We are all excited to be getting ready and hitting the road for Rootstech 2018! 

We're hoping to see lots of you there - come and chat to us on stand 439/538. You can give our Surname Screen a go or talk to us about our plans for 2018 (we planning some big things for our members this year). 

Our very own Brian Donovan will be giving several talks throughout the conference: 

Wednesday 28th: 

Prosecuting Dissent: Security records for Irish family history 1836-1922

3PM - Ballroom 1 (RT6511)

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

Thursday 1st: 

Murderers, Rebels & Drunkards: Your Irish Ancestors and the Law

10AM - Find My Past Booth Talk

Head to the Find My Past Booth to see Brian talk.

Unlocking Roman Catholic Records

12PM - Find My Past Booth Talk

Head to the Find My Past Booth to see Brian talk.

Unlocking Roman Catholic records

3PM - Ballroom A (RT5118)

The Catholic church is the largest and oldest denomination in America, but its records are notoriously difficult to access. They are also essential for uncovering the lives of millions of immigrants, Irish, Italian, Polish, German, and many other nationalities. Now Findmyast, in partnership with the Catholic church, is working on a landmark project to make these records easily accessible. 

The Digital Revolution in Irish Genealogy

4.30PM - Ballroom B (RT6509) 

Once upon a time Irish genealogy was considered impossible, but all that has changed. True, its still difficult, but thanks to the work of archives, libraries, commercial companies and volunteer groups there are now over 140 million records online. They include traditional sources like BMDs, census and church records. But also census substitutes like the land valuation and tax records. Entirely new classes of records have been trail-blazed in Ireland, like magistrate court registers, rebel and poverty records, and much more. This session will describe what is now online and tell the story of how it happened.

Friday 2nd: 

Irish family history is easy! Seriously

10:20AM - Exhibit hall Demonstration (with Prize!) 

Brian will be explaining how easy Irish Family History Research really can be! A prize of a 12 month subscription to Find My Past's Ultimate Collection will be handed out at the end.

Unlocking Roman Catholic Records

4PM - Find My Past Booth Talk

Head to the Find My Past Booth to see Brian talk.

Findmypast: Home of the Largest Online Collection of Irish records

6.30PM - Find My Past Booth Talk

Head to the Find My Past Booth to see Brian talk.

Saturday 3rd: 

Unlocking Roman Catholic Records

11AM - Find My Past Booth Talk

Head to the Find My Past Booth to see Brian talk.

Findmypast: Home of the Largest Online Collection of Irish records

1PM - Find My Past Booth Talk

Head to the Find My Past Booth to see Brian talk.

#NotAtRootsTech

If you can't make it to Rootstech this year, be sure to check out the Streaming Schedule Rootstech have posted. Don't miss Brian's talk on Unlocking Roman Catholic Records Thursday 1st March at 3pm local time.