Irish Interest Group

Mission Statement

The Irish Interest Group of the SCGS is dedicated to promoting interest in and supporting those who are researching their Celtic heritage. This includes all whose ancestors ever lived in Ireland, be they Anglo, Norman, or Scots-Irish. From the earliest times people came from distant places to settle in Ireland. Many moved back and forth across the sea periodically. When times were tough, many left Ireland and settled here in America and Canada while others sailed to Australia and other places. It is our aim to bridge the gap from our ancestors’ world to our own. We welcome those whose ancestors ever set foot in Ireland and stayed for even the shortest amount of time.

The Irish Interest Group is growing at SCGS and we welcome all of you who have an interest in Celtic heritage. Our group includes descendants of native Irish as well as Anglo, Welsh, and Scots-Irish, and all combinations thereof.

With over twelve percent of the United States population having Irish ancestors, and another near two percent with Scots-Irish, that’s a lot of Irish cousins out there! Why not come and find one of yours? That has happened before in this group!

We explore the history of our ancestors as much as we explore the resources that are available for use in tracking those forebears.

You probably know that it was the Vikings who settled Dublin, but did you know that the O’Sullivan Clan of southwest Ireland, in the province of Munster, are descended from the Milesians of the Basque region in Spain?

The Irish Interest Group is here to share knowledge among the members and to help those new to this area of interest. Where do you look if all you know is that your great great grandfather was born in “Ireland?”

We’re here to help. Bring those questions with you when you come to the next Irish Workshop and we will help you sort them out. We may not have all of the answers, but we will give it our best try.

Past discussions have covered topics as varied as ancient Celtic customs, Brehon laws, Penal laws, travel back and forth from Scotland, migration patterns, the Plantation period, battles, treaties and the effects these have all had on our ancestors, right up to the present-day topic of DNA.

We mix historical facts with research tips and look at many new websites and online resources and databases as they become available. We constantly review what civil records exist to help in our searches and what substitute records can be used to fill in the gaps. We explore the new and exciting ways we have to find those elusive ancestors of ours.

We not only have a growing collection of books in the Scots-Irish section but we also have large numbers of maps, periodicals, and a growing CD collection as well.

Some of the highlights of the collection include: Search for Missing Friends, several of MacLysaght’s books, the 1659 Census of Ireland, the complete Casey collection, Famine Immigrants, Passenger Lists, Registry of Deeds, Gravestone Inscriptions, Plantations in Ulster, Monumental Inscriptions (Scotland), Scottish Settlers to North America, Scottish Parish Records and many, many more.

We invite you to come and see for yourself. We welcome you.

The Irish Interest Group meets at the library whenever there is a fifth Sunday in the month (usually four times a year). On these days we have the library to ourselves from 10:00am to 4:00pm. Future meetings are scheduled as follows:

2010	2011	2012
January 31	January 30	January 29
May 30	May 29	April 29
August 29	July 31	July 29
October 31	October 30	September 30
		December 30

Contact the Interest Group leader, Marge Rossini, for more information.

Email: marge4scgs@dslextreme.com

Phone number 626-449-4294

Download a copy of the Irish Interest Group brochure here.