DUP removes funding from Placenames NI site triggering latest themuns versus usuns spat

Those of us from Northern Ireland won't be surprised at the latest depressing 'themuns versus usuns' spat, with the Democratic Unionist Party Communities Minister Gordon Lyons now removing funding from the popular The Northern Ireland Place-Name Project website at www.placenamesNI.org as he states "is it something that is necessary"? 

The fact that the site is used to help councils with Irish-English street name translations is of course coincidental, and his actions clearly have nothing to do with the DUP's hostility towards the Irish language in Northern Ireland, which one of their foolish representatives once called a "leprechaun language". This is the same party that hijacked the Ulster Scots language for political purposes during the Troubles in exactly the same way that Sinn Féin hijacked the Irish language for its purposes - "themuns have their language, and usuns have ours". The actions of both sides did untold damage to both languages, and like kids in a schoolyard still not getting their way, the arguments continue to this day. 

It's pathetic, because the Irish, English, and Scots languages belong to all of us, and should not be scrapped over by part-time talentless politicians who keep taking a break every few years when they get a bit tired and uncreative, continually failing to agree on the most simple of things because of a pathetic culture war initiated centures ago.

The Northern Ireland Place-Name Project has been active at Queen's University since 1987, and researches placenames across Northern Ireland, irrespective of whether they derive from English, Scots, or Irish backgrounds. There are similar platforms in other parts of these islands, with Logainm (www.logainm.ie) doing similar work in the Irish republic, and Ainmean Àite na h-Alba (www.ainmean-aite.scot) doing similar work in Scotland (specifically for Scottish Gaelic placenames). Their ongoing academic work adds to our understandings of our historic environments, and is priceless in contributing to our sense of ourselves in our respective regions.

The following note is now displaying on the PlacenamesNI website:

The Northern Ireland Place-Name Project has now reached the end of its current funding period. As a result, the project team is in the process of winding down activities. At this time, we regret that we are no longer in a position to respond to new enquiries or requests for information or translations. We appreciate your understanding as the project concludes this phase of its work.

Any update will be shared here should the situation change in the future. 

Northern Ireland deserves so much better, it's been failed by its politicians for far too long, on both sides of a divide that is long past its sell-by date.

For more on the story visit the BBC's coverage at https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c4g5prgq7eeo and The Journal's coverage at https://www.thejournal.ie/-7031294-May2026/. 

Chris

Order Researching Ancestral Crisis in Ireland in the UK at https://bit.ly/4jJWSEh. Also available -Tracing Your Belfast Ancestors, Tracing Your Irish Ancestors Through Land Records, Sharing Your Family History Online, Tracing Your Scottish Family History on the Internet, Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet (2nd ed), and Tracing Your Scottish Ancestry Through Church and State Records - to purchase, please visit https://bit.ly/ChrisPatonPSbooks. To purchase in the USA visit https://www.penandswordbooks.com. Further news published daily on The Scottish GENES Facebook page.

Ancestry adds 1926 Irish Free State census

In possibly the quickest third party publication arrangement ever by a genealogical platform, Ancestry (www.ancestry.co.uk) has added the 1926 Irish Free State census, launched online just two weeks ago by the National Archives of Ireland (see https://scottishgenes.blogspot.com/2026/04/1926-irish-free-state-census-released.html). The following is Ancestry's description:

Ireland, 1926 Census of the Irish Free State
https://www.ancestry.co.uk/search/collections/63564/
Source info: Ancestry.com. Ireland, 1926 Census of the Irish Free State [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2026.
Original data: Census of Ireland 1926. The National Archives of Ireland, Apr. 18, 2026.
This work includes content from records of the 1926 Census of Ireland, made available by the National Archives of Ireland under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) licence. Please see further: https://nationalarchives.ie/search-the-1926-census-2/permission-to-reuse-census-1926/ Accessed: Apr 18, 2026. To the extent of any conflict between Ancestry’s terms and conditions and the terms of Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) licence, the terms of Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) will prevail.

About Ireland, 1926 Census of the Irish Free State

General collection information
This collection contains an index of information taken from the 1926 Census of the Irish Free State. The index includes a link that connects to images of the original census pages on the National Archives of Ireland website. The original census includes a Household Form A, detailing personal information about each person who was in the house on the night that the census was conducted. It also includes a House and Building Return Form B, which can provide additional information about the size of the house and a more detailed home address.

Using this collection
Records in this collection may include the following information:

• Name
• Relationship to head of household
• Age
• Gender
• Marital status
• Birthplace
• Residence
• Orphanhood
• Language
• Religion
• Years married
• Number of children born alive
• Number of children living

Censuses are highly valuable sources of information for family historians because they contain information about multiple members of a family in one document. Learning about where your ancestors lived when the 1926 census was conducted can provide clues that help you look for other records related to their lives. For example, the 1926 census provides information on children's ages, helping you search for their birth records. The collection contains information about the marital status of people aged 15 and older, and also has information about the orphanhood of children younger than 15, indicating if one or both of an orphan's parents were dead at the time of the census. These pieces of information can be used to search for marriage and death records, where relevant.

The column titled "Irish Language" may have information about your ancestor's speaking and reading ability in both Irish and English. You may also find information on the original census image that has not been indexed. The census form has columns that may reveal your ancestor's occupation and the name of their employer. This information may provide insights into your ancestor's role in society and daily life.

Your ancestor's place of residence is listed in a separate section on the right side of the Household Form A and on the House and Building Form B. Residence information may help you discover more about your ancestor in one of the collections featured on Ancestry's Ireland Genealogy & Ireland Family History Resources page.

Further details are available via the link.

* Don't forget that my next Scottish GENES Webinar on May 30th looks at all of Ireland's surviving censuses that are available for release, as well as many alternative censuses and substitutes - for full details, and to book, please visit https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_rTFnWym3QNuTWGgie7Kdqw.

Chris

Order Researching Ancestral Crisis in Ireland in the UK at https://bit.ly/4jJWSEh. Also available -Tracing Your Belfast Ancestors, Tracing Your Irish Ancestors Through Land Records, Sharing Your Family History Online, Tracing Your Scottish Family History on the Internet, Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet (2nd ed), and Tracing Your Scottish Ancestry Through Church and State Records - to purchase, please visit https://bit.ly/ChrisPatonPSbooks. To purchase in the USA visit https://www.penandswordbooks.com. Further news published daily on The Scottish GENES Facebook page.

New monumental inscriptions publication from ANESFHS

Aberdeen and North East Scotland Family History Society has a new monumental inscriptions publication out, entitled The Kirkyards of Monquhitter and St. Luke's Cuminestown. The book is £4.40 plus p&p.

You can order the book from the society at https://anesfhs.org/publications/anesfhs-titles.

Chris 

Order Researching Ancestral Crisis in Ireland in the UK at https://bit.ly/4jJWSEh. Also available -Tracing Your Belfast Ancestors, Tracing Your Irish Ancestors Through Land Records, Sharing Your Family History Online, Tracing Your Scottish Family History on the Internet, Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet (2nd ed), and Tracing Your Scottish Ancestry Through Church and State Records - to purchase, please visit https://bit.ly/ChrisPatonPSbooks. To purchase in the USA visit https://www.penandswordbooks.com. Further news published daily on The Scottish GENES Facebook page.

TheGenealogist makes parish records accessible via its MapExplorer tool

From TheGenealogist (www.thegenealogist.co.uk):

TheGenealogist Brings Parish Records to Life with Church Pins, Historic Images and Surname Heatmaps

TheGenealogist has transformed the way family historians explore parish records, now pinning baptisms, marriages and burials directly onto its MapExplorer tool. This powerful update allows users to pinpoint the exact location of over 6,000 churches where their ancestors’ key life events took place, even when those buildings have long since disappeared.

For the first time, researchers can move beyond names and dates to uncover the precise locations behind the records, tracing ancestors to specific churches, chapels and parishes across the landscape. Whether standing, rebuilt or lost to time, these places can now be rediscovered through an intuitive, map-based experience.

Adding a rich new visual layer, TheGenealogist has also boosted its Image Archive with the addition of over 3,000 historic church photographs and paintings. Where available, parish records pinned on MapExplorer™ have been linked to the Image Archive, revealing what the church looked like and offering a rare opportunity to see the setting of an ancestor’s baptism, marriage or burial.

The update also introduces the ability to map search results, giving researchers a powerful new way to explore patterns in their family history. Users can visualise results as a heatmap, revealing concentrations of records across towns, villages and regions, before zooming in to explore individual entries in detail.

This is particularly valuable for surname studies and research before the census era. What may appear as scattered results in a list can quickly form clear geographical clusters when mapped, helping to uncover migration patterns, family groups and hidden connections that might otherwise go unnoticed Parish records remain one of the most important sources for tracing generations before civil registration began in England and Wales in 1837. By anchoring these records to real-world locations and enabling them to be explored visually, TheGenealogist is helping researchers build a deeper, more meaningful connection to their past.

Mark Bayley, Head of Online Content at TheGenealogist, said: “Family history is about more than just names on a page. With this update, you can discover exactly where your ancestors’ life events took place and, in many cases, even see the church itself. Combined with the ability to map your results and spot patterns across places and surnames, it opens up entirely new ways to understand your family’s story.”

MapExplorer™ already allows users to view historical maps alongside modern mapping, helping them locate streets, villages, farms, churches and other places linked to their family tree. The addition of parish record pins, historic church imagery and mapped search results makes the tool even more powerful for uncovering the stories behind the records. 

The new parish record mapping feature, heatmap visualisation and enhanced image archive are available now to TheGenealogist’s Diamond subscribers. Within these newly pinned records is the baptism of the Victorian heroine Grace Darling. Read her story here: https://www.thegenealogist.co.uk/featuredarticles/2026/amazing-grace-8995/ 

Comment: There is some Scottish content on this layer, but it predominantly covers England and Wales.

(With thanks to Paul Bayley)

Chris 

Order Researching Ancestral Crisis in Ireland in the UK at https://bit.ly/4jJWSEh. Also available -Tracing Your Belfast Ancestors, Tracing Your Irish Ancestors Through Land Records, Sharing Your Family History Online, Tracing Your Scottish Family History on the Internet, Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet (2nd ed), and Tracing Your Scottish Ancestry Through Church and State Records - to purchase, please visit https://bit.ly/ChrisPatonPSbooks. To purchase in the USA visit https://www.penandswordbooks.com. Further news published daily on The Scottish GENES Facebook page.

Delay with Pen and Sword books spring royalties

This one is for my fellow Pen and Sword book authors:

Dear Author

I am writing to let you know that we continue to experience issues with the software that we use to calculate royalties and this has delayed us in issuing royalty statements and payments during April 2026.

We know what the problem is and we know how to fix it, but unfortunately it’s not a quick fix and therefore payments might not be made until the end of May 2026.

We apologise for this inconvenience and will continue to do all we can to ensure that statements and payments are issued as soon as possible.

I would like to thank you for your patience and understanding with this matter.

Best wishes

Charles Hewitt
Managing Director

Comment: Sigh... The royalties are late this year, so I emailed them yesterday to ask what was going on - this is the first that I have heard of any software issues at the firm. Let's hope this gets sorted asap.

 

Chris 

Order Researching Ancestral Crisis in Ireland in the UK at https://bit.ly/4jJWSEh. Also available -Tracing Your Belfast Ancestors, Tracing Your Irish Ancestors Through Land Records, Sharing Your Family History Online, Tracing Your Scottish Family History on the Internet, Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet (2nd ed), and Tracing Your Scottish Ancestry Through Church and State Records - to purchase, please visit https://bit.ly/ChrisPatonPSbooks. To purchase in the USA visit https://www.penandswordbooks.com. Further news published daily on The Scottish GENES Facebook page.

New Public Record Office of Northern Ireland (PRONI) website launched

The Belfast based Public Record Office of Northern Ireland (PRONI) has at long last launched its new website.

The new website is available at www.proni.gov.uk, a much simpler web address than its predecessor to remember, and if memory serves me right, an address that it used to have many, many years ago.

 

Everything looks slick, but whilst the catalogue is easily accessible from the main home page, one change that is immediately obvious is that you cannot access the digital records from the main home page, as with its predecessor - you instead have to go to the Explore Archives Online tab on the main menu at the top of the screen, and select Family and Local History Archives from the drop-down menu. Each collection's home page has a slight redesign, but it looks like the actual search screens are the same from the previous version of the website. One thing that is nice to see is the hierarchy of links that you go through under the main menu bar, ensuring you know how to get back to the home page or other parts of the trail to the collection of interest.

 

The biggest change is perhaps how the guides are now accessed, and I think this may take a bit of getting used to. I tried to locate the PRONI Guide to Church Records and ended up all over the place, so ended up just typing the name of the guide into the search box, and soon discovered it - but having done so, I still can't identify which collection the guide is contained within, or how to access it other than by the search box, so I think there may be an element of retraining needed here! 

 

Needless to say, all the links on the new site are completely different, so you will need to remark any bookmarks that you have on your PC.

 

Chris 

Order Researching Ancestral Crisis in Ireland in the UK at https://bit.ly/4jJWSEh. Also available -Tracing Your Belfast Ancestors, Tracing Your Irish Ancestors Through Land Records, Sharing Your Family History Online, Tracing Your Scottish Family History on the Internet, Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet (2nd ed), and Tracing Your Scottish Ancestry Through Church and State Records - to purchase, please visit https://bit.ly/ChrisPatonPSbooks. To purchase in the USA visit https://www.penandswordbooks.com. Further news published daily on The Scottish GENES Facebook page.

How to identify past dissertations from the University of Strathclyde's genealogical studies programme students

From 1996-1998 I studied the University of Strathclyde's Postgraduate Diploma programme in Genealogical Studies, as part of its very first cohort, and back in the days when it was an attendance based course! At the time there was no Masters year to go onto, as this did not start until two or three years after, and I had moved onto full time working as a genealogist by then.

As a part of the diploma course, we had to submit a final year dissertation, and the topic for mine was The Role of King James VI Hospital in Perth as a 19th Century Feudal Superior - you can read this freely via https://scotlandsgreateststory.wordpress.com/free-items/, albeit minus the important appendices!

Last week, whilst at the university to speak at the 2-day Irish course there, I caught up with Tahitia McCabe and Calista Williams, the heid yins of the course and institute programme, and asked a simple question - with the diploma course having been running for twenty years now, and with the development of the subsequent masters programme, there must be an extraordinary amount of knowledge there in similar dissertations from over the years, but how can such information be identified?

Well, a seriously huge thank you to Calista for getting back to me today with a LibraryThing link that lists all such dissertations! You can search for past topics at https://www.librarything.com/catalog/gsholton/yourlibrary. Calista has indicated that these dissertations may be shared if those who have written them give permission to do so, and dependant on how busy the university staff are to make such enquiries of past students. 

But perhaps more importantly, if you are thinking of doing the courses, this catalogue will give a great idea of the kinds of topics that past students have pursued for their studies!

I'm off now to have a good search to see what my fellow genealogical professionals have been working on over the last twenty years! For further details on Strathclyde's genealogical courses, visit https://www.strath.ac.uk/courses/postgraduatetaught/genealogicalpalaeographicheraldicstudies/.

Update: Interestingly, in addition to my own dissertation on King James VI Hospital, I see there;s another piece of course work that I submitted, on Castle Menzies. I've completely forgotten what that was, so am now digging it out!!

(With thanks to Calista, and also to Graham Holton for starting the catalogue!)

Chris 

Order Researching Ancestral Crisis in Ireland in the UK at https://bit.ly/4jJWSEh. Also available -Tracing Your Belfast Ancestors, Tracing Your Irish Ancestors Through Land Records, Sharing Your Family History Online, Tracing Your Scottish Family History on the Internet, Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet (2nd ed), and Tracing Your Scottish Ancestry Through Church and State Records - to purchase, please visit https://bit.ly/ChrisPatonPSbooks. To purchase in the USA visit https://www.penandswordbooks.com. Further news published daily on The Scottish GENES Facebook page.

British Newspaper Archive passes 102 million pages

The British Newspaper Archive (www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk) has passed 102 million pages, with 102,267,306 pages available at the time of writing. 

The following are the latest Scottish and Irish additions over the last 30 days:

Scotland:

Northern Scot and Moray & Nairn Express 
1986-1999

Kelso Chronicle 
1882

John o' Groat Journal 
1985, 1995-1999

Inverness Courier 
1993-1994

Highland News 
1994

Gourock Times 
1915-1966

Fife Herald 
1996-2000

Sunday Mail (Glasgow) 
1986-1987, 1991, 1993-1999

People's Friend 
1929

Glasgow Herald 
1909


Ireland:

Dundalk Examiner and Louth Advertiser 
1881-1883, 1885-1892, 1894-1901, 1916-1929

Freeman's Journal 
1763-1765, 1771, 1775

Irish Weekly and Ulster Examiner 
1965

Roscommon Journal, and Western Impartial Reporter 
1865-1925, 1927

Chris

Order Researching Ancestral Crisis in Ireland in the UK at https://bit.ly/4jJWSEh. Also available -Tracing Your Belfast Ancestors, Tracing Your Irish Ancestors Through Land Records, Sharing Your Family History Online, Tracing Your Scottish Family History on the Internet, Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet (2nd ed), and Tracing Your Scottish Ancestry Through Church and State Records - to purchase, please visit https://bit.ly/ChrisPatonPSbooks. To purchase in the USA visit https://www.penandswordbooks.com. Further news published daily on The Scottish GENES Facebook page.

Scribe AI tool now available on MyHeritage's mobile app

From MyHeritage (www.myheritage.com):

Scribe AI is now available on the MyHeritage mobile app, making it possi1ble to analyze historical documents and photos instantly — right from your phone.

In case you need a refresher: Scribe AI transcribes handwritten and printed text, translates records, and interprets images to extract meaningful genealogical insights. Whether it’s a document, an old photo, or even a gravestone, it turns complex material into clear, structured information you can actually use. Since its release, Scribe AI has been highly popular in the genealogy world and has received enthusiastic praise.
 
ScribeAI Mobile

With this mobile release, you can simply scan an item on the spot and get insights immediately. This is especially useful when on the go visiting archives, relatives, or cemeteries.

There's a blog post about the update at https://blog.myheritage.com/2026/04/scribe-ai-now-available-on-the-myheritage-mobile-app/.

(With thanks to Daniel Horowitz)

Chris

Order Researching Ancestral Crisis in Ireland in the UK at https://bit.ly/4jJWSEh. Also available -Tracing Your Belfast Ancestors, Tracing Your Irish Ancestors Through Land Records, Sharing Your Family History Online, Tracing Your Scottish Family History on the Internet, Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet (2nd ed), and Tracing Your Scottish Ancestry Through Church and State Records - to purchase, please visit https://bit.ly/ChrisPatonPSbooks. To purchase in the USA visit https://www.penandswordbooks.com. Further news published daily on The Scottish GENES Facebook page.

5-week Researching Scottish Ancestral Crisis course starts 18 May

My next 5-week course for Pharos Teaching and Tutoring Ltd (www.pharostutors.com), entitled Researching Scottish Ancestral Crisis, starts on Monday 18th May 2025.

For some ten years or so, Pharos offered two Scottish themed courses, Scottish Research Online and Scotland 1750-1850: Beyond the Old Parish Registers. In the first course, we've shown how to access certain records for Scottish research online, whilst the second course has taken things further by showing how to access records not just online, but in archives. At the same time it has also shown how various aspects of Scotland worked, as a means to locate records offline and online that might help when the OPRs don't. 

In this third course, we now turn things seriously up to eleven...! In the past, records were often kept documenting various crises on a range of fronts, and in this course, I not only explore those scenarios, but also explain how the country worked, as well as the types of records generated, and crucially, how to access them. 

If you have done the previous two courses - or feel yourself to be somewhat further along with your research experience and at the relevant level - I hope you can sign up to this course, which I hope, as ever, will be both fulfilling and fun!  

The following is the course description:

Researching Scottish Ancestral Crisis

As in our own lives, many of our Scottish ancestors had to overcome great adversity on occasions to simply make it through the day. Illness, death, bigamy, abandonment, accidents, eviction, victimhood, ethnic cleansing, and so much more a dramatic range of experiences across a series of lifetimes. And whenever such crises emerged, somebody was usually close to hand with a quill and ink to bear witness. In so doing, a great documentary legacy was created that can greatly help us to understand the true lives of our forebears, and the struggles that led to who we became today.

Many challenges and hardships were faced across time. There were the laws of the local parish church and the punishments awaiting those who breached kirk discipline, diligently recorded in the kirk session and presbytery papers, but additional courts existed elsewhere in society, from the Crown and the burghs to the local justices of the peace and trade incorporations. Records of the churches and heritors, as well as the post-1845 poor law records, can detail the struggles of those who struggled to avoid poverty, whilst documents such as letters of horning and warrants of poinding, as well as sequestration and cessio bonorum, can detail the persecution and stigma of being a debtor or a bankrupt. In other areas, the court records can also reveal some of the ingenious methods by which people could avoid inheriting the debts of their predecessors.

The darkest moments of the soul, from mental health issues and illness, are revealed in historic asylum and hospital records held in archives across Scotland, whilst cases of murder and suicide can be uncovered in court processes, newspapers and broadsheets. Dramatic moments of rebellion, when our forebears drew a line in the sand against a perceived tyranny or democratic deficit, can be found in contemporary records of the Covenanters, the Jacobites, the Chartists, the Suffragettes, crofters, and those cleared from the land to make way for more profitable sheep, from the forfeiture of lands and prosecutions to the folk songs of many who were forced to emigrate.

This course will reveal the many areas of Scottish ancestral hardship that have been documented over the last few centuries, and explore how to access the relevant records. It follows on from two previous Pharos courses, Scottish Research Online, which explores websites offering some of the more basic records for Scottish research, and Scotland 1750: Beyond the Old Parish Registers, which takes students to more advanced records found offline and online, and which flags up the importance of using catalogues. Although not compulsory, it is recommended that both courses are completed prior to studying Researching Scottish Ancestral Crisis.

Lesson Headings:

    * Law and Order
    * Family Events and Relationships
    * Poverty and Debt
    * Medical Issues
    * The State and the People

Each lesson includes lesson notes, activities and forum exercises for students to complete during the week and a one-hour live tutorial (text chat or Zoom) with the tutor and the rest of the class. Times for the tutorials are set at the beginning of each course by the tutor.

See How the Courses Work.

Relevant Countries: Scotland
Course Length: 5 weeks
Start Date: 18 May 2026
Cost: £70.00

Reviews from former students:

"Wonderful topics to research and presentation and ideas of where to go to look for answers regarding these topics. Have learnt so much over the 3 courses and now have lots to do in updating and following through on the course materials and what I have learnt. Already looking at different ways of research and finding out heaps more. The 3 courses are so great and full of information and Chris is excellent in the Chat section with not only giving questions for us to reply to but also the answers."

"It was an excellent continuation of the previous course and really made me look at genealogy in a much broader way. Chris is a very encouraging tutor and willing to answer all questions. He has such an extensive knowledge of genealogy."

"The course content...amazing"

"All course materials were professional and thorough. Chris did a lot of prep work to make sure that we received the best information needed to be successful."

To sign up, please visit https://www.pharostutors.com/details.php?coursenumber=303

The following introductory video may also be of some help:

(Also available via https://youtu.be/OMJlLMPGc9s?si=hV0B_URoQ2ENqumJ)

I hope to see you there!

Chris 

Order Researching Ancestral Crisis in Ireland in the UK at https://bit.ly/4jJWSEh. Also available -Tracing Your Belfast Ancestors, Tracing Your Irish Ancestors Through Land Records, Sharing Your Family History Online, Tracing Your Scottish Family History on the Internet, Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet (2nd ed), and Tracing Your Scottish Ancestry Through Church and State Records - to purchase, please visit https://bit.ly/ChrisPatonPSbooks. To purchase in the USA visit https://www.penandswordbooks.com. Further news published daily on The Scottish GENES Facebook page.

Irish Land Commission's Keane Index cards now online

Something I only discovered tbis week is that the catalogue cards from the Keane Index from 1891-1909 are now available to view via the National Library of Ireland's catalogue at https://catalogue.nli.ie/Collection/vtls000923169?recordID=vtls000929125, thanks to the efforts of the library and the Irish Manuscript Commission.

The Keane Index provides the only current means to identify information held within the records of the Irish Land Commission, which the Irish Government has stubbornly locked away in a warehouse in Portlaoise, where they currently remain out of the reach of researchers. The Land Commission papers details the acquisition of lands by the general public from the landed gentry after the collapse of the landed estates system following An Gorta Mór from 1845-1851. Amongst the papers are deeds, wills, and other extraordinarily useful records for family history purposes. 

The Keane Index comprises of 36,000 cards, that leads to information about properties contained within 35 bound volumes, all at about 400 pages each. The index allows researchers to search by county, estate, or individual name.

You can read more about the partnership with the NLI and IMC at https://www.nli.ie/news-stories/stories/tracing-irelands-land-history-digitisation-keane-index.

And maybe, one day, when the Irish Government wakes up on this, we'll get to see the actual Land Commission records themselves (many for the north after Partition are already accessible at PRONI)... 

** For more on the Irish Land Commission, see my book Tracing Your Irish Ancestors Through Land Records, available from Pen and Sword in the UK at https://www.pen-and-sword.co.uk/Tracing-Your-Irish-Ancestors-Through-Land-Records-Paperback/p/19283 and the USA via https://www.penandswordbooks.com/9781526780218/tracing-your-irish-ancestors-through-land-records/.

Chris

Order Researching Ancestral Crisis in Ireland in the UK at https://bit.ly/4jJWSEh. Also available -Tracing Your Belfast Ancestors, Tracing Your Irish Ancestors Through Land Records, Sharing Your Family History Online, Tracing Your Scottish Family History on the Internet, Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet (2nd ed), and Tracing Your Scottish Ancestry Through Church and State Records - to purchase, please visit https://bit.ly/ChrisPatonPSbooks. To purchase in the USA visit https://www.penandswordbooks.com. Further news published daily on The Scottish GENES Facebook page.

New Public Record Office of Northern Ireland (PRONI) website to go live on April 30th

The Public Record Office of Northern Ireland announced a while back that they were developing a new front of house website, but today they have confirmed on their Fwcebook page when it will go live:

PRONI is delighted to announce that our new website will be launched on Thursday the 30th of April. The redesigned website will offer clearer navigation that makes it easier to explore our collections, plan a visit, and access a wide range of resources! 

This was first raised several months ago at the PRONI Stakeholder forum, where it was confirmed that the new site will mean several new URL addresses for web pages. 

I look forward to seeing the new site!

Chris 

Order Researching Ancestral Crisis in Ireland in the UK at https://bit.ly/4jJWSEh. Also available -Tracing Your Belfast Ancestors, Tracing Your Irish Ancestors Through Land Records, Sharing Your Family History Online, Tracing Your Scottish Family History on the Internet, Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet (2nd ed), and Tracing Your Scottish Ancestry Through Church and State Records - to purchase, please visit https://bit.ly/ChrisPatonPSbooks. To purchase in the USA visit https://www.penandswordbooks.com. Further news published daily on The Scottish GENES Facebook page.

1926 Irish Free State census released by the National Archives of Ireland

The day has come - the 1926 Free State census for Ireland has finally been released after 100 years at https://nationalarchives.ie/collections/search-the-1926-census/. I have already made several searches in this today, uncovering various situations for my family and that of my wife, and it has been a pleasant search experience, with no site crashes, and an excellent presentation of the resources, which are free to view. This is one area where the Republic of Ireland really does trump the UK, in making its public documents available free of charge, as can also be witnessed through its birth, marriage and death records platform at https://www.irishgenealogy.ie. 

 

The equivalent census for Northern Ireland, taken on the same night, has sadly not survived, but something that I learned during the week is that even if it had done so, it may well have not been released. This is because, unlike the rest of the UK, Northern Ireland astonishingly does not have a 100 year census rule for privacy, thanks to an act of the Stormont parliament from 1969. The same fate awaits the 1937 Northern Irish census, which means that unless a specific law is passed for it to be released, it just won't be. If we want to see it, we'll have to start lobbying our politicians to get their acts together! You can read more about this in an interesting blog post from Professor Marie Coleman of Queen's University Belfast at https://blogs.qub.ac.uk/qpol/the-lost-northern-ireland-census-of-1926.

In the meantime, what details are included in the 1926 Free State census? You can find the answers to this at https://nationalarchives.ie/search-the-1926-census-2/census-1926/. It's not quite as detailed as the 1911 census, but it is nevertheless another very useful document for family history research.

Have fun exploring!

Chris 

Order Researching Ancestral Crisis in Ireland in the UK at https://bit.ly/4jJWSEh. Also available -Tracing Your Belfast Ancestors, Tracing Your Irish Ancestors Through Land Records, Sharing Your Family History Online, Tracing Your Scottish Family History on the Internet, Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet (2nd ed), and Tracing Your Scottish Ancestry Through Church and State Records - to purchase, please visit https://bit.ly/ChrisPatonPSbooks. To purchase in the USA visit https://www.penandswordbooks.com. Further news published daily on The Scottish GENES Facebook page.

UPDATED: ScotlandsPeople Centre ceases half-day bookings

From ScotlandsPeople (www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk):

Changes to booking options for visitors

We want to let you know about a change to our booking options for visitors to the Scotland's People Centre in Edinburgh.

Current legal regulations mean we are unable to continue offering half-day bookings. We know that this option has been popular, so we’re working to reintroduce it in future.

In the meantime, full-day bookings remain available at £15. We are also introducing a limited number of free two-hour sessions for personal research.

Find out how you can visit us at General Register House https://www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk

(Source: https://www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk/news-and-articles/changes-booking-options-scotlands-people-centre and Facebook)

Comment: 
Where there's a will, there's always a way. 

Update: I messaged ScotlandsPeople to clarify what the issue was, and with which piece of legislation. This was its response:

Hi there: A recent review of the legislation governing our fees indicated that our earlier interpretation should be revised. We’ve now stopped taking bookings for half days while we work to request an update. We’ll highlight here on Facebook and on the Scotland’s People website, if we are able to reinstate our half-day service. You can find the full regulations here  https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ssi/2006/575/contents?commentary-key-6a0e41cca2699729e0a99d1981758138

(With thanks to ScotlandsPeople)

Chris 

Order Researching Ancestral Crisis in Ireland in the UK at https://bit.ly/4jJWSEh. Also available -Tracing Your Belfast Ancestors, Tracing Your Irish Ancestors Through Land Records, Sharing Your Family History Online, Tracing Your Scottish Family History on the Internet, Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet (2nd ed), and Tracing Your Scottish Ancestry Through Church and State Records - to purchase, please visit https://bit.ly/ChrisPatonPSbooks. To purchase in the USA visit https://www.penandswordbooks.com. Further news published daily on The Scottish GENES Facebook page.

Free access to RootsTech presentations until August 2026

From FamilySearch (www.familysearch.org):

SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH (7 April 2026) —RootsTech 2026, the world’s largest family history celebration, successfully held its 16th annual event and offered new content in 23 languages. Hosted by FamilySearch, the event drew millions of people in person and online from 235 countries and territories and all 50 states. It offered more than 500 classes, keynotes, an expo hall with more than 200 exhibitors, and the popular Relatives at RootsTech interactive discovery activity. This global experience had millions of participants who made new family connections and viewed millions of ancestral relationships online. Find and share this announcement in the FamilySearch Newsroom.

FamilySearch hosts RootsTech as part of its purpose to help individuals discover more about their heritage and make more family connections—past, present, and future. Although RootsTech 2026 has concluded, many of the sessions are now available on demand for free at RootsTech.org. Users can explore thousands of free online classes and create personalized watchlists of their interests to continue learning and discovering year-round. The RootsTech Online Expo Hall will be available until August 2026.

For further details, read the full press release at https://www.familysearch.org/en/newsroom/rootstech-2026-highlights.

The presentations themselves can be found at https://www.familysearch.org/en/rootstech/library.

Chris

Order Researching Ancestral Crisis in Ireland in the UK at https://bit.ly/4jJWSEh. Also available -Tracing Your Belfast Ancestors, Tracing Your Irish Ancestors Through Land Records, Sharing Your Family History Online, Tracing Your Scottish Family History on the Internet, Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet (2nd ed), and Tracing Your Scottish Ancestry Through Church and State Records - to purchase, please visit https://bit.ly/ChrisPatonPSbooks. To purchase in the USA visit https://www.penandswordbooks.com. Further news published daily on The Scottish GENES Facebook page.

ScotlandsPeople expands prisoner records collection

ScotlandsPeople (www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk) has added over 100,000 new prisoner records from Ayr and Inveraray jails from the Victorian era. The addition includes 98,000 entries from Ayr Prison from 1841-1911.

For further details please visit https://www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk/news-and-articles/100000-victorian-prison-records-now-online.

Chris 

Order Researching Ancestral Crisis in Ireland in the UK at https://bit.ly/4jJWSEh. Also available -Tracing Your Belfast Ancestors, Tracing Your Irish Ancestors Through Land Records, Sharing Your Family History Online, Tracing Your Scottish Family History on the Internet, Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet (2nd ed), and Tracing Your Scottish Ancestry Through Church and State Records - to purchase, please visit https://bit.ly/ChrisPatonPSbooks. To purchase in the USA visit https://www.penandswordbooks.com. Further news published daily on The Scottish GENES Facebook page.

East Lothian Library Service Family History Fair

East Lothian Library Service is hosting a 50th anniversary Family History Fair on Monday 20 April 2026 from 3.30-6.30pm, at the Star Room in the John Gray Centre in Haddington.

For further details please visit https://www.whatsoninedinburgh.co.uk/event/172445-east-lothian-library-service-local-history-centre-family-&-local-history-fair/.

 

Chris 

Order Researching Ancestral Crisis in Ireland in the UK at https://bit.ly/4jJWSEh. Also available -Tracing Your Belfast Ancestors, Tracing Your Irish Ancestors Through Land Records, Sharing Your Family History Online, Tracing Your Scottish Family History on the Internet, Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet (2nd ed), and Tracing Your Scottish Ancestry Through Church and State Records - to purchase, please visit https://bit.ly/ChrisPatonPSbooks. To purchase in the USA visit https://www.penandswordbooks.com. Further news published daily on The Scottish GENES Facebook page.

Friends of Argyll Estate Archives makes past newsletters available for sale

From the Friends of Argyll Estate Archives via Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/friendsofargyllestatesarchives):

NEWSLETTERS

 

The Friends of Argyll Estates Archives Newsletter, now available to non-members! Edited by volunteer and trustee, Duncan Beaton, the Newsletter was established in 2016 to document all the exciting things happening in the archives.

 

Issued twice a year at the traditional Scots term dates of Whitsunday (28 May) and Martinmas (28 November) the Newsletter typically includes an Editor’s note, a list of upcoming seminars, reports on Friends outings and events, articles informed by archival research, a Pen Picture feature and more!

 

Select issues of the Newsletter are now available to purchase for those who are not yet members, but want to learn more about the Friends or read a particular article.

https://argyllestatesarchives.org/shop/

 

PLEASE REMEMBER: existing members can access the full back catalogue of Newsletters by logging-in to the Friends Area!

(With thanks to the Friends)

Chris 

Order Researching Ancestral Crisis in Ireland in the UK at https://bit.ly/4jJWSEh. Also available -Tracing Your Belfast Ancestors, Tracing Your Irish Ancestors Through Land Records, Sharing Your Family History Online, Tracing Your Scottish Family History on the Internet, Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet (2nd ed), and Tracing Your Scottish Ancestry Through Church and State Records - to purchase, please visit https://bit.ly/ChrisPatonPSbooks. To purchase in the USA visit https://www.penandswordbooks.com. Further news published daily on The Scottish GENES Facebook page.

British Newspaper Archive releases Salvation Army's War Cry

If your ancestors were members of the Salvation Army, the British Newspaper Archive (www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk) has now uploaded the archive of the War Cry publication. The current release includes content from 1879-1985, but coverage is planned to continue to the present day, according to its description page at https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/titles/BL/war-cry.

My grandmother was a member of the Salvation Army in Belfast as a child, with her mother and grandparents being staunch members. I am still trying to determine which branch they attended in the city, but have already found some clues that I will now pursue with the Salvation Army itself, via its International Heritage Centre (https://www.salvationarmy.org.uk/about-us/international-heritage-centre).

Happy hunting!

Chris 

Order Researching Ancestral Crisis in Ireland in the UK at https://bit.ly/4jJWSEh. Also available -Tracing Your Belfast Ancestors, Tracing Your Irish Ancestors Through Land Records, Sharing Your Family History Online, Tracing Your Scottish Family History on the Internet, Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet (2nd ed), and Tracing Your Scottish Ancestry Through Church and State Records - to purchase, please visit https://bit.ly/ChrisPatonPSbooks. To purchase in the USA visit https://www.penandswordbooks.com. Further news published daily on The Scottish GENES Facebook page.

What to expect from the 1926 Irish Free State census

We are now just a week away from the release of the 1926 Irish census by the National Archives of Ireland, the first census to be recorded by the Irish Free State after its foundation in December 1922. The census revealed that the population of the state (today the Irish republic) at that time was just under 3 million people, standing at 2,971,992. The census will be searchable at https://nationalarchives.ie/collections/search-the-census/, alongside the 1901 and 1911 censuses, and the surviving census fragments from 1821-1851.

Details on the questions asked by the census are included at https://nationalarchives.ie/collections/search-the-census/about-the-census-collections/census-1926/, with blank examples of the forms also available to view. Note that there will be two forms to consult, Form A, the householder's return, and Form B, the enumerator's return.

I am very much looking forward to the release, to discover information about my wife's family in counties Tipperary and Kilkenny, but also branches of my own family in Donegal and Dublin.  

There was an equivalent census recorded on the same night in 1926 by the recently established Northern Irish government, but these returns have tragically not survived. The next census for the north was recorded in 1937, whuch means we still have eleven years to consult that. However, the 1939 National Identity Register for Northern Ireland, recorded two weeks into the Second World War in September 1939, can be consulted by sending an enquiry to the Public Record Office of Northern Ireland at https://www.nidirect.gov.uk/forms/submit-enquiry. There is no charge for the service, but you may be required to submit evidence of the death of those you are seeking details for, to protect privacy for those still alive.

The next census in the Irish Free State was recorded on April 26, 1936. The following is therefore the list of censuses for Britain and Ireland to be released over the next 25 years:

• 1931 Scottish census (the English and Welsh returns have not survived)
• 1936 Irish Free State census 
• 1937 Northern Irish census
• 1939 UK National Identity Register (already available)
• No UK 1941 census (Second World War)
• 1946 Ireland (Republic) census 
• 1951 UK census / 1951 Ireland (Republic) census

Every census release is a big occasion - happy hunting!

Chris 

Order Researching Ancestral Crisis in Ireland in the UK at https://bit.ly/4jJWSEh. Also available -Tracing Your Belfast Ancestors, Tracing Your Irish Ancestors Through Land Records, Sharing Your Family History Online, Tracing Your Scottish Family History on the Internet, Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet (2nd ed), and Tracing Your Scottish Ancestry Through Church and State Records - to purchase, please visit https://bit.ly/ChrisPatonPSbooks. To purchase in the USA visit https://www.penandswordbooks.com. Further news published daily on The Scottish GENES Facebook page.

FindmyPast adds Dublin Port employment records but fails to name archival source

FindmyPast (www.findmypast.co.uk) has added a new Irish collection, but has provided no information on where the records have been obtained from.

Ireland, Dublin Port Employment Records, 1862-1925
https://search.findmypast.co.uk/search-world-records/ireland-dublin-port-employment-records-1862-1925

This new set consists of 1,636 employment records from the 19th and 20th centuries. 

Comment: Dublin Port employment records from 1906-1925, as sourced from the Dublin Port Name Book, are available at https://www.dublinportarchive.com/searchable-archives/. It is unclear if this is the source for some of the records. 

It is regrettable that FindmyPast portrays itself to be the bona fide source here, when it is simply a publisher of material derived from another archival source. 

Chris

Order Researching Ancestral Crisis in Ireland in the UK at https://bit.ly/4jJWSEh. Also available -Tracing Your Belfast Ancestors, Tracing Your Irish Ancestors Through Land Records, Sharing Your Family History Online, Tracing Your Scottish Family History on the Internet, Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet (2nd ed), and Tracing Your Scottish Ancestry Through Church and State Records - to purchase, please visit https://bit.ly/ChrisPatonPSbooks. To purchase in the USA visit https://www.penandswordbooks.com. Further news published daily on The Scottish GENES Facebook page.

Learn with Lorna event in Inverness on May 28th

This who have been following Highland Archives archivist Lorna Steele-McGinn over the last six years with her weekly online Learn With Lorna lectures will perhaps be interested to know that Lorna will be hosting an in-person event in Inverness on 28 May 2026. Here's the blurb from the archive's latest newsletter:

Our series of short online talks about the records held by the Highland Archive Service returned on 22nd January 2026 after a Christmas break.  As advertised in our last newsletter we are looking forward to hosting an in-person Learn with Lorna event at the Highland Archive Centre on 28th May 2026.  A talk on some "Treasures of the Highland Archive Service" will be followed by the chance to see some of the many documents that have featured across the 6 years of the series and to meet some of the other team members who have contributed research over the years.  We are really looking forward to welcoming LWL viewers to the archive centre, celebrating the community that has grown from the series, and saying thank you to all who have helped it grow. The few remaining tickets are available via https://tickets.highlifehighland.com/events/highlifehighland/2057468 or by contacting the Highland Archive Centre direct.

It should be a great event! To watch Lorna's Learn with Lorna series on YouTube, visit https://www.youtube.com/@HighLifeHighlandsocial

(With thanks to Highland Archives) 

Chris 

Order Researching Ancestral Crisis in Ireland in the UK at https://bit.ly/4jJWSEh. Also available -Tracing Your Belfast Ancestors, Tracing Your Irish Ancestors Through Land Records, Sharing Your Family History Online, Tracing Your Scottish Family History on the Internet, Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet (2nd ed), and Tracing Your Scottish Ancestry Through Church and State Records - to purchase, please visit https://bit.ly/ChrisPatonPSbooks. To purchase in the USA visit https://www.penandswordbooks.com. Further news published daily on The Scottish GENES Facebook page.

Ancestry adds Prerogative Court and Exchequer Court of York wills

This blog tends to concentrate on genealogy resources relevant to Scotland and Ireland these days, but occasionally there are developments down south of the border worth noting. The English and Welsh 'probate' system - the equivalent of Scotland's confirmation system - had two high-tier ecclesiastical courts running the show until 1858. One of these, the Prerogative Court of Canterbury (PCC Court), has had wills for the southern half of England available for some time, but there was also a Preogative Court for York (PCY Court), for the northern half, although the PCC Court remained superior to the PCY Court. Whilst some records for the PCY Court have been available on FindmyPast for a while, Ancestry (www.ancestry.co.uk) has also now added them as a collection. Ancestry's collection also includes wills form the lower Exchequer Court in York:

England, Prerogative and Exchequer Court of York Wills, 1389-1858
https://www.ancestry.co.uk/search/collections/63000/
Source: Yorkshire Wills and Probate, 1383-1858. York, England: Borthwick Institute for Archives.

This collection contains images of wills filed in Yorkshire, England, between 1389 and 1858. A will is a document that specifies how a person’s property should be distributed after their death.

Records in this collection may include the following information:

• Name
• Place of residence
• Relationship to head of household
• Will date
• Probate date

The indexed information may help you confirm important dates regarding your ancestor’s death and estate processing. You may find additional information by looking at your ancestor’s record image. Your ancestor’s will may include names of family members that you can add to your family tree, and they can help to sort out how your ancestors were related. A will may also include an inventory of an estate’s assets, which may provide some insights into your ancestor’s financial status and lifestyle.

If the will doesn’t have the information you are looking for, you may be able to find related probate records, such as property inventories, petitions to begin the probate process, guardianship and orphans’ court records, and estate bonds.

The majority of the wills in this collection are written in Latin. Ancestry’s Latin genealogy guide may help you read the documents. Some of the records are handwritten in English, but old handwriting can be difficult to read. This article may help you decipher your ancestor’s record. 

For further details, consult the link above. 

Chris 

Order Researching Ancestral Crisis in Ireland in the UK at https://bit.ly/4jJWSEh. Also available -Tracing Your Belfast Ancestors, Tracing Your Irish Ancestors Through Land Records, Sharing Your Family History Online, Tracing Your Scottish Family History on the Internet, Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet (2nd ed), and Tracing Your Scottish Ancestry Through Church and State Records - to purchase, please visit https://bit.ly/ChrisPatonPSbooks. To purchase in the USA visit https://www.penandswordbooks.com. Further news published daily on The Scottish GENES Facebook page.