Clare Roots Society

Visit Clare Roots Society website

Established: 2006

The Clare Roots Society, the brainchild of local Ennisman Larry Brennan, was formed in April 2006. Larry placed letters in local press to see if there was sufficient interest to form such a group in Clare, and about 25 people turned up at the initial meeting. That meeting was addressed by Paul O'Donnell of the Western Family History Association, which has been flourishing for years. Since then, the society has met once a month, except during the summer months, and by 2010 it had over 100 members . Some members are experienced genealogists while others are novices in the field. In addition to local members, we have some 'virtual' or diaspora members who live overseas, but who follow our activities via email, and dream that they are in Clare!

Invited speakers have included Peter Beirne of 'The Manse' (the Local Studies Centre of Clare County Library in Ennis), Jim Herlihy from Cork on the RIC, Liam Curran on Irish Soldiers in the British Army, and Jonny Dillon of the Folklore Dept. at UCD on the Schools' Folklore Project of the 1930s. From among our own members, speakers have included Paddy Waldron, Gerry Kennedy, Ger Madden, Declan Barron, and Larry Brennan. In addition, Larry has run a number of hands-on computer workshops on genealogical research, and recording of data.

The current committee is listed here. Society meetings are held on the second last Thursday of each month at 8pm, in the Civic Rooms, Waterpark House, Ennis. Our biggest project to date was probably the transcription of the gravestones in the old Drumcliffe Cemetery. Drumcliffe is the major burial ground for Ennis and environs, but many of the plots had been lost from sight or were unidentifiable. The results of this and other Society projects have been made available on the Clare Library website www.clarelibrary.ie Other projects undertaken by members include transcription of some rural graveyards and transcription of the old Ennis National School rollbooks 1898-1952 now available on Clare Library website.

Clare Roots Society
40 Victoria Court
Ennis
Co. Clare

Back to Constituent Organisations

Council of Irish Genealogical Organisations
31a All Saints Road, Raheny, Dublin 5
Telephone: +353 (0)1 4063542
Fax: +353 (0)1 4928645
Email: info@cigo.ie