Cruising Around the Emerald Isle

I just got back from a week long cruise around Ireland as a guest speaker on board the Fred Olsen ship Bolette. It was an amazing experience and I felt it was a good idea to write about the cruise and record some thoughts and observations about the experience.

How did this come about?

I’ve never been on a cruise before but some family and friends have been on board them as passengers. I also know a few other genealogists who have experience of being on board cruise ships as speakers, but often these tend to be specialist cruises with a focus on genealogy and ancestral travel. It sounded interesting but I wasn’t aware of similar opportunities here.

However, in late 2023 I was contacted by an agent working on behalf of a cruise company that were looking to hire a speaker with an expertise in Irish history. We chatted over Zoom but as the months went past I never heard from him again. But it did make me curious about whether similar opportunities existed. Fortunately, I came across Nigel J. Hetherington and his company, Past Preservers, on social media. They work with a number of cruise companies to hire guest speakers with an expertise in history and archaeology. It’s all very straightforward.

Past Preservers maintain a database with details on upcoming speaker opportunities and the topics each cruise is looking for. Typically they are looking for someone who can speak on topics related to the local culture at that destination, including it’s history and traditions. You do not apply to the cruise company directly. You register in Past Preservers guest speaker database, go through the database of available cruises and then complete an application form listing the cruises you are interested in, with a list of talks you can give. Details of current opportunities are available here. I should stress that there is no fee for joining their database and that they don’t sell your information onto other parties.

It took a few weeks before I received word that I had been chosen to speak on board the Fred Olsen cruise ‘Exploring the Iconic Coastline of the Emerald Isle’ from June 6th 2025 to June 13th 2025, and that they wanted me to deliver two lectures from those I had submitted. One on Irish folklore and the other on Irish genealogy. The itinerary included stops in Dun Laoghaire (Dublin), Belfast, Galway, Cobh (Cork) and then a return to Liverpool. I didn’t receive more detailed instructions until a few weeks before the cruise, including my contract and my check in time.

On shorter cruises guest speakers aren’t paid but you do get a free cruise and are given £25 ship’s credit per day. Food is already free but the credit goes towards other purchases on board, such as alcohol, goodies from the various cafes, anything you buy from the various shops on the ship, excursions at the various ports and some onboard activities such as whiskey tasting, afternoon tea or a Martini experience. WiFi is optional and deducted from the credit. It should also be noted that WiFi is relatively basic and there are restrictions on what sites you can access, no streaming for example. There is also a £2 gratuity which goes towards the cleaning and serving staff on board. A debit or credit card is registered with the ship at the time of check in and any purchases that exceed the ship’s credit are charged to your personal card at the end of the cruise. You are also allowed bring a plus one with you on the cruise for free.

Life on board the Bolette

The Bolette was departing from Liverpool in the early evening of Friday 6th June but understandably I needed to be on board earlier. With no direct flights from Cork to Liverpool on that day, I had to fly to Manchester and take a bus to Liverpool. Fortunately both cities are close together and it’s a relatively short bus journey. I missed my original check in time (my own fault for trusting Ryanair to be punctual) but fortunately I was still able to board once I arrived. I would assume the purpose of the check in times is to stagger embarkation so as to avoid congestion. You are meant to receive luggage tags in advance, although mine didn’t arrive on time because of international postage. The staff had luggage tags anyway so it wasn’t a big deal. Any luggage you have with you is tagged and checked in, similar to an airline, going through a scanner. The luggage will then be delivered on board and deposited outside your cabin.

My cabin was relatively basic and not particularly spacious but I’m not the sort of traveller who demands luxury. For a cruise lasting only a week it was comfortable and suited to my needs, especially since I was travelling solo.

When I arrived at my cabin there was a document waiting for me, which had contact details for the important crew members on board and had a provisional timetable for the various lectures and workshops. There was an informal meeting with the Cruise Director in the card room, along with some of the crew working under her. While in theory, the Cruise Director was going to be our main point of contact, the person I dealt with most often in terms of scheduling my two lectures and sorting out technical requirements was the Admin Hostess. This is understandable because the Cruise Director has a lot of other responsibilities on board, including managing the in-house entertainment team on the ship. The lectures were scheduled for our two days at sea, on Monday 9th June and Thursday 12th June.

Along with myself, there was another guest speaker on the cruise. Richard Lovelock is a professional photographer and delivered two lecturers on the secrets of smartphone photography. His wife Laura, was on board to deliver the origami workshops but also gave a surprise lecture on the Titanic and it’s connections to some of our ports of call. Aside from guest speakers, there were also a number of other guest entertainers, including a bridge tutor, a pianist and some dance teachers. Many of these are regulars on board various cruises.

I took some time to explore ship after the meeting. The Bolette is one of the biggest cruise ships and the flagship of Fred Olsen’s fleet. There are ten decks, although a good portion of that is made up of passenger cabins. There are also a number of lounges, bars, cafes, restaurants, an auditorium, a library and the Neptune Lounge, where most of the entertainment (including guest speakers) took place.

Some of the lounges where you can sit and relax

The clock tower at the centre of the ship

On Shore Excursions

After exploring, one of the first things I did was to call on the Destinations Desk, who arrange the various excursions. I mentioned already that excursions are deducted from the ship’s credit. However, there is an option to allow you to go on the excursions for free. This involves arranging with the team at the Destinations Desk to act as an escort. An escort simply brings up the rear on the tour, keeping track of everyone and acting as a representative of the ship and of the passengers on the tour. The evening before the excursion you are given a sheet which you will use to keep track of various details on the outing, such as how many participated, the name of the guide and any issues those on the tour might have encountered. You also carry a bag with the first aid kit and a paddle you see on tour groups, just in case someone on the tour has trouble finding their way back. You are also asked to take some photos of the excursion and send them to the Destinations Manager. It should be emphasised that the paying passengers get priority on these excursions. If a certain excursion is booked out then you will have to choose another for that port. On one occasion an excursion I chose was cancelled because of a lack of bookings.

During the cruise I had the opportunity to visit the Jameson Whiskey Distillery in Dublin, the Giant’s Causeway in County Antrim, a walking tour of Galway City and a visit to Blarney Castle here in Cork. Usually the process is to meet the guide on shore and they will have a list of passengers going on the excursion. A member of the destinations team is usually waiting on shore to coordinate everyone. Depending on the port and how they are set up to handle cruise ships, it might be necessary to take a tender back and forth from the ship.

Lectures

All the lecturers by guest speakers such as myself took place in the Neptune Lounge, on the fourth and fifth decks of the ship.

As I mentioned already, I had sent a list of my requirements to the Admin Hostess in advance and she had kept me up to date with any issues around scheduling. Sometimes it was necessary to move a lecture around in order to avoid a conflict with another event taking place at the same time. A cruise is a busy place with a lot of different activities happening daily, especially on those days at sea. A short newsletter, the Daily Times, was distributed to each cabin every evening with details on events happening onboard the following day, including the lectures.

I had brought my own laptop but was instructed to arrive at the Neptune Lounge roughly twenty minutes in advance. This was so everything could get set up. The technical staff are very good at their jobs. My laptop was plugged in and the display ready. I also had to get a microphone attached. While all that was happening, passengers started wandering in. I felt that I got a good attendance on both days. I would hope that’s because my topics were interesting and not because there was nothing else for people to do. The one thing to be careful of is your time. Each lecture is scheduled for 45 minutes and it’s important that you stick to that. Often there will be another event scheduled in the lounge directly afterwards and that requires setting up. This also means there’s no time for audience questions. If someone has a question then they can approach you directly after the talk or later during the cruise.

Dining on Board

One of the great things about a cruise is the food and this is true of the Bolette. There were multiple dining options. Most of the fancier restaurants required a reservation and had a dress code. For example, there were two formal nights on the ship, where guests were required to dress in black tie formal wear for some of the restaurants. For those who wanted less fuss and avoiding having to make a reservation, there was a buffet restaurant on deck eight, the View. This was ideal for those days when you didn’t feel like dressing up or were in a hurry.

I did eat in the main formal restaurant, the Bloomsbury, twice. The first occasion was the evening of our visit to Galway for the second formal night. Guest speakers were politely asked not to make any reservations for the Bloomsbury until after the first formal night, so that paying passengers would get priority. This is perfectly understandable. This wasn’t a problem for me because I prefer the less formal dining experience anyway. But it was worth putting on a tuxedo and bow tie to try it out. There was also a guest speaker lunch experience that passengers pay to have a private lunch with the speakers. This gives them an opportunity to have one to one conversations with the guest speakers. There wasn’t a huge turn out for the one on our cruise. But it was a nice experience to meet with some of the passengers on a more personal level.

The food in all the restaurants I dined in was great. Even the buffet restaurant had a wide variety and it was good quality. I didn’t avail of any of the alcohol on board because I’m not much of a drinker and wasn’t sure it was a good idea to be tipsy on board a ship.

The only other place I dined on the ship was at the Bookmark Cafe. This was a cafe in the librarian section that served a variety of teas, coffee and cakes. Even though there was tea in my cabin, sometimes it was just nice to be around other people while reading and enjoying some tea and cake.

Disembarkation

The one part of the cruise I hadn’t been prepared for was disembarkation on the final day. Details on this will usually be provided the day before and there will be several announcements. For our cruise, we arrived back into Liverpool early on the morning of the final day. If we wanted, we could leave our luggage outside our cabins the night before and it would be waiting for us in the cruise terminal. We were given a sheet with instructions on when disembarkation would begin. Some passengers were booked on a shuttle bus to the train station or had cars in the car park. Those were the usually the first ones to disembark. The rest of us were called by our luggage tag colour. Regardless of when we were disembarking we still had to be out of our cabins by 8am and that meant a bit of waiting around while waiting for our group to be called. Thankfully the restaurants were open for breakfast on the morning of departure and there was no problem sitting in one of the lounges while waiting.

The Bolette in Liverpool on the morning of departure

Final Thoughts

One of the things I expected of a cruise was that the average age would veer towards the elderly. And while that was mostly the case, there were some younger people on board, including a few families with kids. However, I don’t know if there was much for young kids to do. When preparing your talks, keep in mind who the likely audience will be.

The crew were fantastic. Speaking to some of them, it was evident how well trained and professional they are. From the cabin stewardesses who clean the cabins, to the servers in the restaurants and the crew in destinations and entertainment. All of them take their jobs seriously and put looking after passengers at the heart of it. At any time of the day or night you will find some of the crew hard at work, especially when it comes to maintaining the functioning of the ship. Cleanliness and hygiene was also taken seriously. While it should go without saying, be sure to be courteous and respectful to any crew you interact with. You’re all going to be at sea together for at least a week, if not longer.

The entertainment on board was good, if very English in nature. There was a stand up comedian on two of the nights, Danny Posthill. He did some great impressions. The ship also has it’s own on board theatre company who put on some dance performances and performed songs from well known West End musicals. There were usually performances in some of the lounges most nights. All in all the atmosphere on board was sedate and calming.

What about those travelling solo? At first it can seem a bit lonely, especially the first day or two. But you will eventually get to know people, especially from going on excursions or taking part in other activities. There also specific meetups for solo travellers throughout the cruise.

I already mentioned that WiFi is limited on board. You won’t be able to stream or download media. I would recommend downloading any favourite shows or podcasts before the cruise. If you need to take any online meetings or do specific work that requires a strong internet connection then bringing along a mobile hotspot is probably the best idea.

Travel insurance and health insurance are mandatory and they will require you to provide your insurance details before travelling. There is a health centre on board in case of illness and plenty of ways of keeping fit, including a gym, swimming pools and jacuzzi’s.

Overall it was a great experience and I hope to try it again in the future. I’ve already applied for some more Fred Olsen cruises visiting Ireland next summer. It was a unique way to experience my own country. I might eventually also look into guest speaker roles with other cruise lines.

Remembering The Fallen

One the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month 1918, the First World War came to an end. Right up until the last minute the guns stayed firing.

You can listen to the final seconds of the conflict and the moment the guns fell silent in this recording

https://metro.co.uk/video/imperial-war-museum-approximate-end-wwi-1798600/?ito=vjs-link

The commemoration of the conflict in Ireland has always been a touchy subject. There was certainly a perception that the memory of the Great War had been overshadowed by the events such as the 1916 Rising and the Irish War of Independence. In recent decades, the inevitable distance of time has allowed for more recognition of the role played by Irish men and women in the conflict. We will likely never know exactly how many from Ireland lost their lives in the war. As well as the Irish regiments, there were Irish serving in British, American, Canadian, Australian and New Zealand armed forces, along with any number of civilian organisations involved in the war.

This weekend I was fortunate to attend a number of commemorative events in Cork to remember those who died 1914-1918. On Friday night there was an Evening of Remembrance in St Fin Barre’s Cathedral. This has become an annual event, organised by members of the Cork Branch, Western Front Association. This is always an especially poignant ceremony, featuring music, poetry and songs to commemorate not just those from Cork, or the Allied forces, but all of those who died in the war. The Lord Mayor of Cork, Cllr. Mick Flynn and the Bishop of Cork, Cloyne and Ross, Dr Paul Colton, delivered particularly moving speeches, reflecting on the impact of the war on their own families. They recognised also that even those who survived the war, often came back with physical and psychological wounds. Bishop Colton made an especially valid point about the impossibility of grasping the magnitude of those who died during the war and it’s immediate aftermath. Instead he advocated for focussing on the personal, of remembering those who died as individuals.

St Fin Barre’s Cathedral

Crowd gathering for the Evening of Remembrance

WW1 memorial in the Cathedral

WW1 Memorial in the Cathedral

Bishop Colton and the Dean of St Fin Barre’s Cathedral, Very Reverend Nigel Dunne, have also been engaged in a project the last four years in gathering together pictures of those from the diocese who died in the war.

Today there were a number of events held at the Cenotaph in Cork, to mark Armistice Day. There was a civic ceremony organised by the Lord Mayor and members of Cork City Council. This was followed by a mass in St Francis Church and a wreath laying ceremony at the Cenotaph by members of the Royal British Legion and relatives of those who died. The ceremony also includes members of the current Irish Defence Forces, veterans of the United Nations and even the British Armed Forces. Bishop Colton also delivered another address and there was a later Ecumenical service in St Fin Barre’s Cathedral.

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Bishop Colton delivering the speech at the wreath laying

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Member of the Irish Defence Forces laying a wreath

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Standard bearer for the Royal British Legion

The act of commemoration itself cannot help but be political and likely there will always be those who feel that by commemorating a conflict we are signalling approval. However, I would disagree with this. We may not agree with why WW1 or any other conflict is fought but that doesn’t mean we should simply forget it and those who fought. Commemoration doesn’t have to be about approval or condemnation. As the events in France today have shown, where the French President and German Chancellor stood side by side at Compiègne as they marked the centenary of the armistice signing, commemorating the end of the war can also be about present unity and learning from the mistakes of the past.

Regardless of how we feel about conflicts past and present, we should never forget those who have lost their lives, no matter how complicated their motives. If you are looking to trace your own relatives who served during WW1, most of the major genealogical websites such as Ancestry, Findmypast and MyHeritage have made their military collections available for free this weekend.

When You Assume

It is natural when conducting research to rely, in part at least, on assumptions. Sometimes when the paper trail becomes patchy they are all we have to go on. But these assumptions can sometimes lead us down the wrong path. We are often told that people in Ireland didn’t move around much before the mid 20th century. That if we could trace them to a particular region then there was a good chance they had been there with several generations. However, recent research for clients and into my own family has made me rethink this.

For instance when we receive information from elderly family members we tend to trust it. That information might state the family had been present in that particular area since records began. Of course we’re going to assume this information is correct, especially if we don’t have a reliable paper trail. It makes for a good starting point in our research and can help us get further. Unfortunately putting too much faith in this information can lead to mistakes. Recently I’ve been doing research into a particular branch of my family in Tipperary, prompted by contact with DNA matches on Ancestry. I had information from my grandfather, written down several years ago, giving a year of birth and location for his maternal grandfather. It was within the same parish and seemed plausible so I didn’t see a need to question it. It was only as I went back further and started digging into the parish registers and other records that I began to realise there could be a mistake. A marriage record suggest this individual married into that particular townland. It still places him in the same parish so not a huge deal. However, looking for baptismal records for the year he was born raises questions. The only individual with that name born in that year within the county is listed as being born several parishes over. Not impossible and goes back to assuming people always stayed within the same area. However, when I searched for his death record the age was off. For those born before civil registration was introduced in 1864 sometimes they simply guessed at their age. So that’s not completely reliable either. However, looking at the census records also throws up questions. This individual is listed on the 1911 census as being born in Co. Limerick originally. All of this evidence taken together is too much to ignore and it suggests the information from my grandmother was incorrect. I can understand where the mistake came from. In the days before online research I assume my grandfather or someone else before him simply asked the local parish priest to look into it for them. He found an individual with that name in a nearby parish and assumed it must be them. This is a mistake that any of us can make and frequently do, even professional researchers.

Talking of parish records, another area that can cause confusion when searching on certain websites are the diocesan boundaries. It’s sometimes easy to forget that the boundaries for a diocese don’t always correspond to the county boundaries. So parts of Cork are in Kerry diocese and some parts of Kerry fall within Cork and Ross. Most of North and East Cork is under the jurisdiction of the diocese of Cloyne and a lot of South Tipperary is part of Waterford and Lismore. This also holds true for parishes. Some parishes sit in more than one county, such as Kilbehenny which straddles Tipperary and Limerick. This is especially important if you are searching for records on Roots Ireland. I was puzzled recently as to why my search for baptismal records in South Tipperary wasn’t producing results, until it was suggested I try searching under Waterford. Suddenly I was getting a lot more information. You can check out a map of the various Irish diocese below.

When searching for ancestors we should also keep in mind the upheaval caused by the Famine. When we think of migration, we tend to imagine outward migration, of people saying their goodbyes on the quayside before embarking for a new life in America, Australia or the UK. But we shouldn’t ignore internal migration. The Famine led to depopulation and an availability of land. Should we be surprised that some took the opportunity to take land elsewhere, even if it was just a neighbouring parish?

So the lesson is to never put too much faith in our assumptions. Don’t be afraid to question received information and to independently verify. It might mean disproving long cherished family myths (which isn’t always appreciated) but the whole point research is to know for certain.

Crowdsourcing

A dog living it up. Courtesy of the Poole Collection from the National Library of Ireland Photographic Archive

I originally had a different topic in mind for the latest blog but reading this article about the National Library of Ireland Photographic Archive got me thinking about crowdsourcing and some of the projects out there which take advantage of it.

What exactly is crowdsourcing? According to the Miriam Webster dictionary it can be defined as “the practice of obtaining needed services, ideas, or content by soliciting contributions from a large group of people and especially from the online community rather than from traditional employees or suppliers.” Wikipedia might be the most well known example, although there is disagreement as to whether it truly counts as crowdsourcing.

Not surprisingly many genealogy and family history related projects have been keen to tap into crowdsourcing. Sometimes we do it without even realising what we are doing. One of the best examples is on social media. Many of us will have at one time or another posted an image of a difficult to read record in a Facebook group or on another platform in order to solicit help from others.

However there are a number of more formal projects based around the crowdsourcing method. Many of those who engage in researching family history, either at an amateur or professional level, will be familiar with the free website FamilySearch, which is run by the Church of Latter Day Saints. While the website is a treasure trove of genealogical information, not everything on it is indexed. As a free website there is a limited amount of resources they can devote to indexing all these records, particularly when new records are constantly being added. The solution is to allow members of the public to participate in this indexing. If you are frustrated at the difficulty in trying to locate a record on FamilySearch then one solution is to lend a hand with the indexing. That way other researchers won’t have the same problem. You can find out more here.

The Coal Quay Market in Cork City. From the Lawrence Collection

In Ireland, our institutions have been quick to embrace crowdsourcing. In 2011, the National Library of Ireland uploaded it’s photographic archive to Flickr, making them freely available to browse from anywhere in the world. Alongside that, the library began soliciting help from users to identify the places and people featured in the photos. I wrote a post on this collection a few years ago when discussing sporting ancestors. I would highly recommend browsing through the collection. Who knows what family secrets you might help uncover or mysteries you might be able to resolve.

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The National University of Ireland Maynooth also saw an opportunity with crowdsourcing when they created the Letters of 1916 project. Launched in 2013, this was the first public humanities project in Ireland. The original goal of the project was to collect letters from 1916 and make them available online. The letters weren’t just those belonging to libraries, archives and universities. Members of the public were also encouraged to contribute their own letters from the period to the project and collection roadshows were held around the country. Once a letter has been contributed, volunteers can register to assist with transcribing. The letters cover a wide range of topics, from official government correspondence to letters of a more personal nature. The project has been such a success that it’s remit has been expanded to cover the entire revolutionary period in Ireland, from 1916 to the end of the Irish Civil War in 1923. Anyone can volunteer and it’s a great way to learn more about the period.

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If you have an interest in Irish folklore, then my recommendation would be to explore the Schools Collection of the National Folklore Collection. These stories were collected by primary school children throughout the country in the 1930s and came from interviews they conducted with relatives and neighbours. The stories range from the origins of local placenames, to tales of the supernatural. Volunteers are needed to assist in transcribing the collection. It’s always worth doing because you never know what you might find. Searching through the collection revealed that some of my own relatives had been collectors.

There are many more examples of crowdsourcing projects out there and most don’t require more than an hour or two of your time every so often. Be warned though that once you start volunteering you might find yourself addicted.

Of course, crowdsourcing won’t work for every family history project and it requires effective management in order to succeed. But when it works it can be a great way for professionals and members of the public to learn more about the past.

A Sense Of Place

There is an often expressed sentimentality among the Irish diaspora for the ‘ould sod’ or the original homestead that their ancestors came from. It is something that those of us living in Ireland too often dismiss or mock. We like to believe that modern Ireland has evolved beyond such concepts, that we are citizens of the world who aren’t tied down to anything as simple as a piece of land or particular homestead. But yet that isn’t quite true. While those of my generation have experienced unparalleled freedom and the ability (at least in theory) to pack our bags and move elsewhere, it is impossible to completely forego all attachments. For myself, I have spent the majority of my life living just outside Cork City. But there is still a part of me that thrills at the sight of the Galtee Mountains and feels to some extent like I’ve come home. Perhaps this is simply due to so much time spent visiting family in Tipperary and walking the region during my childhood.

https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/96/255082557_f87b522807_z.jpg?zz=1

Galtee Mountains

Equally I know friends born in Ireland and who have lived out their entire lives here who feel that home is London, Edinburgh or Paris. Our sense of home isn’t always tied to where we lived our entire lives. The next time an enthusiastic descendant of Irish emigrants comes seeking the ancestral homestead, instead of dismissing them or laughing at them, perhaps we should try our best to help them. We might even learn something ourselves in the process.

Grace Kelly visiting Drimurla, Co. Mayo where her grandfather originated

But how does someone go about this process? Too often many of those researching their Irish ancestry don’t have a lot to go on. Maybe they only have a surname and a vague recollection of a certain county being mentioned by elderly relatives. Sometimes they will get lucky and might have documentation such as a death certificate or passenger listing which lists the place of origin. However, even then the name can sometimes get mangled in the period between boarding the ship and arriving at the destination. This was typically down to a lack of standardised spelling of placenames and also a lack of literacy among those emigrating.

There is help at hand though. One of the best resources for tracing Irish placenames is the Placename Database of Ireland, which can be conveniently found on the Logainm.ie website. The site is very user friendly and is invaluable in trying to locate a specific Irish placename. It provides a listing of baronies, civil parishes and townlands along with streets in Irish towns. For some of these placenames it also has a helpful breakdown of how the name has evolved over the centuries. Many have kept much the same name with some spelling variations, while others have undergone more drastic transformations with the original name being lost completely.

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Another great resource for Irish placenames is Irish Ancestors, John Grenham’s website. Over the years John has amassed a large database of Irish surnames and placenames. His website includes maps of the various different parish types and Poor Law Unions. An invaluable resource when trying to figure out the relationship between the old Civil Parishes and modern Roman Catholic Parishes.

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However, one thing to keep in mind when trying to figure out where your Irish ancestors came from is the unreliable nature of mapping in the age of Google. When planning a trip to Ireland it is easy to look at a map and assume that because it’s a small country that everything must be close together. This isn’t accounting for geography, which Ireland has no shortage of. Neighbouring parishes might be separated by an inconvenient mountain range or a lake, perhaps even both. The road system was often poorly maintained or almost non-existent. The vast majority of people had to travel by foot and as such rarely ventured beyond their own own immediate surroundings. Someone born in Macroom, West Cork is unlikely to have ever set foot in Cork city. Journeys that we can now complete in hours would have taken our ancestors several days.

A very useful means of making sense of the landscape are the Ordnance Survey Ireland Maps. The first maps were produced in 1847 at a scale of at a scale of 6 inches to 1 mile. Ireland was the first country to be mapped to such a scale. In times gone by it was necessary to use the physical copies of the maps held in local libraries or purchase them from the OSI. Thanks to modern technology however it is possible to use the online map viewer to overlay the modern and historical maps. This can provide some invaluable perspective on the landscape our ancestors inhabited.

Historic 6 inch Ordnance Survey map of Ireland 1837-1842

Just remember when researching your family history to underestimate geography at your peril. Also keep in mind there are no shortage of excellent publications on Ireland and it’s landscape. Before making your journey it might not be any harm to pack an old fashioned atlas of Ireland rather than relying on Google Maps and GPS to help you find your way around.

Upcoming Events

It’s going to be a busy week. As part of the annual Cork Lifelong Learning Festival I am fortunate enough to be delivering two free talks, both in the surrounds of the lovely St Peter’s on North Main Street.

St Peter’s Cork

The first talk will be on Thursday April 6th at 4pm. I will be representing Cork Decorative and Fine Arts Society for a talk on church memorials and monuments in Cork. This will look at some notable monuments from the city and county and the families commemorated on them.

On Saturday from 2pm to 4pm I will be delivering my first solo genealogy workshop. The goal of this workshop will be to provide attendees with an introduction to Irish genealogy and the main sources. I will also be discussing the increasing use of DNA in genealogical research. At the end there will be an opportunity for people to ask questions about their own family history research.

I always enjoy doing these talks because while it is nice to help people with their own family history, it is also an opportunity for me to learn something from the audience. That joy of mutual discovery is one of the many reasons I enjoy genealogy.

Secret Family Histories

What’s your family secret? We all have one. That skeleton in the closet that we can’t help but be fascinated by, despite the refusal of other family members to acknowledge their existence. Sometimes it can be something personal, an addiction or an illness that was always referred to euphemistically. Perhaps it could be the lack of a marriage certificate, or the date of the wedding coming a bit too close to when the first child was born. Then there are the other types of omissions, the ones that might have resulted from an ancestor being caught on the wrong side of history. Every country has this because it is human nature to try and simplify our historical narrative. This side was ‘good’ and the other side was ‘bad’.

With the Decade of Centenaries in Ireland and all the various discussions taking place, it is easy to assume that Ireland has put all our historical hangups behind us. That we have learned to accept our past and any of the uncomfortable truths hidden there. To some extent this is true. Irish soldiers who fought in WWI now get the recognition they deserve for their bravery and sacrifice. While those who served as members of the pre-independence police forces haven’t been rehabilitated to the same extent, their role in Irish life during the period is better understood.

Group of Royal Irish Constabulary officers and men (Image courtesy of National Library of Ireland)

I have come across some of this myself when looking into my own family history. Most of my maternal side of the family would have considered themselves to be of Irish Republican lineage. However, that wasn’t the case for everyone in the family. I had one great uncle from Co. Waterford who had served in WWI and was also a constable in the Royal Irish Constabulary. He was stationed in Co. Wexford where he died in 1921 during the Irish War of Independence. His death wasn’t particularly glorious, being accidentally shot by a fellow constable while on patrol. To me and some of my cousins this proved fascinating, but other members of the family weren’t as interested. Perhaps because his role as a servant of the British administration in Ireland during a contested time doesn’t fit with how the family see themselves. This is not to criticise. It is simply who they are. All of us have our inbuilt biases.

Exterior of the Curragh Internment Camp in the 1940s (Image courtesy of Irish Examiner)

A recent visit to the National Archives of Ireland also put me in mind of another aspect of Irish history that is often overlooked and it’s connection to my own family. Ireland maintained an official policy of neutrality during WWII, although a number of Irish did enlist with the British army and the armed forces of other Allied forces. On the home front there were those who believed in the old maxim that Britain’s difficulty was Ireland’s opportunity. The IRA launched a bombing campaign in Britain. In order to maintain their position of neutrality, and avoid a potential invasion by Britain, the Irish government felt the safest course of action was to intern all those suspected of IRA membership. This was certainly not the first or last time such a policy was carried out on this island. The internees were placed in a camp in the Curragh, nicknamed ‘Tintown’. Among those internees, was my grandfather, his brothers and some of their friends. My grandfather never liked to speak of his time in the Curragh and it is a period rarely discussed in Irish history. I suspect there is a certain shame when it comes to the history of internment without trial.

This being my first research visit to the National Archives, I wasn’t entirely sure of how I would find the appropriate records. Were they considered criminal records? Or were they military? Or perhaps they fell under another category entirely? I guess I’ve been spoilt by the easy access to online catalogues. I approached the archivist on duty and sought her help. I think it shows how rarely these records are consulted that it took her some time to figure out what they were held under. We eventually located some of the records related to the Curragh under the Department of the Taoiseach. Although I didn’t locate anything specifically connected to my grandfather on this visit, I did come across one illuminating account of how order was maintained in the camp. Some of the guards carried guns and during one particular disturbance, they opened fire on the internees. A number were injured and one died of his wounds not long afterwards. I don’t know if my grandfather was present for this disturbance or if he had any involvement in it. I can tell I have more research to do and I have become curious about delving into this period. If anyone reading this does have more information or photos of internees from the period, please send me a message.

All of this has made me realise that genealogy doesn’t stop within recent memory. Just because we knew a previous generation, doesn’t mean that there is nothing more to uncover. Sometimes these secrets may be uncomfortable but that is the inherent risk with delving into our family history.

Remembrance Weekend

Great War Memorial South Mall, Cork

On the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month in 1918, the guns of the Western Front fell silent after more than four years of continuous conflict. What was originally hoped to be a short and limited European war, ‘over by Christmas’, turned into a period of prolonged stalemate which enveloped the world. As part of the British Empire at the time, Ireland became embroiled in the conflict. The current estimate is that 200,000 Irishmen served in the conflict, although this is a difficult number to be sure of. With many Irish living abroad and enlisting in regiments in their new homes, it can be hard to know for certain how many were involved. It is estimated that between 30,000 to 50,000 lost their lives (depending on whether you count just those serving with Irish regiments or Irish enlisting in other armies).

Until recent years it would seem that the role of the rish in WW1 was ignored and overlooked due to the focus on the events of Easter 1916 and the subsequent War of Independence in Ireland. Fortunately perceptions of the conflict have changed, although it still remains a controversial subject for some, especially the practice of wearing a poppy. Our Taoiseach has today laid a wreath in Enniskillen as part of their Remembrance Sunday events and our Minister for Foreign Affairs was a participant in Belfast events. Our President has attended the Remembrance service in St Patrick’s Cathedral, Dublin.

Members of the Cork branch, Western Front Association

Here in Cork we are fortunate to have a number of groups and individuals who are very dedicated to commemorating those who served in the Great War. Over the last few years the members of the Cork branch, Western Front Association have organised a number of events over the weekend closest to November 11th. On the Friday they hold an Evening of Remembrance in St Fin Barre’s Cathedral. This is always a truly moving event combining songs, music, stories and poetry. On the Saturday they organise is a gathering at the WW1 memorial on the South Mall in Cork for a wreath laying ceremony. Both the Lord Mayor of Cork and the Mayor of Cork County delivered speeches. On the Sunday a seperate ceremony is held by members of the Royal British Legion, along with a number of special masses.

Lord Mayor of Cork, Cllr Chris O’Leary

Crowd gathered at the WW1 memorial for the wreath laying

From a genealogical point of view these commemoration events can be very important. We don’t have to approve of the War or why and how it was fought. But it is important to remember those who lost their lives in the conflict. Every family in Ireland would have known someone who enlisted to fight in the War and each had their own reasons for doing so. These commemoration events help us to learn more about the lives our ancestors lived and to appreciate who they were. Too often when we read about these conflicts it can seem like an endless stream of numbers and big battles. But by commemorating them, we realise that each of these numbers was a living breathing individual at one point with a story to tell.

As part of the Rembrance weekend, Ancestry have opened up their WW1 records to explore for free. Usually I’m not one to plug the subscription websites, simply because they are so well known. However on this occasion it’s a great opportunity to search for your WW1 ancestors and see what sort of information might be out there.

WW1 Medal Roll

Sporting Ancestors

Sundays Well Tennis Club

I was invited recently to deliver a talk on researching Cork ancestry to Sundays Well Boating & Tennis Club. Located near Fitzgeralds Park and University College Cork, I must have passed it a number of times without realising it was there. The club have a monthly Circle Group get together for older and retired members and often invite someone in to give a talk. I was honoured to receive such an invitation, especially when I realised the long history the club has in Cork. The talk was very well received and as is often the case, talking to some of those in attendance afterwards, I learned quite a bit from them. One gentleman in particular had put together a large booklet on his family history and had even taken a number of DNA tests from 23andMe.

One perk of giving the talk was being introduced to the long history the club has in Cork. Founded in 1899 it still has a collection of records dating back to it’s founding. Names of chairmen from it’s founding are on plaques dotted around the clubhouse. Looking at them I could see plenty of familiar Cork names, even a few I would have come across when researching the history of Christchurch. I was also presented with a fascinating book on the history of the club.

All of this got me thinking about sports clubs in terms of genealogy. It’s an area we rarely think of and yet Cork has such a long and proud sporting history. From tennis, rugby, cricket, golf, soccer and of course GAA. The second ever meeting of the Gaelic Athlethic Association was held in the Victoria Hotel on St Patrick’s Street in the heart of Cork City on December 27th 1884. Although the hotel itself has long closed, a plaque still remains on the corner commemorating this meeting. Cork has also produced a number of celebrated boxers and athlethes.

Boxer Mick Leahy

With this level of sporting activity in Cork and throughout Ireland as a whole, it’s not hard to imagine that our ancestors might have been involved with a sporting club in some capacity. Sporting clubs provided (and often still do) a social outlet for people of all backgrounds. Our ancestors might also have helped out in the form of caretakers, groundskeepers or may have even been committee members. Genealogy is about more than just gathering names, for most people it is about learning what sort of lives their ancestors lived. Quite often some records will survive. If the club is still in operation, it’s no harm to check with them to see what they might have. Perhaps one of their members has taken on the role of archivist.

For those clubs that no longer operate or don’t have their records, its possible some information might survive with the Local Studies department of the library. If you are extremely fortunate, the club might have even handed over their records to the local archives. Cork City and County Archives for example holds many of the records from Cork Constitution Rugby Club, which had been founded in 1892 by members of the Cork Constitution newspaper. While the newspaper itself ceased publication in 1924, the rugby club has continued to operate. The archive collection also has plenty of other material connected to sporting activity in Cork, including a number of diaries that describe sporting events. The National Library of Ireland have put many of their old photos on Flickr and it’s worth browsing through their photos of sporting events, even an informal kickabout by a group of workers on their lunchbreak.

Winning oarsmen at Waterford Boat Club c. 1885 from the NLI collection https://www.flickr.com/photos/nlireland/6078681751

Local newspapers will also often have recorded details on sporting events. In some cases they might even have a full list of the players on each team or perhaps photos of the teams. In some cases websites like British Pathe might have video footage from sporting events. Youtube is also a great source for historic footage.

Sporting records might not seem like the most obvious of genealogical sources but they can be worth delving into simply for what they can tell us about how our ancestors lived their lives. In the days before television and the internet, sport was one of the most popular ways for people to spend their leisure hours and our ancestors would have been no different.

Ancestral Connections and Dromana 800

The Ancestral Connections UCC Genealogy Summer School is over for another year and what a fantastic school it was. Each year the programme becomes more ambitious and expansive. There far too many great speakers for me to list all of them so I will have to stick to a few honourable mentions.

Volunteers and attendess at the Ancestral Connections 2015

Volunteers and attendess at the Ancestral Connections Summer School 2015

Eileen O’Duill and her husband Sean always help launch the school on the Sunday evening and provide the first full day of talks. It should be required for anyone embarking on researching their Irish ancestry to sit down and chat with both of these lovely people for a few hours. No matter how daunting and scary Irish genealogy can appear, Sean and Eileen provide such great advice that can make finding even the most elusive of ancestors seem possible. They are also fantastic storytellers.

One of the most enjoyable aspects of the school are the day trips, where we get an opportunity to put what we have learned in the talks to use in the real world. One of these day trips involved a visit to the lovely town of Youghal. Being genealogists, our first stop had to be a graveyard. Doctor Jane Lyons and John Nangle were our experts on interpreting gravestones.

Dr Jane Lyons and John Nangle guiding us through graveyard research

We also took the time to look around the church itself, which I would recommend for anyone visiting Youghal. Rosaleen Underwood provided us with some history on the fantastic Boyle tomb located in one of the wings of the church. There were also plenty of intriguing memorial plaques along the walls.

Once we were done with graveyards it was on to the Walter Raleigh Hotel for a mouth watering talk by food historian Regina Sexton on what our ancestors ate. Fortunately it wasn’t too long a wait until dinner.

Some of the other notable talks included Steven Smyrl on Probate Genealogy. An extremely important area. Stuart Rosenblatt filled is in on researching Jewish ancestry in Ireland, which also revealed some sources on tracking immigrant ancestors. We don’t always take into account that Ireland has been much more multicultural in it’s history than we realise.

My own talk on interpreting memorial plaques and monuments was the final lecture of the school on the Friday. Since there was an optional tour of UCC campus at the same time I was asked to deliver the talk twice. Fortunately it was well received both times. The actual last day of the school itself involved a trip down to Cobh, Midleton and Cloyne.

It was my first time visiting Cobh Heritage Centre and I found it to be extremely impressive. More than simply about the much celebrated links between Cobh and the Titanic, it also covers much of the maritime history of Cobh along with the history of emmigration in the area.

We also spent some time in St Colman’s Catholic Cathedral, which overlooks the town. An awe inspiring building inside and out. We then spent some time out on Spike Island, billed as Corks own Alcatraz.

Some of our group opted to visit Midleton Jameson Distillery while everyone else decided on Cloyne to see the other St Colman’s Cathedral in Cloyne. This is the COI Cathedral for the diocese and medieval in origin. It still contains much of it’s medieval character and has a wonderful historic graveyard. The round tower also still stands, although it’s missing a roof due to a lightning strike in the 1700s.

Even with the Summer School over there was little time for rest. The following day, Sunday July 5th I was among a group of genealogists with Irish Ancestree providing genealogical consultations in Villierstown, Co. Waterford for the Dromana 800 festival. We met some lovely people down there and got to put our knowledge of genealogy into practice. The always fickle Irish weather even cooperated for the most part.

Planning has already begun for Ancestral Connections 2016 – Roots To The Rising and the preliminary programme should be announced shortly.

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Ryan Genealogical Research

Genealogical researcher based in Cork, Ireland

Tag Archives: Cork