ABC Family History Association

ABC Family History Association is all about making connections! Members have some connection with Northern Ireland, whether they live there or their family came from there, no matter how long ago. ABCFHA runs family history courses to teach people how to find the connections between us and know who our ancestors were, where they came from, what they did and how they lived. The group offers regular talks, workshops and visits.

Ancestry Ireland.

Ancestry Ireland offers extensive knowledge on the sources available for tracing Irish and Scots-Irish ancestors. Services include online databases of over 2 million records, genealogy and history books, and personal ancestral research.

Visit Armagh

Venture into the history behind Armagh's stunning Georgian architecture. Live its Celtic myths and legends in the ancient site of Navan Fort or embark on an epic journey to the home of St Patrick. Discover our culture and weave your own story of Armagh

Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon Borough Council

Visitor attractions include Armagh County Museum (see below) on the Mall in Armagh, the F.E. McWilliams Gallery just off the A1 in Banbridge and the Philip B. Wilson Local History Reference Library located at Lough Neagh Discovery Centre. A little more out of the way is Moneypenny's Lock, the last lock on the Newry Canal before it joins the River Bann. The canal extends for 18 miles through a series of locks from Newry to Whitecote Point, 2km south of Portadown, with a towpath giving access to pedestrians and cyclists running its entire length.

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Armagh County Museum

Armagh County Museum has now transferred to Armagh City, Banbridge, Craigavon Borough Council. Please contact Armagh County Museum on Tel: 028 3752 3070 if you have any queries. Located on the Mall near the centre of the city the unique character of the Museum's architecture make it one of the most distinctive buildings in the city and here, under the heading of "Armachiana", you will find collections reflecting the lives of people who have lived and worked in Armagh or have been associated with the county.

Clogher Historical Society

Dealing with the history of Fermanagh, Monaghan, South Tyrone, this site includes an updated and fully searchable index to our back issues, an online gallery and bookshop, a dedicated section for smaller heritage groups and a rolling calendar of heritage events in the border area.

The Dictionary of Ulster Biography

The on-line successor to the 1993 edition, compiled by Kate Newmann and published by the Institute of Irish Studies of the Queens University of Belfast. With assistance from the Heritage Lottery Fund the Ulster History Circle has produced this revised and updated edition of the Dictionary. In the early stages there will be a limited number of new and revised entries but these will gradually increase as more material is produced.

Edenderry Community Development Association

Edenderry is one the oldest and most historic areas of Portadown and at one time was the hub of industry in the town. The Edenderry Community Development Association was formed in March 2004 with the aim of promoting awareness of history, folklore and the cultural heritage of the area.

The Federation for Ulster Local Studies (FULS)

Formed in 1975 when a small group of local history societies joined forces to establish a province wide network that might better achieve their aim of promoting and preserving our unique historical record. It assists local history groups throughout the province in developing their skills and building knowledge of their locality's past. It has blossomed into one of the largest bodies of its kind and now provides help and advice to just under 100 groups from all parts of the province.
The Federation's aims are as follows:

1. To promote the study and recording of the history, antiquities and folk-life of Ulster
2. To encourage the provision of the necessary services for the furtherance of those local historical studies in Ulster.

Griffiths Valuation

Armagh 1864. The Primary Valuation was the first full-scale valuation of property in Ireland. It was overseen by Richard Griffith and published between 1847 and 1864. It is one of the most important surviving genealogical sources.

Irish Journals with Genealogical Content.

A web page by Jane Lyons listing. Some of the journals listed here no longer exist. Some are produced by Historical Societies and others are simply published by enthusiastic local people on an annual basis.

Inland Waterways Association of Ireland (IWAI)

IWAI, founded in 1954, is a voluntary organisation that advocates the use, maintenance, protection, restoration and improvement of the inland waterways of Ireland. Work parties and funds are raised to improve navigations and to restore derelict ones. Current projects include the Ulster Canal, Lagan Navigation, Coalisland Canal, Boyne Navigation and the Kilbeggan and Corbally lines of the Grand Canal.
IWAI is on-line since 1999 and, whether you are a boat enthusiast, historian, archaeologist, or fisherman, you will find something of interest on their web site.

Lecale Historical Society

Centred on Downpatrick, County Down, the historic barony that includes Strangford, Saul, Inch, Ardglass, Killough and Dundrum. The Society was established in 1974 and meets regularly in the Down County Museum, one of the foremost local museums in Ireland. The site is illustrated throughout with images of Lecale.

Lisburn Historical Society

Extracts and illustrations from the Journals of Lisburn Historical Society right back to Vol. 1 in 1978, including an excellent history of The Huguenots of Lisburn with details of many of the Huguenot families including Breakey (de Brequet), Dupre, Gaston and Lilley.

Lurgan Ancestry

Devoted to help any person trying to trace ancestors from the town of Lurgan or its surrounding areas. As well as being a resource for genealogists and family historians, Lurgan Ancestry will also give an insight, via the records, stories and photos that are included, to what life was like in the Lurgan area throughout the centuries.

Millennium Court, Portadown

The Millennium Court Arts Centre Spring Programme 2004 includes Vidagio by the Motion Monkeys, who will create a multimedia installation of sounds and sights; Peter Richard's photographs are of Craigavon communities and people; Dan Shipsides scaffolding-like platforms will inspire; and local community groups' exhibitions give a showcase for local talent. Verbal Arts events include the launch of Hometown by The ABC Writers Group, the Melting Pot by the Bannside Scribblers, and a series of books by Lagan Press. Helen Brennan will read from The History of Irish Dance alongside dancers and musicians.

Millmount Museum and Old Drogheda Society

The Museum and Martello Tower are located at Millmount in the centre of Drogheda, County Louth, overlooking the historic river Boyne. Drogheda is in an area rich in heritage, dating back over 3,000 years, while the town itself is over 800 years old. Millmount Museum's primary claim to fame is its unique collection of Guild Banners, some over 200 years old - The Weavers, The Carpenters, and The Shoemakers - and this web site has lots of information about the Museum and the vibrant local history scene in the Drogheda area.

National Museums Northern Ireland

In 1998, the Ulster Museum merged with the Ulster Folk and Transport Museum and the Ulster-American Folk Park to form the National Museums and Galleries of Northern Ireland and, in 2001, the group's new Science Centre, W5, opened.

North of Ireland Family History Society

The Society was formed in 1979 and we now have grown to ten branches in the North of Ireland with hundreds of Associate members across the world. "Our objective is to foster interest in family history with special reference to families who have roots in the North of Ireland and their descendants, wherever they may be."

Poyntzpass and District Local History Society

This web site gives information about the society, photographs from and some historical information about Poyntzpass and the surrounding District. The Society holds monthly talks between September and April, produces a biannual journal, has an active Facebook page and a YouTube channel.

P.R.O.N.I.

Public Records Office for Northern Ireland. The Public Record Office of Northern Ireland (PRONI) is the official place of deposit for public records in Northern Ireland. PRONI hold millions of documents which relate chiefly, but by no means exclusively, to present-day Northern Ireland. The earliest record dates from 1219, with the main concentration of records covering the period 1600 to the present.

The records fall into three general categories:

• Records of Government Departments which in many cases go back to the early nineteenth century;
• Records of courts of law, local authorities and other non-departmental public bodies;
• Records deposited by private individuals, churches, businesses and institutions.

Sinton Family Trees

Sinton Roots in Ireland and Scotland. This site now has seven Sinton family trees. The first one starts with the author's great-great-great-grandfather John Sinton of Cabra, Tandragee, Co. Armagh. The trees include many Sintons born in Ireland prior to 1900. Updates are made as new information becomes available.

Ulster Historical Foundation.

A non-profit making organisation that was founded in 1956 to promote interest in Irish history and genealogy, with particular reference to the province of Ulster.
The Ulster Historical Foundation offers a professional genealogical research service. Whether you require a research assessment or a full family history report, they can help you complete your family tree.

Ulster American Folk Park

An open-air museum in Co Tyrone, Northern Ireland, which tells the story of emigration from Ulster to America in the 18th & 19th centuries and provides visitors with a "living history" experience on its outdoor site. Costumed demonstrators go about their everyday tasks in the traditional manner in authentically furnished Old and New World buildings. The Ship and Dockside Gallery features a full-size reconstruction of an early 19th century sailing ship of the type which carried thousands of emigrants across the Atlantic and a major indoor exhibition "Emigrants" complements the outdoor site. The Centre for Migration Studies can assist those who wish to find out more about emigration history and the way of life of emigrants and settlers.

The Ulster History Circle

A small, voluntary, not for profit organisation that places commemorative plaques in public places, in towns and villages all over Northern Ireland, in honour of famous men and women who have contributed to Ulster's history. Plaques are erected with the permission of the owners of the buildings. The Ulster History Circle was formed in the 1980s to fill what was believed to be a gap in the celebration of our history - the kind of history that all can share. The work is entirely voluntary and we have no earning capacity or trust funds of any kind. Unlike similar bodies in the rest of the United Kingdom, who receive generous government grants, we depend on Local Authorities, individuals and businesses to fund individual plaques.

The Ulster Place-Name Society

Based at Queens University Belfast, it has as a primary objective the survey of Ulster place-names and it hopes ultimately to publish a series of volumes embodying the results of the Survey.