Video Interview of Feargal O’Donnell of the the Irish Family History Foundation

I recently had an opportunity to interview Feargal O’Donnell, Vice Chairman of the Irish Family History Foundation, about the availability of Irish records -- especially new ones. Feargal discussed the existence and non-existence of Irish records. He points out that millions of records are available but many people of Irish descent are unaware of that availability. He also dispels some myths about Irish record keeping in the 1700s and 1800s.

Feargal also discussed the work of the Irish Family History Foundation and especially of the Foundation's web site at www.RootsIreland.ie. The Foundation expects to eventually have 40 million records available on the site, going back to the 1500s.

The RootsTelevision camera crew caught our conversation on videotape and you can watch and listen to our conversation at http://rootstelevision.com/players/player_conferences.php?bctid=1792947734. I bet you'll love his accent! If your ancestors had similar accents, you will want to watch this video.

Comments

[Deb]

That Ireland website mentioned above is http://www.irish-roots.ie

[Loretta Smith]

Very informative interview. What do I do since County Kerry is not yet available? I know down to the farm where my ancestors came from.

Thank you.

[Elizabeth Thomas]

Interesting information, but the site mentioned does not come up.

I did find information at
http://ifhf.brsgenealogy.com
This site is free as long as you register, but it does take
5.00 EUR = 7.20773 USD to look at one record.

Elizabeth

[Nufarr]

Careful, careful, careful! It costs 5 euro to look at a TRANSCRIPTION of SOME of the data entered in the registers. Not all fields were copied for all entries, and consistancy is lacking. There is no way to verify the information received, or to cite your sources. If you are not citing your sources, other researchers that you may wish to collaborate with in the future, may not take your all your hard work seriously.
However, it is an excellent site to help narrow the timeframe of when an event took place, up to about 1900 for Civil Registration. It appears, records after this date are sketchy, and most of the Catholic Church records only go to about 1880.
After you find a possible Ancestor, you can then check the LDS site at familysearch.org to see if those records have been microfilmed and are available to order in to your local Family History Centre.
Good luck. Nufarr

[Patrick Kelly]

Video Interview of Feargal O’Donnell of the Irish Family History Foundation
Dear Mr Eastman,
I notice that in your interview with Feagal O’ Donnell, of the Irish Family History Foundation. That no mention was made of their standing charge of 5 Euro’s to view each single record? Now as you, of all people know, the tracing of one’s Irish ancestors’ is like a mine field. Unlike the rest of the world, in Ireland up to the 1920, the Irish people were the most documented and recorded race in Europe, if not the world. However, in the following years after 1920, most of that recorded information was destroyed; leaving the Irish nation in the dark ages as far as its historical genealogical written heritage was concerned.

Now back to the IFHF, one cannot but admire and praise, the good work and supreme effort but in over the many years, by the countless number of volunteers. Their efforts in recording and indexing the countless church records of all Irish religious denominations’ can never be forgotten. Never the less, when these family history centres’ set out on this mammoth task, one must ask what was their prime aim? Surly, their dream was to make available to the Irish people and the many millions of Irish descendants scattered around the world the last chance to trace their long lost families. In any other country of the world you have on line the censuses from 1831, up to 1901, and the Birth, Marriage and Death records, to have a very good chance to trace your family tree on the internet. This is not the case in Ireland. Prior to the 1901 census, the only other records available, that covered most of the population of Ireland where the Birth, Marriage, and Death church records. Though not complete, they are the most valuable records available. I know that there are many other records in Ireland, but not many that covered the most vulnerable lower working classes of the nation at that time.

This leads me to their charge of 5 Euros to view a single one of their records? To gain full access to most genealogical web sites, like BMDindex, and Ancestery.com, or many others the costs, are about £100, and for that, you gain full access to most of their records for a year. So how can IFHF can they justify a 5 Euro charge. I know I have to pay, but I believe that, 1 Euro to view each record would be much fairer, or allow users to take out a yearly subscription. As an example, in tracing my wife’s family history on BMDindex.com, I must have viewed over a thousand entries in both, the census, and the General Registers records, plus much more. This cost me 1 year’s subscription of about £70-100. However, the same number of entries with IFHF @ 5 Euros would cost a staggering £5000-6000?? That is a staggering amount of money, very few can afford.

How frustrating it is to find your relations on the reminding censuses, only to hit that brick wall, because of the failings of past Irish consecutive governments of all colours.
They failure, first of all, to digitise the Birth, Marriage, and Death records of the General Register's Office, and make them available online to the world (As promised in the General Register’s modernisation letter dated 2003) Maybe, a man of your promense and connections, can get an answer from the General registers Office on what progress has been made over the past 6 or 7years with placing these records on line??? (I look forward to your answer)

However, it is not all bleak and doom. It is good to know that the National Archives have set in motion a project to place both the 1901 and 1911 censuses online, free of charge by 2009.
(I must say at this point, I would be willing to take out a years subscription to the NA to view these records, In the knowledge that these monies could go to help the digitisation of the 1926 census)??

Well Dick, the next time you speak to Feargal of the IFHF, maybe you can ask him why his costs are so high. I must say that I find your web site very informative.

Kind regards Pat Kelly