There are two deliveries of this course. You may register for the in-person class on Tuesday evenings or the online class on Wednesday evenings. 

IN-PERSON CLASS | Tuesday Evenings

• Dates: 28 January - 18 March, 7pm-9pm
• Venue: Western Gateway Building, Room G15, UCC 
• Fee: €250

Register for the in-person class here

Course Overview: 

Creating a family history has never been easier than at this time: the era of Information and Communication Technology (ICT). The use of DNA tests, computerised databases, genealogical applications and online family trees has made possible what had previously been impossible. Your family tree can be researched more cheaply, produced more easily, displayed more impressively and distributed at no cost, thanks to developments in ICT.   

However, as the course will demonstrate, you can create a family tree that will be treasured for generations, with no more than a pen and paper, enthusiasm, and some practical guidance.  Indeed, the new tools have their downside. They can be a distraction, encouraging perpetual online research.  They encourage the erroneous belief that family histories can be preserved and accessed indefinitely as digital media. Websites like Ancestry.com push their members into creating huge, unwieldy, conglomerations of far-out relatives, to no purpose. Traditional characteristics of family histories are being forgotten, and the tried and tested display patterns and numbering systems are rarely used.   

The aim of the course is to equip attendees with the skills and information necessary to create a traditional family tree using modern genealogical tools.  This objective is to produce a pedigree of seven generations (including the subject of the pedigree). This task may be made a little easier by making a child or grandchild the subject of the pedigree rather than yourself.   

There are three strands to the course. Firstly, twelve important genealogical sources will be described in detail, with a focus on how to locate and use them to get information on your own ancestry. 

Secondly, a methodical approach to family history research will be outlined, advising how to tackle a mass of documentary material, and also suggesting how to produce a finished family tree document.  

Thirdly, the historical and social context necessary for a deeper understanding of our ancestors and our genealogical records will form a continuous backdrop to the course. The three strands will be intertwined to form a practical, informative and entertaining experience.

Course Content: 

1. General introduction to the course; Census Returns; de Valera’s Ireland 
2. Administrative Divisions; Civil Registration; Parnell’s Ireland 
3. How to organise your research; Parish Records; O’Connell’s Ireland 
4. DNA and Genealogy; Valuation Records; William of Orange and the Ascendancy 
5. Family Tree Applications; Newspapers and Almanacs; Hugh O’Neill to Cromwell 
6. Assessment Chart; Estate Records and Parliamentary Papers; The Tudor Conquest 
7. Progress Review; 17th and 18th Century Sources; St Patrick to the Vikings 
8. Creating your final Family Tree Document; Miscellaneous Sources; the Celts 

Many other topics and sources will also be covered within the framework described above.   

Detailed notes on the contents of each lecture will be forwarded to all students immediately after each lecture.  This will obviate the necessity for taking notes, allowing students to ask questions and to participate more fully in the course. 

Course Lecturer : 

The course is taught by Tony McCarthy MA who has lectured widely on genealogy in Ireland and the United States. He is the author of The Irish Roots Guide (Lilliput), The Ancestor Album (Lilliput), Tracing Your Cork Ancestors [with Tim Cadogan] (Flyleaf), The Facts of Death (Belgrave). With his wife, Angela, he founded Irish Roots, a magazine which he edited for 16 years. He is a Fellow and former President of the Genealogical Society of Ireland, and a Fellow of the Cork Geological Society.   

Requirements: 

Applicants must be at least 18 years old at course commencement. 

Contact Details for Further Information: 

Email: shortcourses@ucc.ie  

Please note our refund policy as follows: 

100% refund if student cancels 1 week prior to course commencement, less €50 processing fee.

100% refund if student's course is cancelled due to insufficient numbers.