Mayo Genealogy Week
Mayo Genealogy Group, in association with Visit Castlebar, is excited to announce the details of Mayo Genealogy Week to run as part of this year’s Home To Mayo festival.
‘Home to Mayo’ is a month-long series of events taking place in locations right around the county.
Mayo Genealogy Week will take place from May 9th to May 14th inclusive, with a special extra event on May 27th. The group will be based for the week in the Visit Castlebar Tourist Office in the Linenhall, and will offer one-on-one genealogy help for those searching for their Mayo roots. This free service will take place between 11 am and 4 pm from Monday to Friday while on the Thursday and Friday, a workshop will take place teaching you the basics of family research which includes:
· Using online tools and information technology to get started
· Newspapers, publications, libraries, military/parish/civil records
· Ancestors abroad, emigration, migration, immigration
· Graveyards, Tithe Applotments, Griffith’s Valuation
These workshop will be approximately 2 hours long to allow for a Q&A session and start at 12 pm on both days.
At the same time in the Linenhall foyer, there will be a photographic exhibition well worth visiting. Terry O’Brien’s Mayo Celebrating the 40th anniversary of the filming of The Ballroom of Romance in Ballycroy, in 1982, this exhibition brings together 50 photographs from the film. Cyril Cusack, Niall Tobin, Bríd Brennan, Brenda Conroy and a remarkably youthful Mick Lally all feature. Terry has also selected photographs from his black and white 1970s and 1980s Achill collection. “At 14 (1965/1966), I went to Currane, Achill on holidays with a boys’ club form Milltown in Dublin and I fell in love with the place. I cycled a 3 speed bike from Dublin, it took 99 miles on the 4 days and 99 miles on the last day to go into Currane at 11.00pm to bonfires. I moved to Achill in 1977.”
Then on Saturday 14th, you are invited to the Mayo Genealogy Group monthly meeting to see what goes on there. This will be a ‘Meet & Greet’ opportunity with the MGG members and chat to them while getting an opportunity to hear emigrants’ stories and poems. This tales place between 11 am and 2 pm at the Museum Of Country Life, Turlough.
Then, on Friday May 27th, a special event will take place in the Park Hotel in Kiltimagh at 6.30 pm, and that is “DNA: Presentation & Advice”. As part of this presentation there will also be a talk on “How To Build A Family Tree”. You will be able to mingle with the MGG members and ask any questions you might have on genealogy. So many people say, “I think my family come from Mayo”? Well now is the time to find out!
All these events are free, and while booking is not essential, it is strongly recommended to do so by sending an email to visitcastlebar@gmail.com to ensure we have enough space and resources for everyone.
