Irish Genealogical Society International Logo
Irish Genealogical Society International
Stormont in Belfast, Northern Ireland - WR
Fáilte!  (Welcome!) 
 IGSI is a partner of the Minnesota Genealogical Society

Library Hours

Note revised hours for 2025 for Hoffman Research Library, with a temporary change to Monday hours:
Mondays  10 am - 4 pm**
Wednesdays 10 am - 4 pm
Thursdays  10 am - 6 pm
Saturdays  10 am - 4 pm
 * Note that the Library will be closed if volunteers are not available to assist researchers. Check the MN Genealogical Society's website at https://mngs.org/Welcome-to-Hoffman-Research-Library for notice of schedule changes or weather-related closures.
**  The Library will be open from 10 - 4 on Mondays during the month of June. In July, it will return to the regular schedule of 10 - 6 on Mondays. 


The same name – everywhere in Ireland. Sifting and separating family Photo of Chelley Brekke McCleargroups
 
Saturday, June 28
MN Genealogy Center, 1385 Mendota Hts Rd, Mendota Heights
10:30 AM - Noon CDT (UTC-5)
Presented by Chelley Brekke McClear
$15 for IGSI members (with Discount Code); $20 for non-members
 
Ever found a source record that appeared to be your ancestor… only to discover four other men with the same name in the same place at the same time? Chelley will take you through a process she devised using spreadsheets to untangle a Northern Irish case using 19th century records... and how this helped to advance her 'What are the Odds?' (WATO) hypothesis.
 
Chelley grew up in England & lived In N. Ireland for 25 years and is a research specialist for these areas. She regularly presents at the MGS DNA Interest Group and coordinates the MGS Writing Interest Group. The North Star Award winner for 2024, Chelley can be found at FamilyTreeTrails.com
 
You can enjoy this presentation at the live event in Minnesota or as part of our virtual audience. The presentation will be followed by a Q&A and discussion until the scheduled broadcast end time. Those at the live event can linger for social time following the broadcast, with the option of ordering a box lunch in advance.
 
The live event is limited to 40 people. Tours of the Research Library and Irish Collection will be offered following the program, and the Library is open for research until 4pm. The hybrid program will allow virtual attendees to unmute their microphone and camera for questions or discussion with the speaker following their presentation.
 
 
The Discount Code will be sent to members via email and is posted on IGSI’s member-only webpage (link). You can reach the IGSI Education team at Education@IrishGenealogical.org
 


June Podcast available for viewing

Cover image for "This month at the IGSI" - our monthy podcast
In the June episode of the “This month at the IGSI” podcast (episode 12 of season 3) genealogist Dave Miller talks about the June webinar, featuring, Chelley Brekke McClear. Her topic is called “the same name – everywhere in Ireland. Sifting and separating family groups.” This presentation will be held on June 28th This is both a live and webinar event. Ever found a source record that seemed to be your ancestor, only to discover four other men with the same name in the same place at the same time? Chelley will take you through a process she devised using spreadsheets to untangle a Northern Irish case using 19th century records... and how this helped to advance her. 
 
We want to ascertain which James Taylor was our James Taylor for each branch of a tree created to solve a non-parental event (NPE) case for a living person. We compile BMD records to identify different branches of the Taylor families in County Antrim in mid to late 1800s. Chelley explains locating the source records, compiling and analyzed them to group these families and tease out the branches – without tripping over mistakes posted in the trees of other matches. The webinar will begin at 10:30 am and will last until noon Central Daylight Time. The cost of the webinar is $15 for members with a coupon and $20 for non-members. The live event is limited to 40 attendees. You can register for the webinar on our website: irishgenealogical.org.
 
Dave also talks about the art and skill of sheep shearing…a huge industry not only in Ireland but also in Australia, New Zealand and the U.S. In fact, it is still in practice today in the U.S. Dave interviews both the sheep shearer and the sheep owner and the products she makes from the sheep’s wool.
 
(opens in a new browser window)
 
YouTube logoYou can visit IGSI's YouTube channel at any time by clicking the YouTube link above right or at the lower right side of our main page (below the upcoming activities).


Members-only: Free viewing of December webinar

 Tracing Medieval Roots: Genealogy in Ireland from the Medieval to the Modern Era
 
Login and visit Webinar Recordings and click the link provided.  
 
Screen image of title slide of presentation
Dr Thomas Finan is a professor of medieval history and archaeology at Saint LouisUniversity is a scholar of medieval Ireland. For over 20 years he has led a "dig" in County Roscommon to examine the site of a medieval castle (of the MacDermot lords of Moylurg), unearthing mysteries of 13th century rural Ireland. A proud descendent of Roscommon Irish, Dr. Finan is also active in several digital projects analyzing collections of medieval genealogical material. Hear and see of the ancient Irish world they are revealing.
 


IGSI Does Not Endorse Genealogy Researchers

It has recently come to our attention that the IGSI logo is displayed on a website offering Irish research services. Due to concerns about the site's authenticity and the unauthorized use of our logo, we are working to have it removed. We caution you to be diligent when hiring genealogy researchers. For assistance in finding and screening qualified researchers, you may want to consult the Association of Professional Genealogists (www.apgen.org) for North American researchers.  Or, for researchers in Ireland, Irish libraries or heritage centers, or the Accredited Genealogists Ireland (https://accreditedgenealogists.ie/) website.


IGSI is on Instagram!

IGSI now has an Instagram account for anyone who wants a new way to stay up to date on the latest happenings with our organization. In addition to regular posts with IGSI news and information, posts will also include tidbits about Irish places, news, and history and happenings in the genealogical community. If you're on Instagram, you can follow us at @IrishGenSI 
 


Minnesota Genealogy Center
1385 Mendota Heights Rd, Suite 100
Mendota Heights, Minnesota 55120
 
Questions?  Contact us at questions@irishgenealogical.org

June 14
Irish Saturday
Stop by the library for Irish research help. Check  www.mngs.org on the day you plan to visit, to make sure the library is open.  ...
June 28
The same name – everywhere in Ireland. Sifting and separating family groups
10:30 AM - Noon CDT (UTC-5) Presented by Chelley Brekke McClear $15 for IGSI members (with Discount Code); $20 for non-members   Ever found ...
July 12
Irish Saturday
Stop by the library for Irish research help. Check  www.mngs.org on the day you plan to visit, to make sure the library is open.  ...
July 19
New Tools & Tricks with Maps for Genealogy Research
10:30 AM - Noon CDT (UTC-5) Presented by Joe Hunter $15 for IGSI members (with Discount Code); $20 for non-members Click here to see ...
August 9
Irish Saturday
Stop by the library for Irish research help. Check  www.mngs.org on the day you plan to visit, to make sure the library is open.  ...