Celtic Connections conference in Illinois cancelled

From the Irish Genealogical Society International (IGSI) and The Irish Ancestral Research Association (TIARA), sad but almost inevitable news that this summer's Celtic Connections conference (www.celtic-connections.org), at which I was due to attend as one of the international speakers, has unfortunately been cancelled due to the current coronavirus pandemic. Here's the announcement:

Celtic Connections Conference 2020 has been CANCELED.

Journey Home virtual conference in the works.

For the safety of our attendees, presenters and volunteers, we have decided to cancel the Celtic Connections Conference 2020 and its pre-conference activities, which were to have been held July 30-August 1, 2020, at the Westin Chicago North Shore in Wheeling, Illinois.

Full refunds will be issued automatically to those who have already registered. No action is necessary to request a refund.

Registration: If your Registration fee was paid by credit card, you will receive a full credit on your card. If you paid by check, a refund check will be mailed to you.

Lodging: If you made lodging reservations for the conference at the Westin Chicago North Shore, you should cancel them, either by calling the hotel at 847-777-6500 (or Marriott at 800-937-8461), or click here to cancel online.

Donate: If you would like to make a contribution to help us defray the costs we’ve incurred, make a donation using your credit/debit card or PayPal account.


The Irish Genealogical Society International (IGSI) and The Irish Ancestral Research Association (TIARA) – our all-volunteer, nonprofit organizations – invested a great deal of time, effort and resources planning this biennial in-person conference.

While the decision to cancel was difficult, we believe it’s the most prudent step given the current COVID-19 situation and likelihood of future risk.

But we’re not giving up! We are evaluating alternatives and hope to take our Journey Home on a new path.

As you continue to practice social distancing, check this website regularly for updates.


COMMENT: As noted, an alternative online event called Journey Home is currently being worked on, with further details on this coming soon.

Chris

My next 5 week Scotland 1750-1850: Beyond the OPRs course starts May 4th - see www.pharostutors.com/details.php?coursenumber=302. My next book, Tracing Your Scottish Family History on the Internet, at http://bit.ly/ChrisPaton-Scottish2 is out shortly, also available are Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet (2nd ed) at http://bit.ly/ChrisPaton-Irish1 and Tracing Your Scottish Ancestry Through Church and State Records at http://bit.ly/ChrisPaton-Scotland1. Further news published daily on The Scottish GENES Facebook page, and on Twitter @genesblog.