The Grand Central Café, on the corner of O’Connell Street and Lower Abbey Street, is one of the most interesting, and often overlooked locations associated with the Easter Rising. In 1916 the buildings on this site were known as Reis’s Chambers because it was the location of the Charles L. Reis & Co. Jewelers and Fancy Goods warehouse.
Read MoreIrish Surnames
During a recent search for a Maher family I once again stumbled into the mire of difficulty created by the spelling of Irish surnames in 19th century records. This is an obstacle that many Irish family history researchers will encounter during the course of their research. Mass digitization of Irish records has made the issue of the spelling of
Read MoreBoard of Guardians Minute Books
Children who were orphaned or abandoned and found themselves in the Workhouse were often ‘boarded out’ by the Board of Guardians, and details of what happened to them were recorded in the Board of Guardians Minute Books. Many of those who were boarded out were infants, sent to women who could nurse them. The Board paid a fee to the nurse for their
Read MoreDublin Workhouse Records
The Admission and Discharge Registers for three of the four Dublin Workhouses have just appeared on www.findmypast.ie. The registers are for the North and South Dublin Union and Rathdown Union Workhouse, and date from 1840 to 1919. As many Dublin families are likely to have encountered the Workhouse during their lifetimes these registers are a huge
Read MoreEndowed Schools and Estate Papers
While searching for records for Midleton School, an Endowed School in Cork in the National Library of Ireland, I stumbled across the papers of Dr. Michael Quane, which included potentially useful 19th century estate rentals, valuations and a mini census of the protestant families of Maryborough from 1891. Michael Quane was born on 7th April 1889 in
Read MoreGeneral Register Office Ireland – GRO
The GRO or the General Register Office hold records of all births, deaths and marriages registered in Ireland. Civil registration in Ireland commenced in 1864, when it became compulsory to register these events. It should be noted that non-Catholic marriages were being registered from 1845. Civil registration in Ireland commenced quite late, when
Read MoreMilitary Service Pensions Collection
The Military Service Pensions Collection are applications made by individuals or their dependants for the award of a pension and gratuities for service with the Irish Volunteers, the Irish Citizen Army, the Irish Republican Army, Cumann na mBan and any other organisation who saw active service or were casualties or wounded while on duty between April
Read MoreThe Settlement of the Ashe Family in Cavan
The following is an account of the settlement of the Ashe family in Cavan. Sir Thomas Ashe and his brother, John Ashe, began to develop their respective estates in Ireland in earnest from the beginning of the 17th century and before the plantation of Ulster. In a recently-published account of the Ulster Plantation in counties Armagh and Cavan it was
Read MoreValuation Office Revision Books
With the exception of Parish Registers and Civil Births, Deaths and Marriages, the Valuation Office Revision Books are amongst the most useful sources available to the Irish genealogist. The Revision Books are a continuation of Griffith’s Valuation of Ireland – officially the Primary Valuation of Tenements. The purpose of this survey, conducted
Read MoreQuaker Records
Birth, marriage and death records for the Society of Friends or Quakers are amongst the most accessible and systematic for any religious denomination in Ireland. The Quakers arrived in Ireland in the seventeenth century and from their date of arrival clear and concise records were kept for the life events of members of the Society. Although the Quakers
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