Category Archives: Society

Signing the Ulster Covenant – in County Westmeath?

by Dr. Janice MannA recent search of the Ulster Covenant for a family from Ulster led to a surprising discovery.In 1912 Liberal British Prime Minister Herbert Asquith, in desperate need of the support of John Redmond’s Irish Parliamentary Party, proposed a third Home Rule Bill – providing self-government for Ireland within the United Kingdom

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Who Do You Think You Are? Paul Merton

Tracing the Power family for the Paul Merton episode of Who Do You Think You Are? was quite a challenge, not least because Power is one of the most common surnames in Co. Waterford. Paul’s mother’s maiden name was Power.  At the time of Griffith’s Valuation), a land survey taken in the 1850s there were over 3000 Power households found in Ireland,

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Bradshaw Murder at Philipstown

In the recent episode of Who Do You Think You Are? for Irish television, Pat Shortt discovered an ancestor accused of the murder of his landlord, Mr. Bradshaw of Philipstown House.  While some details of the murder were found in the local press, it was the police file of the investigation into the murder that revealed the complex story of the Bradshaws,

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Who Do You Think You Are? Damien Dempsey

In a recent Irish episode of Who Do You Think You Are? singer and songwriter Damien Dempsey discovered that his maternal ancestor, Frederick Bridgeman, was granted Freedom of the city of Dublin in 1841.Freemen of the City of DublinIn a description on the website of the Dublin City Library and Archives, which hosts a database of records for freemen of

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Early 19th Century Living Conditions

A search through the catalogues in PRONI for records relating to the estate of the Worshipful Company of Fishmongers in the Limavady area found the following extract from the Journal of Tour to Ireland 17th March-23rd May 1820 written by John Towgood. Towgood may have been an agent of the Fishmongers, his tour included many meetings with Barré Beresford

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