Irish family history takes more than luck

A SEMINAR organised by Ballarat and District Genealogical Society in collaboration with the Irish Conversation Circle will be sharing information on how to conduct family research focused on decedents from the country.

Society secretary Carol Armstrong said the event is aiming to attract people from Ballarat and further afield.

“We’ve got people coming from Melbourne, there’s someone coming down from Yarrawonga and we’ve had enquiries from out of town,” she said.

The event held at Ballarat North Community Centre will include guest speakers like Dr Samantha Fabry from Catholic Diocese archives, Dr Kavin Molloy from State Library Victoria Irish collections, and Rebecca Landy – research librarian at the Genealogical Society of Victoria

“I am going to be giving a presentation about what sort of things we actually have with our records and where they are held at the Eureka Hub,” said Ms Armstrong.

“We’ve also got Gavin Keating whose ancestors came from around the district and the is going to be sharing his research.”

Ms Armstrong said she hopes the seminar will help people understand the resources that are available to them when conducting Irish family research.

“I mainly want people to learn what is here in terms of resources for people within the Ballarat area,” she said.

“We do ourselves provide a research service and we can look into things from overseas and so can various places.

“It’s giving people an awareness of what’s available.”

The seminar will run from 9am until 5pm on Saturday 10 February and the session costs $35 and includes morning and afternoon tea.