Irish Records for Family Historians

A two hour presentation on Irish records filled the State Library's auditorium 2 to capacity this morning, proving once again that there are more than a few sons and daughters of Erin in our midst with a passion for tracing their family history.

Senior Family History Librarian Stephanie Ryan covered the range of materials available to researchers including maps, directories, county records, books, indexes, reports and online resources such as Ask about Ireland.

Interesting insights into the historical context of Irish immigration to Australia were provided and key documents were considered such as Griffith's valuation of Ireland 1848-1864 and reports on the potato famine of the 1840s, including the Devon Commission: Report from Her majesty's Commissioners of Inquiry into the State of the Law and Practice in respect of the Occupation of Land in Ireland: with minutes of evidence, supplements, appendices and index, 1845.

The State Library's Family History Unit has a guide titled Resources for Irish history: a select list available onsite and a range of other useful information guides available via the State Library of Queensland's website.

Thanks to Stephanie for her entertaining, informative talk and to all who attended.