A solid hour of admin & replying to queries this morning. Small businesses don't run themselves! But looking forward to starting a fresh run of my beginners' genealogy class in Malahide tonight.

National Grief Awareness Week runs Jan 26 – Feb 1, and its message is that grief affects everyone, and no one should grieve alone. The Irish Hospice Foundation’s Bereavement Support Line is at 1800 80 70 77. And, if you can, please donate to help them do what they do. hospicefoundation.ie/donate

How the new Irish Free State counted the population in 1926: www.rte.ie/brainstorm/2...

#Genealogy We know the 1911 Irish census recorded disability (Form A). Did you know it also recorded how many in the household were ill on 2 April 1911 (see snip)? See Form B1, Column 17 e.g. Row 7 www.census.nationalarchives.ie/reels/nai002... Every day, is a school day, even after all these years!

Do you like maps? Have you an interest in suburban history? We are excited to share that for the first time, the atlases of Clontarf and Rathmines are now fully and freely available to download. Originally published by @ria.ie with @dubcitycouncil.bsky.social Read more: www.ria.ie/2026/01/09/i...

Fascinating guide to English divorce records. Sadly it won't help my current project as the divorce in question happened in 1965. www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/help-with-yo...

This looks like an interesting read: www.amazon.co.uk/Unwelcomed-K... #IrishHistory #IrishGenealogy #GenHour #AncestryHour

Came across a new to me Irish name today: Stakelum. Specfic to Thurles, Co. Tipp apparently. johngrenham.com/findasurname... That would make a lovely one name study.

The Alpha on Clarendon st. A defining feature of my undergraduate years with great friends laughing in an ancient greasy spoon. My waistline does not miss the jumbo breakfast.

Is this something that happens in each EU presidency or are we unique? It's like a weird sports fixture but I'm down with it. Some very apt matches.

Working for me now. Must have been a blip.

Anyone else having a problem logging into Legacy Familytree webinars today? The sign-in button does nothing when I put in my (correct) login details.

Livejournal

Would you like some reading for your tea break? My January newsletter is out. #IrishGenealogy #AncestryHour #GenHour #Genealogy claires-newsletter-3b3509.beehiiv.com/p/happy-new-...

Hello! I am sharing information about my @researchireland.ie project Locating Loss: histories of infertility in landscapes and spaces. I would love to connect with researchers/ practitioners from a wide range of backgrounds and disciplines, so please share widely! Sharing again for morning Bluesky!

There are still a couple of places left on my next DNA workshop at Fingal Local Studies & Archives on Wednesday 21st Jan. Please share. Booking details below. #IrishGenealogy #Speirgorm #AncestryHour #GenChat #Genealogy

Ever wanted to escape into family history - away from all the daily distractions? Then a family history retreat could be perfect for you. Sign up to Escape to the Past - and potentially join us in Glasgow in June 2026! www.miagenealogy.com/escape-to-th... #familyhistory #EscapeToThePast

I was searching for something on my website & found this article I wrote 3 years ago on the costs of doing independent genealogical research. Worth sharing again now. #AncestryHour #GenHour #Genealogy #FamilyHistory cbgenealogy.ie/the-costs-of...

Well this is in incredibly poor taste.

Woke up late so it's a slow start. Good thing about being self-employed & WFH is that it won't take too long to get back on track & my boss doesn't mind!

Giving my first talk of the year shortly. Unusual to be doing one in the morning time - the audience is in the same timezone.

Finally spotted where they hid the Ancestry year in review. I don't know if this is specific to my main tree or all my trees.

I finally have the Ancestry clusters. Now to learn it & play with it.

If you are looking for a new class this January, my in-person genealogy course starts on 26th January. malahidecsadulted.ie/irish-geneal... #IrishGenealogy #IrishHistory #Speirgorm

There's a lot of awful news going around. I've muted a number of words to try and filter what I'm seeing. I'll still read the news but just need a break from the constant doom!

I was away for a few days but I always find a family tree...

We've reached the point of the year when websites add a new year of data. I see Scotland's People and the England&Wales GRO have done theirs and I know GRONI does it automatically. But presume Irishgenealogy.ie will wait til March as usual!

Colour me dubious. www.thetimes.com/article/6761...

Going over some of my own old research and made a new discovery - marriage of a sister of an ancestor. But she was hiding in plain sight as a next-gen godmother! It's so important to refresh each family periodically. Experience & new knowledge will make you see connections that were missed before.

St Luke's parish records have some amazing details on burial including presiding minister. Spot the Cooneyites, the Salvation Army and Catholics in this Church of Ireland register. #SpeirGhorm 🗃️ #genealogy #Ireland #Cork douglasunionparishrecords.ie

Reads news: WTAF?

My paternal aunt's mtDNA results are in. Several exact matches to play with! #GeneticGenealogy

Enjoyed #RTÉ's Daniel O'Connell documentary but the use of 'coronated' when 'crowned' exists is egregious. #IrishHistory

I'm working on 23andMe today. Had forgotten how labourious it is. So many clicks to get info. So few profiles filled in. No way to sort matches. No trees. It's absolutely painful. #GeneticGenealogy

I'd also love to see podcasters turn their back on it - for cover art, editing, voiceover, all of it. Aside from *everything*, genAI by design will not give you anything original.

Happy New Year!

Still no #Ancestry clusters. They promised by the end of the year. T minus 11 hrs #Genealogy

End of year pc back-up complete.

Excited to be discussing the 1926 census for #Legacy next year. familytreewebinars.com?p=58215

Born #Onthisday 1879 in #Clare Georgina "Georgie" Frost, Irish Petty Sesssions Clerk & the 1st woman to hold public office in the UK & Ireland to the dismay of Lord Wimborne, in his opinion, no woman could possibly do the job dib.ie/biography/fr...

My 2026 genealogy wishlist. What's on yours? #IrishGenealogy #AncestryHour #GenHour cbgenealogy.ie/my-2026-wish...

I'm enjoying the release of State Papers this year. One that hasn't seen too much coverage features my UCD teacher, Sean Murphy, who was worried about Bill Clinton's made-up Irish ancestry prior to his visit in 1995. #IrishGenealogy

This is lovely.

Fingal libraries sent me an email saying a book I ordered was in today. But they are closed until 2nd Jan already.

Via @tg4.bsky.social over on the other place. Not even close to the most wonderful time of the year for many. Most of us know that feeling, and some of us still feel it. #JoinIn #NollaigShona #speirgorm

Quick note that the # of names from Irish censuses, 1766-1891, has leaped forward over the past few weeks, and now stands at a whopping 115,911. And the good news is that we have 1,000s more names to come in over the first half of 2026. Here's a cracker: virtualtreasury.ie/item/VRTI-CE...

When considering what to do with more distant DNA matches, who you share fewer centimorgans with, and with whom a common ancestor isn't apparent, keep these three things in mind. #genealogy

My Christmas out of office is on now so I'll be only checking email periodically until early January!

A gentle reminder if you've received an invoice from a Freelancer/Self employed person which is due before Christmas. Be a love, and pay it today.

Did my last class/lecture of the year on Tuesday. Today I'm prepping the first two for next year!