Detailed Information
AE-HN400 - Who do you think you are? An introduction to Irish family history
This course offers an introduction to family history in Ireland. It acquaints learners with the methods and sources for conducting effective Irish family history research. It places a strong emphasis on examining online Irish genealogical sources, particularly those sources dating to the 19th and early 20th centuries. These include census records, civil records, church records and land records. In addition to these categories of source, some attention will be given to estate records, cemeteries, professional records, and extant Early Modern sources. Students will be given the opportunity to locate and critically analyse and evaluate different types of sources. Learners will receive guidance enabling them to conduct their own Irish family history research projects, culminating in the (optional) creation of research outputs (e.g. family trees, presentations on a particular ancestor, genealogical problem solving etc). This guidance will include both practical tips and information about the nature of genealogical sources in Ireland and the historical background to their creation. The course is delivered through contiguous lectures and seminars. The latter involve active learning, including both individual and collaborative learning exercises, often using online databases. The course will be ideal for anyone who wants to get involved in researching their own family's history using sources available online. It will also benefit anyone who wants to understand how family historians use sources to interpret aspects of the past.
Duration: 8 Mondays
Time: 10:45- 12:45
Dates: 30 Sept, 7, 14, 21, Oct (No class 28th Oct), 4, 11, 18, 25 Nov
Census records (e.g. 1901 & 1911 censuses)
Civil records (i.e. birth, marriage and death [BMD] records)
Church records(e.g. Catholic parish registers)
Land records (e.g. Griffith's valuation)
Irish military records (incl pensions and medals)
Other sources for Irish family history & genealogy (e.g. Early Modern sources)
The historical background to the creation of these sources
The nature of genealogy
Tips for using a variety of online databases
Recording your family history
The following is a selection of recommended texts for those interested in reading further around the course content. We advise that you do not buy books in advance of the course as your tutor will discuss the list and suggest the most relevant reading for particular interests.
Begley, Donal, ed. Irish Genealogy: A Record Finder. Dublin: Heraldic Artists, 1981.
Grenham, John. Tracing Your Irish Ancestors. Fifth edition. Dublin: Gill Books, 2020.
Maxwell, Ian. How to Trace Your Irish Ancestors: An essential guide to researching and documenting the family histories of Ireland's people. Second edition. Oxford: How To Books, 2009.
Maxwell, Ian. Tracing Your Northern Irish Ancestors: A Guide for Family Historians. Second edition. Barnsley: Pen & Sword Family History, 2015.
Murphy, Sean J. A Primer in Irish Genealogy. Bray: Centre for Irish Genealogical and Historical Studies, 2023.
url: http://homepage.eircom.net/~seanjmurphy/epubs/primer.pdf.
Thomas Tormey is a tutor and occasional lecturer at the School of History in UCD. He holds a PhD in modern Irish history from Trinity College, Dublin, an MSc in history from the University of Edinburgh, and an MA in military history from Maynooth. Dr Tormey has lectured and published widely on the Irish revolution and worked as historian-in-residence on Louth County Council's Decade of Centenaries programme.
At the end of the course, students should be able to:
- Research their own family history using the numerous extant sources in Ireland
- Understand and distinguish between different categories of source for Irish family history
- Locate evidence for the history of Irish families using online resources and repositories (d) Evaluate and triangulate the evidence gleaned from these sources
- Understand the historical background to the source material
- Analyse sources to extract information about historical people, their lives, and their relationships (g) Work collaboratively with peers to solve problems using historical evidence
- Record their family history and create their own evidence-based Irish family history outputs
Dr Thomas Tormey is a tutor and occasional lecturer at the School of History in UCD. He holds a PhD in modern Irish history from Trinity College, Dublin, an MSc in history from the University of Edinburgh, and an MA in military history from Maynooth. This will be Dr Tormey’s second year teaching Who do you think you are? An introduction to Irish family history for UCD Lifelong Learning
The learning outcomes will be delivered via contiguous lectures and seminars, as well as through optional project tasks. Lectures will be centred around the presentation of key information using oral and visual communication methods. They will also involve interaction, including questioning, group discussion, and formative feedback. Seminars are built around active learning exercises where students apply their knowledge from lectures and readings to: (i) conduct family history research; (ii) to analyse and evaluate sources; and (iii) to create their own family history outputs. This will involve both individual and cooperative learning tasks. Students will receive formative feedback on their work in seminars, and on optional project tasks they choose to complete. Where possible, students are encouraged to bring internet-enabled devices (e.g. laptops or tablets) for use in seminars, however some paper-based learning materials will also be made available for students without access to a device.