Antrim & Newtownabbey Family History Society

10/06/2026

**THIS EVENT HAS BEEN CANCELLED**

🎂 It is the 90th anniversary of the the Irish Genealogical Research Society, which started in London in 1936. As part of the celebrations, a two-lecture event is being held in Belfast at PRONI at 5:30 pm tomorrow, Thursday 11 June, and everyone is invited.

- Scottish migration to Ireland in the seventeenth century. Dr William Roulston.
- Irish merchants in France from 1630 to the eve of the French Revolution: prospects, challenges and identity. Professor Marian Lyons.

Both talks include time for Q&A & there will be a break for refreshments.
Booking is free of charge.
👉 www.irishancestors.ie/the-belfast-event-748

This is an in-person event to be held in the seminar room at the Public Record Office of Northern Ireland, Titanic Boulevard, Belfast. Booking is free of charge and open to all (subject to capacity of venue).

03/06/2026

Lovely story about Lorna's new book in the Belfast Telegraph yesterday.

👉 Read it now before it goes behind the paywall.

Former teacher Lorna Doherty says she embarked on the project to show the area has a much richer legacy than people may realise.

02/06/2026

It's volunteer week and a great time to acknowledge the many volunteers that keep our Society running and who help to advance the study of family history in the North of Ireland and around the world. We simply wouldn't exist without you!

21/05/2026

Book launch day! We’ve just shared a couple of photos on our stories if you want to take a peek! 👀

18/05/2026

* Book Launch! The Seven Villages of Newtownabbey *

Join us at 11am this Thursday 21st May at the newly refurbished Rathcoole Library for the launch of a fascinating new local history publication.

Written by our very own Lorna Doherty, Chair of the Antrim & Newtownabbey Branch of the North of Ireland Family History Society, this illustrated guide explores the stories, people, and communities that have shaped Newtownabbey while offering useful resources for local family history research.

Come along to:
• Hear an introduction to the book
• Discover the research behind it
• Meet others interested in local history and heritage

Booking is advised, but walk-ins are welcome.
📞 Phone: 028 9085 1157
📧 Email: [email protected]

With special thanks to the Antrim and Newtownabbey District of Libraries NI and the staff of Rathcoole Library for their assistance in hosting the launch.

Libraries in Antrim and Newtownabbey North of Ireland Family History Society Antrim and Newtownabbey Borough Libraries NI

07/05/2026

Learn how to make the most of the Roots Ireland website to trace your ancestors. Please book soon and join us online on Monday 11 May when Natalie Bodle's talk will be "Become a Roots Ireland Power User".

Roots Ireland is a subscription site that has a wide range of records for every county in Ireland. There are transcriptions of church records, civil records, gravestone inscriptions, census, census substitutes and passengers lists.
It is particularly strong in its holdings of church records of different denominations.
As such, it can be a terrific help in helping you to overcome brick walls in your family without having to travel to archives.

During the course of the talk, Natalie will cover hints and tips as well as areas such as:
- Getting the best value subscription
- How to access the archives that generated the records
- How to compare with what is available elsewhere
- How to enhance your results with other records
- Website restrictions on use
In short, learn how to maximise your chances of research success!

We are looking forward to Natalie's return visit to our branch. Natalie is a professional genealogist and author who runs Roots Revealed. She has delivered talks and courses locally and internationally. She studied for professional genealogical qualifications with the University of Strathclyde and has undertaken additional qualifications as a tour guide.

The talk is sure to be of interest to anyone tracing their Irish roots. It is free and open to all - please email to request the Zoom link: [email protected]
The meeting will open with our AGM followed by the talk, with time for questions afterwards.

📆 Monday 11 May, 7pm BST.
🌍 Online via Zoom.
🕖 Time zone converter: https://dateful.com/convert/belfast-uk?t=19&d=2026-05-11

We look forward to welcoming you!

12/04/2026

Antrim & Newtownabbey Family History Society We're looking forward to seeing many of you at our next meeting on Monday 13 April, when Sofie Vanherpen will give a talk on “Tracing the Footsteps of the Vikings in Northern Ireland.”

The meeting will be online and Zoom link is available by sending an email to Antrim&[email protected]

05/04/2026

We hope you're enjoying a lovely Easter, perhaps spending some time with family looking at old photos or talking about ancestors.

We're looking forward to seeing many of you at our next meeting on Monday 13 April, when Sofie Vanherpen will give a talk on “Tracing the Footsteps of the Vikings in Northern Ireland.”

The meeting will be online and full details will be posted soon. Do join us if you can.

26/03/2026

Are you free to attend this on Friday? Plenty of surprises are in store for broadcaster, journalist & lecturer, Lynda Bryans, who will be on the other side of the mic for a change! It's a free event in the Public Records Office in Titanic Quarter and starts at 2.15pm. All welcome!

There is still time to book your ticket to attend the NIFHS event this Friday where you can learn about DNA and tracing family history and hear about the DNA results of special guest Lynda Bryans.

Tickets available via this link https://bit.ly/4t91rNG

10/02/2026

Heritage exhibitions at our local libraries 😍

Don’t miss your opportunity to see some of the exhibitions in libraries across Antrim and Newtownabbey in February! 😄

📍Glengormley Library
🖼️ Mapping Monument Exhibition - Exhibition explores the landscape legacies of the Ordinance Surbvey in the Lough Foyle and Binevenagh area
📅 6 - 20 February ⏰ During library opening hours

📍 Rathcoole Library
🖼️ HERoNI - Historic Environment Record NI Heritage Collections exhibition
📅 6 - 20 February ⏰ During library opening hours

📍 Greystone Library
🖼️ All Our Saturdays - A century of sporting excellence in Northern Ireland
📅 9 - 23 February ⏰ During library opening hours