Synopsis

One of the great untapped resources for Irish genealogy are the records of the police, courts, prisons and army. There was a much bigger security apparatus in Ireland and it left copious records which are becoming increasingly easy to use. They document petty criminals and drunks through to rebels and traitors. Moreover, they deal with the large numbers of suspects who were in the wrong place at the wrong time. This lecture will introduce users to what survives and how to access it online. This session will explain how these records can be used to develop your family history.

Biography

Brian is the Global Head of Irish Collections at findmypast.com.  He previously lectured in history at Trinity College Dublin in the 1990s and since then has lectured worldwide on history, genealogy and digitisation.  Brian’s experience in digital technology, as well as his background in history, helped motivate the founding of the well-known Irish genealogy company Eneclann in 1998. He played a key role in establishing the Irish collection at www.findmypast.com in 2011 and continues to oversee it to this day. Recently he has focused on the launch and development of the Irish Family History Centre website and public centre at Epic, the Irish Emigration Museum in the Dublin Docks.