ROOTS & BRANCHES

Ireland’s a relatively small island—it’s about three quarters of the size of Pennsylvania—but the substantial waves of migration to America beginning in colonial times have created a population of descendants that dwarfs the size of other ethnicities in the U.S. in relation to the mother countries’ populations.

There are estimated to be 43 million German Americans, for example, but that’s compared to Germany’s current population of 83 million.

Italian Americans number some 18 million in the U.S., but there are nearly 60 million people in Italy.

But tiny Ireland’s population of 5 million today contrasts with a whopping 32 million estimated Irish Americans!

No wonder events such as Genealogical Society of Pennsylvania’s Winter Seminar titled “Researching Your Irish and Scots-Irish Ancestors” are so popular.

The seminar will be held virtually from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. EST on Feb. 19 and will feature five presentations and two live question-and-answer sessions with the Ulster Historical Foundation’s Executive Director Fintan Mullan and Research Officer Gillian Hunt.

The presentations feature a combination of topics designed to appeal to both beginners and seasoned genealogists and will examine a multitude of historic records and electronic resources that will help to advance attendee’s Irish genealogy research. They include:

• Understanding Irish Townlands: The Importance of Place, Identity, and Administrative Divisions in Irish Research
• Records Related to the Different Churches in Ireland
• Using Land Records: Griffith’s Valuation, Tithe and Estate records
• Emigration from the North of Ireland to North America—Sources for Researching Emigrant Ancestors
• The Great Famine in Ireland: Sources for Records

Mullan has been the Ulster Historical Foundation’s executive director since 2001 and helped pioneer the Irish vital records site www.rootsireland.ie, a database with more than 20 million records.

Hunt is the foundation’s research officer with the Ulster Historical Foundation and is responsible for the management of its many genealogical activities. As well as managing the genealogy side of the Foundation’s work, Gillian carries out research for clients and is a hugely experienced user of the Public Record Office of Northern Ireland and the General Register Office. She regularly teaches courses in Northern Ireland and gives talks on family history in the rest of Ireland, the UK, and North America.

Registrants also will be able to access the lectures for 14 days after the presentation through the Ulster Historical Foundation’s platform.  There will be door prizes available to attendees.

Fee to attend is $35 for society members and $40 for nonmembers.

To register for the program, go to the society website’s Events page at the URL, https://genpa.org/events/

Registrations must be completed by Feb. 17 to be eligible for door prizes.