Acknowledging more than three decades of work by the Irish Ancestry Group (IAG), Dr Val Noone speaks with Carmel McEvey on Des Regan and the early days of the IAG; Anne Bladeni on her father Des Regan; Linley Hooper shares some reflections on Irish ancestry work as a librarian; Dr Liz Murphy the former Vice-Chairman of the group speaks about some of the founding members and early activities; Maureen Doyle speaks about her involvement from 1999; and finally Des Dineen talks about their visit to Belfast in 1988.

The presentation examines the famines that occurred in Ireland and the various reports and Poor Law Acts instituted in an endeavour to alleviate poverty during the 19th century. The handout lists the reports and provides a guide to the resources available to research your ancestors during this period of Irish history.

John Wroe describes the conditions onboard the immigrant vessels travelling to Victoria. He discusses the length of the voyage, the food and health hazards, the shipping companies and the evolution of ship designs and the routes.

The talk discusses the availability of the freeman and guild records of primarily London but also of Dublin and Ireland. These records are largely available online. 

Dr Pescod examines the lives of some of Irish born immigrants who established Victorian companies manufacturing a very wide range of products. They were part of the growth of manufacturing industries that saw Victoria outstrip the other colonies and become the industrial powerhouse driving the Australian economy during much of the 20th century.

This presentation discusses and gives examples of Irish Prison Registers and Irish Petty Sessions (lower court) records (mainly 19th century) and explains how to access them. It includes the names of more than 3 million people including the accused, victims, witnesses and others. A brief account of the British Newspaper Archives (available at the GSV) including some Irish newspapers is also given in this presentation

The presentation provides background information regarding the state of Irish society in the first half of the 19th century. The talk also examines the various emigration schemes that arose during the period of mass migration of Irish peoples to Australia and other parts around the world.

The presentation examines the famines that occurred in Ireland and the various reports and Poor Law Acts instituted in an endeavour to alleviate poverty during the 19th century. The handout lists the reports and provides a guide to the resources available to research your ancestors during this period of Irish history.

The presentation discusses the Scots-Irish, the people descended from Scots who migrated to Ireland, principally Ulster, from the 1600s under the scheme known as the Plantation of Ireland. The processes and available resources for tracing Scots-Irish ancestors are also examined.

Carmel McEvey’s presentation details the study of a diary written by an Irishwoman from County Tipperary during the 1860s. Her diary offers a significant insight into the role of women during the mid-Victorian era and it illustrates the importance and context of place for family historians when undertaking research.