Genealogy talks and workshops

Summer events at Thomas MacDonagh Museum

For local history buffs and family historians who love to bring the past to life, the Thomas MacDonagh Museum, Cloughjordan, offers exceptional opportunities over the summer to attend three genealogy talks/workshops led by Tipperary historian Noreen Higgins McHugh.

In ‘The Lives of our Ancestors in the 1926 Census’ on Saturday, June 20, Noreen will explore the cultural heritage of previous generations listed in the newly released1926 Census via the 1937-’38 Schools Folklore Collection. Participants will learn about previous generations in their family - their traditions, music/songs/games, stories/folklore and everyday practices.

In ‘Graveyards & Death Customs’ on Saturday, July 18. Noreen will help participants to locate the birth, marriage and death certs of their ancestors. Death rituals such as the wake, prayers, funeral rituals, grave location, types of headstones, ‘passion’ headstones, wording on headstones, gravestone epitaphs will be discussed.

In ‘Heritage At Risk – The Stories of Your Ancestors’ on Saturday, August 15, as part of Heritage Week, Noreen “will help participants explore the storytelling aspect of genealogy, which is the first and most important step in tracing your family tree”.

Dr Noreen Higgins McHugh, PhD, MA, BEd is the author of Tipperary's Tithe War, 1830-1838 (Tipperary, 2002) and A Guide to Tracing Your Tipperary Ancestors (Dublin, 2018). She has also contributed numerous articles to various historical journals. She is secretary to the County Tipperary Historical Society, based at Tipperary Studies, The Source, Thurles.

These genealogy sessions will take place on Saturday mornings from 10.30am to 1pm and incorporate both lecture and workshop components, each part lasting about 45 minutes to an hour. Participants will bring a laptop to access various genealogy online sources. Beginners welcome; cost: €15 per session; limited places; on sale via Eventbrite and email enquiries to info@macdonaghmuseum.ie.