Famous Folk
Thomas Andrews – A Titanic story
Telegram – Interview with the Titanic officers. All unanimous that Thomas Andrews died a heroic death, thinking only of others safety.
Famous Folk
Frank Pantridge – the Father of Emergency Medicine
Professor Pantridge is rightly regarded as the Father of Emergency Medicine and his invention was a genuine, life-saving breakthrough
Forgotten Folk
David Manson – Belfast’s Enlightened Schoolmaster
David Manson In 1755 David Manson set up a school in Clugstons Entry in central Belfast, promising to teach “by way of Amusement, English Grammar, Reading and Spelling at a moderate Expense” Belfast News Letter Manson was to prove a figure of note in terms on education in Northern Ireland Read more…
Forgotten Folk
Alexander Mitchell – The blind engineer with a vision
Early life Alexander Mitchell was born on 13 th April 1780 in Dublin, but as a young child his family moved to Pine Hill, near Belfast. However, when his father William, died in 1790, the large family of 13 children were dispersed. Alexander and two his brothers, as the youngest, Read more…
Belfast Streets
Belfast Streets with a Military Connection
Alma Street Battle of the Alma River, 20th September 1854, during the Crimean War. Aughrim Street Battle of Aughrim, fought in Galway on 12th July 1691. Balaclava Street Battle of Balaclava, part of the siege of Sevastopol, 25th October 1854. Boyne Street Battle of the Boyne fought on 1st July Read more…
Belfast Streets
Belfast Streets at the races
Horse racing has always been popular in Ireland. Did you know that a number of our Belfast streets are named after horses?
Belfast Streets
Squeeze Gut Entry and other old Belfast street names
Crooked Lane This was a narrow street with a distinct ‘kink’ in its layout. It runs from Castle Street to Berry Street. With the opening of St. Mary’s, the first Catholic Church in Belfast in 1784, the street became known as Chapel Lane. Gooseberry Corner Gooseberry Corner off Claremont Street Read more…
Places
Belfast Street Art – Transforming City Streets
Street Art has long featured on Northern Ireland walls. Now Belfast city centre has been enhanced with a range of sensational street paintings
People
Make use of free access to Irish Civil Records
The process of tracing your family history can be expensive with many websites offering paid subscription-only services. Sites offering free access are always a good place to start tracing your family. The free online website https://www.irishgenealogy.ie/en is a great way to access Irish Civil Records.
People
Using Griffith’s Valuation to find where people lived
Griffith’s Valuation is the primary valuation for Ireland. The valuation was conducted between 1848 – 1864. It’s worth to Irish genealogists cannot be overestimated.
People
Trace your ancestors in the Irish Census Records
The census records are one of the most valuable resources for anyone starting to research their family history. Unfortunately only two complete census for Ireland survive – the 1901 Census taken 31st March 1901 and the 1911 Census taken 2nd April 1911
People
Getting started on your family tree
The easiest and quickest way way to discover your roots is to hire a professional genealogist. This is also expensive. In these posts, I will share my family research experiences as an amateur, but enthusiastic, researcher.