you can find out more about your 1916 ancestor.

The records of the Bureau of Military History are available to search alongside some 1916 Press Cuttings donated by Mrs Geraldine Dillon, daughter of Count Plunkett: Bureau of Military History

A new school system begins

Between 1831 and 1922 the power to make grants for the provision of primary education in Ireland lay with the National Education Board. This Board was established in 1831 following a proposal by Mr E.G. Stanley, Chief Secretary of Ireland. Stanley issued a letter on 9^th September 1831 proposing a new system for the education of children in Ireland. The National Education Act that established the National Education Board allowed for all children, whatever their religious denomination, to be educated in schools that would receive grants from the government. The grants would be administered from a fund of £30,000, ‘placed at the disposal of the Lord Lieutenant for the education of the poor’. Essentially, this new education arrangement was devised to prevent the establishment of a dual system of education; one for Protestants and one for Catholics. 

Here Jamie tells us her plans to connect with her grandfather's parish of origin

My first visit as a tourist to Ireland was two years ago shortly after my 16th birthday. I was travelling with my Mom and younger brother.  We spent time with relatives in Dublin, and travelled by car through many counties in the provinces of Leinster and Munster. I’m still at school, and I expect to continue my education in Canada, although I will be applying to Trinity College Dublin, which I visited the first time I went to Ireland.

During my next tour– I plan to learn more about my Irish ancestral roots. So, I will be acting on the advice of Ireland Reaching Out to:

• Discover your place of origin in Ireland
• Stay connected to your home parish in Ireland
• Be a part of the international Irish story

Fortunately, “there’s an app for that”.  It is www.ancestralhomes.org  The ‘ancestral homes’ app was initiated and sponsored by my grandfather, Philip Donnelly, who emigrated from Ireland to Canada nearly 60 years ago. Thanks to this great new app, I will be able to pinpoint exactly what remains of These Old Walls, the home of my great-grandparents in Ireland.

One of my first destinations will be the historic parish of Moybolgue which straddles the border between County Meath and County Cavan and is within a few kilometers of the town of Bailieborough. This is the place of origin of one set of my maternal great-grandparents – within families named Donnelly and Tully. I know that the ruins of the thatched cottage where my great-grandmother, Alice Tully, was born in 1894, still exist at the end of a short and very narrow lane.

With the ‘ancestral homes’ app installed on my mobile phone, I will be able to record the precise GPS coordinates of the site, take photos, record stories about my ancestors’ lives  and the whereabouts of some of their descendants today, link to such genealogical resources as the 1901 and 1911 census, and upload all that data to the ‘ancestral homes’ database using either my phone or my computer and the
website.

Ireland Reaching Out is a great way to bring back to Ireland the many thousands of descendants of Irish ancestors who are strongly motivated to search out the places of origin of their great- (or g-g-g-g)-grandparents. It is interesting to find a headstone in a cemetery marking the burial spots, but it is even more satisfying to actually visit, and record the memories of the homes where ancestors lived, loved, and died.

By making good use of my ‘ancestral homes’ app, I’m sure that I will enrich my experience and education when I visit Ireland again, hopefully in the not-too-distant future. I am confident that Ireland Reaching Out, and its members from every corner of the world, whether young or old, will find this app a helpful friend as they record the memories of These Old Walls: the Homes of their own great-grandparents – wherever they find them – and add another chapter to the international Irish story.

Picture: Clare Doyle and Laura Colleran of Ireland Reaching out with Aiden Feerick from Ancestor Network

We had a very busy 3 days and had the chance to meet many of our members from the UK, USA, Canada and South Africa as well introducing our programme for the first time to other visitors to the show. As always, people were delighted to hear that they could connect directly with people in their ancestor’s community of origin through Ireland XO.

Most visitors came armed with heavy folders documenting their research so far and were overwhelmed at the prospect of connecting with people locally in Ireland who may have had a direct link to their ancestors.  After so many years of paper and digital research, this prospect was quite an emotional one for many people. Many that had began their research decades before. Knowing that they can now contact and engage with people in their ancestor's community through Ireland XO re-ignited their hopes to discover more about their ancestry.

During the event, what came across strongly is the massive year-on-year development in worldwide genealogical research, which is helping people from all walks of life access information about their family’s history. The rate of growth and innovation in this sector has taken on such a pace that what may have been “unfindable” a year ago, may well be just a few clicks away today.

There was a real focus on using cutting edge science to further understanding of family history, with Aideen Feerick, Director of the Ancestor Network commenting,

"When the paper trail runs out, DNA testing offers families another way of finding out if they share a common ancestor or if other families they never considered part of their heritage could be linked to them."

Speaking about smarter search technologies Aiden said,

"More and more records have been (and are being) digitised. Perhaps what we need now are more sophisticated search technologies. These newer and smarter search programs will enable us to interrogate the records using different fields, like occupation, address, birthplace as well as keywords. The smarter programs could, for example, help us to identify all the children of a marriage found in Civil registration without having to search for each one separately. Some of these smarter search engines were available and on display at the WDYTYA exhibition. They deserve to be better known."

Irish family history interests were very well represented and at any time during the event there were queues of people looking to access the National Library of Ireland’s parish records, The Irish National Archives of Ireland Census records or to attend one the many Irish genealogy themed workshops. The line-up of experts on Irish family history included:

• Fiona Fitzsimons from Eneclanngave tips on finding Irish Ancestors.
• Grant Edward Curley spoke about researching Irish Catholic Births and marriages to 1880. In another session Grand spoke about Irish census and census substitutes that might lead you to your family in Ireland prior to 1864 civil registration.
• Brian Donavan from Eneclann explained how to untangle surviving records fro 1912 – 1923, which saw the deaths of more than 75,000 Irish men in armed conflict between the First World War and the Irish Revolution.
• Dr Maebh Harding highlighted the key issues affecting Irish marriages in the 19^th Century.
• Ed Gilbert, from the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland presented the results of the Irish DNA Atlas Project which is a fascinating case study in population genetics.
• Dr Jim Ryan took a light-hearted look at some strange and unusual sources for Irish family history research from financial fraud to illicit distillers’ convictions.
• Cathy Swift, from Mary Immaculate College in Limerick, spoke about Irish migration to Liverpool and surrounding regions in NW England.

If you live in the UK and did not have the opportunity to visit us at Who Do You Think You Are last week, please visit our message board and share your family history with us. We are here to help you in any way we can and our volunteers all over Ireland are eager to reconnect their community with the descendants of its people who left in the past.

Leaving the Land - Finding Work in Scotland

Given its proximity, Scotland was an obvious choice for those emigrating to find work, particularly for those in northern parts of Ireland. In the early 1800s many unskilled labourers made the journey and worked on a contract or seasonal basis during harvest times, returning afterwards to their homes in Ireland. Prior to and after the Great Famine of 1847 this leaving of Ireland continued and became a mass departure of people in dire straits to places like Motherwell and Dundee.

Many Scots too began to leave rural areas as their cities became increasingly industrialised. The influx of workers to these areas sometimes led to conflict as people experienced high infant mortality, poor living conditions and competition for employment. Many Irish emigrants continued to work in less skilled occupations at this time and women came to make up almost half of those working in the weaving industry in some parts of the country.

Construction of the Forth Bridge c. 1886 © National Archives of Scotland

For some, a stop gap

Many Irish people, who went on to settle in other parts of the UK, and even further afield in the USA and Australia, might have first travelled from Ireland to Scotland. This is why knowledge of these records can be very important if you are not having much luck with other sources. At this year's Who do you think you are? in Birmingham many who were tracing their Irish family history began by telling us that their ancestors had first emigrated to Scotland, before eventually settling somewhere else.

Where to find records

A disaster across the social classes

Following the tragedy newspapers around the world published lists of those who had been on board. You can read one list published by the Belfast Telegraph here:  Full list of those lost on the Titanic

The sailors say we have had a wonderful passage up to now. There has been no tempest. It is very nice weather but awfully windy and cold

Letter from Esther Hart, written aboard the Titanic 

One of the first bodies to be recovered was that of Sidney Leslie Goodwin. Sidney was two years old and his true identity was only known for sure in 2007 when new technology allowed a positive identification to take place. The Goodwin family from the UK traveled on a third class ticket. Due to a twist of fate, the family's earlier passage was cancelled and they were transferred to the Titanic hoping to start a new life in New York state when news of employment in a new power station had reached Ferderick, Sidney's father. None of the family survived the disaster. 

An Irish Connection - Annaghdown to Philadelphia

Dr. Arthur Jackson (Butler) Brewe was a Galwayman whose family lived in Drumgriffin, Co. Galway. He held a first class ticket (Ticket No. 112379 , 39 pounds and 12 shillings) and was working for a wealthy couple aboard the ship as he was well known for his ability to treat nervous conditions. He had taken a course at Jefferson Medical College and was associated with a Dr. S. Mitchell in the treatment of nervous diseases. He had joined the Titanic from Cherbourg on 10th April, having traveled through Rome, Naples, Florence, and Paris.

Dr. Brewe, believed to be pictured on the right (image published by the Irish Independent in May 1912)

His last letter was posted to his sister, Mrs Glynn, Waterview House, Turloughmore, Co. Galway immediately before he sailed, and according to one newspaper report, 'she little thought as she read his graphic pen-pictures of his tour that he was fast approaching his doom'. Dr. Brewe was lost in the sinking of the ship and his body was never recovered. He was aged 45 at the time of his death. During his Africa trip he was pictured in Egypt where a fellow passenger (either Emma Bucknell or perhaps Margaret Brown, possibly pictured above), was said to have had a premonition about the event, but her concerns were dismissed as those of a nervous traveler.

She said she feared boarding the ship; she had evil forebodings that something might happen. We laughed at her premonitions, and shortly afterwards sought our quarters

It is thought that Arthur was the eldest child of Joseph Butler and Alice Jackson of Winterfield House, Annaghdown, Co. Galway born c.1865 and had a number of siblings including Annisley, Benjamin, Mary, Elizabeth, George, Burton and Rowland. Arthur went to school in Clongowes College between 1881 and 1886 and later attended Trinity College. In July 1898 he was naturlised and married Annie Constance Gregory in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. By 1905 Arthur had undertaken a specialism in neurology and was well renowned amongst the wealthy in Philadelphia at that time. 

Winterfield House in the 1840s, home of Arthur Jackson Brewe

Picture: Dog bite? The touch from the hand of a seventh son cures the bite of a mad dog

The Schools' Collection compiled in the 1930s provides a great local history resource for anyone interested in researching myths, legends and history in a very local context. The collection is retained in University College Dublin and is part of the wider archives represented by the National Folklore Collection. What it provides is the embedding of people and place in folklore practice, preserving and reflecting the distinctive perspectives, beliefs and aspirations of communities over time.  More and more of the School's Collection is being made available online on a phased basis through the Duchas Website. This information is a valuable source in its own right but equally so when taken together with official trade directory information, maps, census statistics, headstone transcriptions and other sources detailing a parish’s history. 

Much local folklore came about as a result of what we would today call superstition but also from an intimate knowledge of the weather, animals or basic biology - something that in today's hectic world we are a little removed from. Cures and special remedies could sometimes have an underlying reasoning behind their application that is quite understandable. If you suffered from a cold, for example, a common remedy included various mixtures of honey, butter, sugar and lemon. Some cures though are not so easy to understand. In Ardaghy, Omeath, Co. Louth one recorded cure for toothache required a promise by the patient never to shave on Sundays. 

As well as being a valuable insight into social and cultural norms and traditions, the exercise books themselves are a tangible connection to our ancestors as children, teachers and parents. As more and more of the collection is being digitized, we can search for mentions of our ancestors amongst them, or find an actual account written by one of them and read the story in their own handwriting.

Baldness, warts, worms ...

Cures could be found for all sorts of ailments from shingles, baldness, warts, worms, skin conditions and many, many more. Many people were said to be born having the cure for something and this they could sometimes pass down through generations. For some cures the gift passed specifically on either the male or female line. In his book, Irish County Cures, Patrick Lohan refers to a family near Tuam, Co. Galway known for five generations as bone setters. Sometimes the bone setters symbol can be found on a headstone, indicating that person's skill in the area and is recognizable as a fist clutching a broken piece of bone. 

Picture: Bone settler symbol on headstone in Kilbannon Graveyard, Tuam, Co. Galway

"Going for the Cure"

The Schools' Collection gives an insight into life in Ireland before x-rays, chiropractors or midwives were readily available. Often times no money was exchanged as part of the process and sometimes the fulfilling of the remedy involved prayer on the part of the person with the gift or the person receiving it. More often than not the recorded cures had a very practical application, particularly for children. 

Some examples are provided below and it is interesting to see how the treatment of common ailments like whooping cough, warts, colds and headaches differ from one part of the country to the other and also how similar stories are found in the Collection in Barnaderg below, as well as for the neighbouring parishes of  Abbeyknockmoy and Tuam:

"Milk given to a ferret and what it leaves; drink up by child affected afterwards is said to be a cure for the chincough. There is a very old cure for sprains. The person must go before sunrise to some place where three waters meet on three mornings in succession. Then the part affected must be placed in the water. This was thought an infallible sure in olden times."

Cure collected by Martin Reilly from Mary B. Reilly, Barnaderg, Co. Galway

Writing a review of a Handbook of Irish Folklore, Francis Shaw stated that ‘when truth and beauty and goodness cannot be found in modern civilization, we are forced to seek for these values in other places’.  As a source of family and local history the value of the School’s Collection should not be overlooked. 

What's your affliction?

Toothache
Put a hot potato to the cheek or fill the mouth with cold water

For a cough
Drink boiled buttermilk and sugar on it or blackberry drinks

Sore throat
Tie a woolen stocking round it

A stie on the eye
Get nine gooseberry thorns and point them at the eye

For a horse with colic
Drench her with hot ale and ground ginger

Taken from Schools' Collection at the National Folklore Archive

Picture: (L-R) Peter Mangan, Michael Carolan from London who stayed with  Mary & Barry Fairtlough in County Kerry

Making this a fun world to grow old in!

As we face longer and healthier lives, the opportunity to travel and experience new places and cultures in our later years is greatly increased and can bring a wonderful quality and richness to time spent with other individuals, families and friends.

However obstacles such as loneliness and isolation, financial insecurity and a lack of travel options for older people can mean that a much-longed-for trip simply doesn't happen.

Founded in Dublin by Peter Mangan, along with "tech" developer Nga-Hong Lau, The Freebird Club offers a solution to issues faced by older people who wish to travel and/or meet new people. It does this by way of a customised "age-friendly" web platform that enables older adults engage in peer-to-peer homestays and vacations with fellow older adults through an online membership club. This follows the host/guest model, whereby 'hosts' make their spare rooms available to fellow members to come and stay for a nightly rate. Through this, hosts can unlock some of the asset value of their homes and generate an income in later life. Pictured on right: Founder Peter Mangan

As an Irish start-up founder, Peter Mangan is particularly keen to connect our 'older' diaspora, both with Ireland and with each other. Speaking with Ireland Reaching Out, Peter said,

"We saw from the success of The Gathering how popular the notion of 'returning home' is to our diaspora. What we are hoping to do is create an ongoing 'Gathering effect' for our senior diaspora, offering them a genuine welcoming route back by being able to connect and stay with their peers in Ireland. There is no doubt that many still feel that attachment to their place of origin, but for many older diaspora their personal links to that home-place can be tenuous at best. The Freebird Club can help them re-create those links, offering them not just a place to stay there, but new friends to stay with."

The main difference from other homestay models is that Freebird prioritises the social aspect, in that visits always involve staying with the host present. This is key to the concept, which focuses as much on the sharing of company as the accommodation. The Freebird Club will facilitate matching travellers and hosts based on shared interests and compatibility, rather than just a nice place to stay.

What next?

The web platform has been developed, a live pilot between Ireland & UK has been completed, involving guests from London staying with hosts in Peter's hometown of Killorglin, County Kerry. The Freebird Club has just won the European Social Innovation Competition, with a prize fund of €50,000 and is ready to take flight this summer!

Winner - European Social Innovation Competition 2015

Growth plans

The initial focus is on Ireland & the UK, where they are developing strategic relationships and market awareness. Following on from this, they plan to expand their reach throughout Europe, the US & beyond. An important part of their growth plan is to leverage strategic relationships with key international stakeholders and partners, notably organisations that promote positive ageing and have an interest in the well-being of older adults. They have a special interest in connecting senior diaspora with their peers "back home", which for us builds upon the Ireland Reaching Out mission of connecting people of Irish heritage with their place of origin in Ireland.

The founding team of Peter Mangan (CEO) and Nga-Hong Lau (CTO) bring significant experience, expertise and passion to the project. While both working in University College Dublin (Peter in Research Management; Nga-Hong in User Experience/Web Design), they came together over a shared interest in solving social problems associated with the ageing population. The team has recently expanded to include several bright young interns as well as some wise older hands to steady the ship.

How you can help

This Irish start-up has recently entered the Richard Branson VOOM competition, under the Impact category.  This category is for businesses that put social and environmental impact at the heart of their business. It is looking for business ideas with solutions to the world’s most pressing problems. By voting and supporting The Freebird Club pitch, you can directly help the business to grow and reach its potential for positive social impact.

Click here to vote for the Freebird Club in the VOOM Impact category

Watch this space!

We are more than excited about The Freebird Club, and will be bringing you news of its launch as soon as it is live.  To add you email address to The Freebird Club mailing list, visit their site here.

This three-volume work provided researchers and Beara descendants with access to genealogical information, mostly around the Catholic parishes of Adrigole, Allihies, Castletownbere, Eyeries, and Glengarriff. A database of Volume 1 has now been compiled also containing some images from Volumes 2 and 3. You can access the database HERE

The information provided includes names of family members: husband, wife, children and sometimes spouses of children. The records in Volume 1 date from 1776 to 1992, with the majority referring to the period 1822 to 1956. Volume 1 covers the parishes of Adrigole and Allihies, volume 2 contains Bere Island and Eyeries, and volume 3 includes Castletownbere and Glengarriff, and also includes a history of the O’Sullivan clan. 

An entry from the Annals of Beara database

You can sign up for a free guest account that allows you to search the content but you will have to choose to pay a membership fee to fully view the results. The database is hosted by americanancestors.org

Building the May Altar

Over the years, the tradition of building the small May Altar in the kitchen window has brought the colourful primroses, cherry blossom and daisies in to the house. In our younger days our mothers would add the statue of the Blessed Virgin and surround it with flowers and perhaps a votive candle. The same statue was used every year, usually purchased from Knock Shrine, (depending on what part of the country you lived in) or further afield from Lourdes in France. These were small plastic statues of what was called the "Holy Lady" about 6 inches in height, though any statue could be used. When purchased, they were filled with holy water and topped with a blue crown. Almost every house in the country had one and most houses still have them today.

The May Altar would be erected on the 1st of May until May 31st and it is surprising the amount of small, colourful flowers that are available at that time of year. Usually the weather hasn't warmed up but in looking for those flowers you discover that indeed, the land has certainly awakened from its winter hibernation.

Bring flowers of the rarest... 

Almost every town and village in Ireland has a few Marion Shrines, with many houses and communities creating these quiet corners of reflection, adorned with a statue of Mary and usually with a place to sit or kneel.  Spotting these can be a great way to pass the time on long car journeys around Ireland and they are particularly interesting in May when Marion Shrines will be decorated too with the simple flowers. Some of these shrines are associated with apparitions or healing cures or just mark the paths along places of devotion. 

Some of these key innovations showcased through the archives are reflected in the digitised content. The images are taken from paper and audio visual collections preserved in the ESB Archives. Alongside infographics these images help to create an aid to a greater understanding of the ESB story.

Some of the highlights include:

• The Story of the Shannon Scheme

• The Story of Rural Electrification

• The Story of ESB Advertising and Marketing

• A visual portfolio of ESB’s generating stations between 1927 and 1997

Erecting the Poles © ESB Archives

The ESB will be celebrate its 90th anniversary in 2017. Back in 1991, ESB Archives was formally established, its remit to "collect, preserve and make accessible the history of the ESB". Its collections includes administrative records, maps, photographs, film and other artifacts. As 2016 marks the 70th anniversary of the beginning of the Rural Electrification Scheme, the ESB Archives has produced an Interactive Map detailing when electricity was connected to each of the 792 rural areas. Throughout the year Archivists hope to enhance and expand the content, developing and explaining what happened in each of the 792 local areas.

You can contact the ESB Archives at:

ESB Archives, Parnell Avenue, Harold’s Cross, Dublin 12 (they are open by appointment to anyone with an interest in the history of ESB).

For further information, follow ESB Archives on Twitter @ESBArchives or phone +353 1 6042146.

You can view the new website HERE 

Designed by Event Communications, the multi-award winning designers of Titanic Belfast, Epic Ireland tells the authentic and epic story of 10 million journeys and the roots of 70 million people.

Located in the beautiful vaults of the iconic chq Building, situated on Custom House Quay in the centre of Dublin, visitors will follow a path through 20 immersive and interactive galleries illuminating the story of Ireland’s communities overseas - past, present and future.

The galleries are organised into 4 compelling themes of migration, motivation, influence and connection. These themes explore the stories of adventure and tragedy that have shaped the narrative of Irish emigration - why people through the ages have left Ireland; the extraordinary influence of the Irish abroad in politics, business, science, sport and the arts; and how the technology of today has changed the emigrant experience.

Visitors to Epic Ireland will be able to engage directly with Ireland Reaching Out via an interactive Kiosk and discover how they can connect with their Irish ancestors' place of origin and find our more about their own family history.

Above: Visitors enjoying some of the exhibits at Epic Ireland

Conal Harvey, Managing Director, Epic Ireland said: ‘The vision and objective of Epic Ireland is to be the essential first port of call for visitors to Ireland, the first piece of orientation for any trip. Its purpose is to tell untold epic stories in a unique, highly entertaining and informative way.'

He continued: ‘Epic Ireland provides the opportunity to celebrate and enhance the connectivity between Ireland and those who left, but benefitted from being Irish. It will also enable those with no connection to Ireland or its diaspora to have the opportunity to understand this story of the Irish people and why emigration looms so large in the Irish consciousness both in the past and today.’

As well as the high tech interactive exhibition, Epic Ireland will also offer a state-of-the-art genealogy centre which will be operated by Eneclann, Ireland’s leading genealogical services provider. In addition to extensive, easy to use research facilities, the genealogy centre will also offer the latest DNA testing to help visitors explore their Irish roots. 

Epic Ireland was founded by Neville Isdell, former Chairman and CEO of Coca Cola and member of the Irish diaspora himself. Neville left Ulster with his parents for Northern Rhodesia in the mid-1950s and has subsequently lived and worked outside Ireland for more than sixty years.

Tickets for Epic Ireland are available now from the Epic Ireland website at www.epicirelandchq.com or for updates on Epic Ireland log onto https://www.facebook.com/epicirelandchq.

Pictured at the launch of Epic, Ireland Reaching Out's Clare Doyle, Chairperson Mike Feerick, Epic Founding Director Fiona Ross and Founder Neville Isdell

Epic Ireland is a fully immersive, high tech sensory experience, housed in the brick vaults of the CHQ building in Dublin's docks area.

The exhibition captures the footprint of the global Irish family in 20 interactive galleries, bringing to life the story of Irish immigration and featuring the famous and infamous, as well as the lesser known Irish Diaspora whose influence has helped shape the world in which we live to today. Astrophysicists are celebrated alongside musicians and artists, and it is truly inspiring to see the influence of so many Irish men and women in areas such as civil rights, theatre and literature.

Speaking of the opening, Ireland Reaching Out Founder & Chairperson Mike Feerick said,

“The opening of an Irish Diaspora Museum in Dublin is a milestone for Ireland and everyone of Irish heritage abroad. The life stories and culture of our emigrants and their descendants are brought to life in a spectacularly modern way. It is not just about who we were in the past but about the international community we have become today. Everyone who comes home to Ireland should make it a priority to visit Epic.”

Picture: Inside Epic Ireland

At the end of the Epic museum exhibition, visitors are invited to find out how they can connect with their place of origin through the Ireland Reaching Out programme. Through this we hope to increase the awareness of the nationwide Diaspora programme amongst the many overseas visitors to Dublin city every year. In doing so, we aim to help them to develop their relationship with their Irish heritage and engage with Ireland not just as a visitor but to reconnect with their place of origin in a meaningful way, wherever it might be on our island.

Friday morning's launch was attended by many familiar faces from Ireland's cultural sector, but the true heroes of this epic initiative are the millions of people who have left Ireland over the last 500 years or so, many of whom never to return, who have created a worldwide legacy that we can be proud of and for whom the "candle" at Epic Ireland burns brightly.

Plan your visit to Epic Ireland today. Click here.

What's Your Cure?

We've discovered that Ireland's Diaspora have many of their own cures and old remedies. We received so many emails telling us about them that we wanted to share them with you!  These cures were part of everyday life. It was both practical and inevitable that those leaving the country carried the traditional cures with them. In making them part of their new lives in their adopted country they were bringing part of Ireland with them too. Here are a selection of those received in the past week.

Wart and Verucca cures

It seems there are many cures for a wart or verucca. Usually the cure was passed from one mother to another and the most common and effective remedies included

"Rubbing or soaking a wart or verucca in milk of a crushed dandellion daily for 10 days, followed by filing the wart or verucca and covering with a plaster."

A stye on the eye

A common home cure for a stye on your eye was to rub a wedding ring on the lid of the eye: 

"A married Man or Lady would take off their wedding ring and make the sign of the cross (3 times) over the affected eye - it always worked."

Picture: Old medicine bottles

A cure for a cough/ cold or a fever

Today some people may use cough medicine, nasal spray or some painkillers to kick and cure a cough, cold or fever. Home medicine remedies passed down through Irish generations sound more like a recipe for a soup, stew or cocktail:

To cure a cough, cold or sore throat "a jigger of whiskey, mixed with hot water, honey and lemon".

For a fever: "Chopped onion or potato wrapped in a piece of an old sheet and held in both hands". 

Another way to cure a fever "Place thick slices of onions on the soles of the sick persons feet and this will draw out the heat and bring down the fever".

Warm salt water has a cure for ailments

Feedback from our cures and remedies newsletter has shed light on the use of warm water and salts as part of many cures including festered cuts, splinters, calming arthritis pain.

"Add a 1/2 cup of sea salt into a bath of warm water." to soften and losen the skin if you have splinters or a festered cut.

This is also said to be a great help in the relief from the pain of arthritis. 

Why collect?

Hearing stories about earlier times is a great method of passing family history from one generation to the next. Once properly recorded though, these can move to become valuable records rather than family anecdotes that can often change over time with each telling. We collect stories as a way to understand what life was like generations ago. They can help us appreciate why people in our family think like they do or why they made certain decisions. Maybe you have wondered why an ancestor didn't emigrate with all of his brothers? Perhaps he stayed behind to look after a sick parent and these reasons can enrich your family history research by giving an indication what everyday life was like. 

It's really important to record not only the stories themselves but also additional information about the person recording them and the person telling them. Where did the recording take place? Who was present? What are the names, addresses and ages of those telling and recording? What, if any, is your relationship? These are all really important pieces of information that provide a context to any story. Who knows, in 100 years time your descendants might be able to learn more about the family history because you recorded your story or that of your own ancestors in this way?

Tell us a story! York Street, Dublin c.1954 - © National Library of Ireland

Do some research and learn the language

Whether you are working on a project for school, a local heritage group or just for yourself there are a few things to consider before embarking on an oral history project. Make sure you plan what you want to do, making a list of who you want to talk to and what questions you would like to ask. You need to be as natural as possible during the recording so that your interview style is open and makes the interviewee comfortable. It's always a good idea to do some background research. This means too that if there are any technical terms used during the interview you will be able to talk about them. If for example, you are talking to an older family member about flax, terms like 'scutcher', 'bobbin', 'pouce' and 'hackling' may crop up during the conversation. Don't be afraid to ask additional questions, not every question can be anticipated beforehand. 

Transcribing and preserving...

Best practice dictates that you transcribe exactly what has been said and this can take a long time! If you are working on a personal project it can be enough to write a summary of what was said. If you wanted to add the information as part of a published work or website it's really important to let the interviewee know this beforehand. Always ensure they have seen and read a consent form that both of you sign. This form should indicate what you will be using the recording for. You may also have to consider relevant Data Protection legislation. Again, if working on a heritage project, the interviewee can assign the copyright to an archives or group (if they themselves are the copyright holders). 

There are some great examples of oral history projects in Ireland including  the Ballymun Oral History Project, the National Folklore Collection and Cuimhneamh an Chláir. Most people will also be familiar with the animated series 'Give Up your Aul Sins'. This series reenacts original recordings from Dublin schoolrooms in the 1960s made by Peig Cunningham. The recordings not only provide factual information but give a lovely example of the 1960s Dublin accent and vocabulary. You can hear some of the recordings: HERE

Once you have recorded your oral histories it is important to make sure that they are accessible into the future. In the past, tapes and CDs were used to archive material. Over time though these inevitably degrade so the most important thing to do is to make your recording as safe as possible. If you are using older methods of preservation like DVDs or CD-ROM make sure they are free from dust and kept in a cool, safe, dry place. Label them! You won't remember what they contain otherwise. You can refresh them periodically or perhaps upload to a newer format like those available online and through your internet provider. Lastly, make sure that you accurately maintain the 'metadata' discussed earlier, that important information that tells others about the recording - where and when it took place etc and remember to include any additional migration dates as well as formatting and ownership information.

A strange stillness settles over Ireland

January 5th 1839 started with heavy snow all over the country and during the course of the day as the snow melted, it is said that a strange stillness settled over the land. A warm front, formed in the north Atlantic begin to replace the cold and snow with rain and wind as it moved eastward. The Dublin Evening Post reported on the event:

Comparing it with all similar visitations in these latitudes, of which there exists any record, we would say that, for (the violence of the hurricane, and deplorable effects which followed, as well as for its extensive sweep, embracing as it did the whole island in its destructive career), it remains not only without a parallel, but leaves faraway in the distance all that ever occurred in Ireland before. With the exception of the frightful disasters amongst the shipping at Liverpool, Manchester and the surrounding towns, in the interior of Wales, Cheshire and Lancashire, the sister island appears to have escaped with comparative good fortune ... Ireland has been the chief victim of the hurricane —every part of Ireland - every field, every town, every village in Ireland have felt its dire effects, from Galway to Dublin — from the Giant's Causeway to Valencia.

It has been, we repeat, the most awful calamity with which a people were afflicted. As far as Ireland is concerned, loss of life seems to have been surprisingly low — there must have been very many narrow escapes. It is hard to arrive at firm figures for deaths during and after the storm. Some attempt was made at the time to estimate casualties. We have seen the loss of life put down at 400. This, we should suppose, includes those who perished at sea on the coast of Great Britain and Ireland. For in this Island, it will be found, we hope, that not more than forty or fifty have fallen victims in that terrible night. (Dublin Evening Post 15 January 1839).

Lighthouse in a storm By Theodor Kittelsen (1857 – 1914) via wikimedia commons

Praying for the Wind to Cease

Many farmers were badly hit and their crops were destroyed alongside damage to livestock. Houses and out-buildings suffered damage too when roof tiles and windows were broken or ripped apart. In Co. Galway uprooted trees rolled along the road. The River Shannon burst its banks and little could be heard over the din of the high winds. Neighbours crawled on their hands and knees to find safety, and in Castlebar, Co. Mayo, the wind was so strong that 'it knocked the roof off the corpse-house'. Many thought that the strong winds heralded the end of the world, foretold in superstition to happen on Oíche Nollaig na mBan which was also known as ‘Women’s Christmas’ – the Feast of the Epiphany on 6th January.

The Global Irish Summer Camp runs from July 20th – August 4th 2016. It is aimed at US Students of Irish decent between the ages of 15 and 17 years of age, who have never been to Ireland before. The goal is to provide a link between young Irish descendants and their Irish roots through a short immersive residential visit to Ireland of two and a half weeks in duration.

There are 3 objective of the programme:

1. To encourage participants to have a greater awareness of their Irish heritage
2. To solidify links with the Irish diaspora
3. To encourage greater links with Irish communities throughout the US.  

Applications are sought for 20 places in this structured visit to Ireland with a hope of strengthening a bond between US students who have Irish ancestors. The programme is being delivered by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade in partnership with the Institute of Study Abroad Ireland. For more information and/or to apply for this camp visit www.isaireland.com

Tyler's were a major manufacturing outlet located in Leicester, United Kingdom. Their brand and product quickly spread throughout the UK. In Ireland it was in Dublin City in particular where they carved out a niche for themselves, located on Sackville Street (now O'Connell Street). Images of Tyler boots could be seen on buses and in newspapers, establishing them as the premier brand of footwear. 

The simple yet catchy line, "Tyler's boots are the best!" became a tagline on most of their advertising. 

In this new campaign from Failte Ireland, a little boy is transported to the to the wonderful landscapes of Ireland’s Ancient East as his dad begins to tell him stories from a big orange book.