Introduction
The Directory of Irish Genealogy was published in conventional printed form between 1990 and 1994 and has been on the Internet since 1998, this being the 2010 Edition, which therefore marks twenty-one years of continuous publication in one form or another. The usual mix of useful information, guidance and links is maintained, accompanied by statements of opinion on areas of concern in the realm of Irish genealogy. Contact details of most of the repositories and organisations mentioned below may be found in the Links section. All opinions expressed are of course those of the author alone, and where factual errors can be demonstrated they will be corrected.
2010 saw a deepening of Ireland's economic crisis, to the extent that in November the dreaded International Monetary Fund was called in. Further slashing of public expenditure can be expected, and if health, education and welfare must suffer, genealogy and the arts and culture sectors cannot expect to be spared. Meanwhile, massive amount of public funds have been committed to bailing out the bankers and speculators whose greed and stupidity have done most to sink the country. Despite its proven ineptitude and indeed complicity in the economic disaster, Government is now able to proceed by means of in camera court proceedings, rendering accountability an even more remote prospect. No doubt through hard work and higher tax contributions we will eventually overcome this economic crisis and better times will come again, but for the present let us proceed to the usual annual genealogical commentary.
The National Library of Ireland has a new Director and a new Chief Herald/Chief Genealogical Officer. Although the writer has shown that the archives of the latter office contain a substantial quantity of questionable or corrupt entries in addition to those relating to the hoaxer Terence MacCarthy 'Mór' - for example, Maguire of Fermanagh, Duc de St Bar, Duchess of Braganza, feudal titles and grants of supporters - the new Library adminstration declines to countenance an audit to identify and amend the records in question. While it is now known that arms grants of the Chief Herald from 1943 to 2005 at least have no legal validity, and that grants after 2005 are of questionable status, it does not appear that there are any practical plans to resolve the situation. The Office of the Chief Herald is an anomaly which should no longer be allowed to sell arms and indeed should be abolished. Demonstrating the kind of fecklessness with public monies which marked the years of the Celtic Tiger, the Library paid some €700,000 more than it had to when purchasing some sheets of Joyce's Finnegans Wake in 2006, and there are no moves to recover the lost funds.
The National Archives of Ireland continues under its old administration, although it is clear that a shake-up is urgently required (the last available Director's report is for 2006). While the project to make the 1901 and 1911 Censuses available online has been completed, at a cost in excess of €4 million, the significantly large quantity of errors and omissions therein remain unamended, and indeed most might have been avoided with proper planning. If Government proceeds with its cost-saving plan to amalgamate the National Library and National Archives, it is to hoped that this will not replicate existing inefficient structures and that a new department dealing rationally with genealogy, heraldry and local studies can be created.
The General Register Office remains the most infuriatingly inefficient office with which genealogists have to deal, perforce as it holds and indeed jealously hoards old birth, marriage and death registrations from 1845/1864. The 'About Us' section of the GRO's website proudly announces that it 'is concerned with civil registration matters only, and does not engage in Genealogical/Family History research' (perish the thought!). Although millions of public funds have been spent on digitising the old records, the results have not been released to the public because of unspecified technical issues. Meanwhile, genealogists have to pay fees to search manually for birth, marriage and death records, are limited to five copy items per day and are sometimes locked out of the public office due to 'overcrowding'. The FamilySearch free online index to Irish vital records has provided considerable relief for genealogists, but with typical bovinity, the GRO refuses to acknowledge this, still less to provide clients with computer access to the service in its search room.
Speaking of FamilySearch, the writer understands that some of the barriers placed in the way of Irish indexing projects have been removed, and that the Tithe Applotment Books will be coming on stream in the coming year, followed hopefully by other records. Similarly, the foolish resistance to involvement in digitisation projects on the part of commercial firms has lessened, no doubt due to the national economic crisis and the drying up of public funds. It might be expected that mention should be made of the Department of Tourism, Culture and Sports Irish Genealogy website, which makes some church registers available online without charge, but while using and appreciating this resource, the writer frankly cannot comprehend how such a free service can be extended at a time of national bankruptcy, when more vital services such as those in the aforementioned areas of health, education and welfare are being constrained. Similarly, the writer has stood aside from the campaign to release the 1926 Census before the due date of 2027, a campaign supported probably by most Irish genealogists, as it is not clear from whence will come the resources to sort and digitise the returns, and the deficiencies in the 1901 and 1911 Censuses project need to be remedied first.
Due to personal financial and time constraints, the writer is having to review his own range of projects, most of which are voluntary. In addition to maintaining the present Directory and as many of his other online publications as he can during these difficult times, the writer intends to continue working on a detailed study of the Registry of Deeds (see an online History Ireland article). As the Registry of Deeds is currently being subsumed into the Property Registration Authority, one fears for the continuation of access to its historical records dating from 1708, which fears are not allayed by management's destruction of old land certificates and refusal to reply to correspondence. It is noted that the old records of the Land Commission appear to have been 'dencentralised' to Port Laoise, rendering them effectively inaccessible to researchers.
In conclusion, the writer's Adult Education classes in genealogy in University College Dublin continue as a three-year, six-module Certificate course mapped at Level 7 of the National Framework of Qualifications. The first module, offered on an afternoon or a night for ten weeks commencing in September at UCD's Blackrock and Belfield campuses, still serves as a stand-alone introduction to genealogy for students who do not wish to complete the full course, and reflecting the ongoing popularity of genealogy, these introductory classes tend to be booked out well in advance. For those who cannot attend my classes I continue to offer online my Primer in Irish Genealogy.Sean Murphy
Centre for Irish Genealogical and Historical Studies
Last updated 27 December 2010