Family History Matters 
 The blog of the GSV 

Irish Ancestry

Irish Day in The Library – GSV Library 23 November 2023

Rodney VAN COOTEN
Expiry Date

SPECIAL EVENT

The Irish Ancestry Discussion Circle together with GSV library staff and research assistants are planning an Irish Day in the GSV library on Thursday 23 November 2023. It is proposed that those who wish to seek support with their research, or who value a catch up with other like-minded investigators can come together and seek direction or guidance in their Irish genealogy.

The library space is limited, so members and non-members need to book to attend. It is a free event for members or $15 for non-members. Members can indicate their attendance by signing into the members section on the GSV website, then clicking Events Booking Page or via this link. Participants can select which timeslot they would like to attend: Morning (10am-12pm), Midday (12pm-2pm) or Afternoon (2pm-4pm). Non-members can call the GSV office to register. Bookings are based on a first come, first allocated basis.

All the usual digital resources will be available in the library, as well as access to GSV printed and film materials. Kindly bring along your supporting information to assist the library research assistants so they can offer their best support. An email containing further information on how best to prepare for the day will be sent to those who register.

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Small green four leaf clover

A café is located on the ground floor of 10 Queen Street and it is hoped that on the day a group coffee/refreshment session can take place with participants exchanging information and camaraderie.

Looking forward to seeing you on the 23 November!

IADC Committee and GSV Library staff and assistants

GSV Members: Free event, and register here. (Log into the website before booking.)
Non-members: Cost $15, and register by calling +61 3 9662 4455  

Talking about Leitrim and Irish orphan girls

Bill Barlow
Expiry Date

Leitrim countryside. Photo: RedHotHeat [CC BY-SA 2.5 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.5)]

Leitrim is a northern county of Ireland and is perhaps the most unspoilt. It is full of lakes and mountains and rugged scenery. After the Great Famine of the 1840s its population fell from 160,000 to 25,000 by 1996. Not surprisingly many exiles to the New World dreamt of returning to their home county.

 "Well I've travelled far through these great lands from the east onto the west

But of all the islands I have seen I love my own the best

And if ever I return again there is one place I will go

It will be to lovely Leitrim where the Shannon waters flow."

(Last verse taken from the song "Lovely Leitrim" composed by Phil Fitzpatrick, a Leitrim exile in New York).

On Saturday 11 May, 1.00 pm, members of the Irish Ancestry Group (IAG) of the GSV will be discussing this county as part of a series working their way around the Irish counties.

And at 2.00 pm Ray Watson will speak about 'Irish Orphan Girls in Today's World'.

CORRECTION: The 11 May topics were incorrect in the recent issue of Ancestor journal (March 2019), for which we apologise to the Group, and should have been as above.

The meeting is open to all GSV members and IAG newsletter subscribers, but you can always join by going to the GSV's website for more information HERE.

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Ref: Song and information from Leitrim Genealogy Centre website http://www.leitrimroots.com

Webcasts on Irish Research

Bill Barlow
Expiry Date

An update on accessing the GSV Collection

Unfortunately our catalogue and databases are not available currently. Due to CoVID level 4 restrictions we may not be able to fix this, as it requires a permit to visit the GSV where the server is hosted. Please use our new catalogue and databases, though links to files in the databases are not available at this point. Our September issue of Ancestor will have a full description of our coming new system. If you do wish to obtain a file please use Quick Lookup request.

GSV Members can access this from the Members area and the link to
New Look Databases & Catalogue (Beta version)

... and GOOD NEWS about access to our webcasts

GSV Webcasts – Researching Irish Ancestors
The Society holds an extensive collection of webcasts on a wide range of topics. A webcast is a video of a talk that is available to stream from our website.
To promote our collection, we have selected six webcasts that relate to researching Irish ancestors. The talks range from examining the social conditions in Ireland in past centuries to emigration, especially to Australia, and to the lives built by Irish workers in Victoria. In all cases the presenters refer to resources you can find that will assist with your own research.
To find these webcasts you should go to the GSV Website, login as a Member, select the 'Members Area' and then look for 'Researching Irish Ancestors' under the Webcasts heading. Here you will find a link to the page that displays six selected webcasts. Click on an icon and the webcast will stream to your computer or portable device. Each file has controls that will enable you to adjust the volume and to pause and restart the webcast.
Over the next few months we will be highlighting other webcasts that fall into particular themes. In the interim you can find all our webcasts by searching our catalogue using the term ‘webcast’ in the format field and combining that with a subject in the topic field.
We hope that you enjoy listening to these talks and that they inspire you to further your research.
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