Summer 2024 (fully subscribed)

We intend running more workshops in 2025! thanks for your interest!

Free online history workshops

We will be holding a series of free online weekly workshops over the summer season, presented by Dr. Liam Alex Heffron and invited guests. Each workshop over Zoom will last about forty minutes with twenty minutes Q & A, and will delve into some of the most popular resources used by the public in researching their family history or gathering information on their local heritage. Dr Heffron will discuss the context of each resource, how it was formed and managed, how we can interpret the records held there and give us practical demonstrations of how you can search these records for yourself.

Our St Cormac’s Society online and in-person workshops and talks are kindly supported by the Oweninny Wind Farm Community Support Fund, administered by Mayo County Council and the Local Enhancement Programme 2024 administered by the Local Community Development Committee (LCDC) and funded by the Department of Rural and Community Development.

The schedule will run over 6 weeks beginning the first week of july 2024

Dr Liam Alex Heffron at the Explore Campus Innovation Awards 2019, University of Galway.

Week 1. Census, Census Substitutes:

  • Introduction to Irish census records and their historical context.

  • Understanding the gaps in census data and how substitutes can fill those gaps.

Week 2. Newspapers & Directories:

  • Exploring the role of newspapers and directories in historical research.

  • Tips for effectively searching and using these resources.

Week 3. Valuation Records and Cancellation Books:

  • Introduction to valuation records and their importance in land and property research.

  • How to use cancellation books to trace property changes over time.

Week 4. Civil Records and Church Registers:

  • Delving into civil and church records to uncover vital events in ancestors' lives.

  • Differences between civil and church records and how to access each type.

Week 5. Maps & the landscape:

  • Using historical maps to understand the geographical context of your ancestors' lives.

  • How landscapes and place names have changed over time.

Week 6. Viewer suggestions:

  • A topic or resource that attendees would like to see covered:

  • Possible topics: Emigration records, military records, probate and wills, etc.