In the beginning . . .

Moritz Altman, his wife Deborah and their infant son Albert arrived in Ireland in the early 1850s. Moritz was a talented milliner and was sometimes referred to as ‘Moses the Tailor’. He also sold ladies’ undergarments and Chaco paper. Examples of Altman’s creations can be viewed at the British Post Office Museum and the Imperial … Read more

Ballindrait Mill

Murlough, Co. Donegal By Jon Sass Near the summit of Croaghan Hill, Murlough, Co. Donegal, are the remains of possibly the most advanced windmill in Ireland. It was built in 1874 by John Sanderson (1819–1901) of Louth, Lincolnshire, for Charles Robinson (d. 1906), farmer, who leased a farmstead and 118 acres from the earl of … Read more

A taxing enquiry: how many people were there in pre-census Ireland?

Bushe, Connell and an eighteenth-century Irish population controversy. By David Parker Gervase Parker Bushe was a taxman. It was his job to ensure that you paid your dues to the Board of Revenue, and that, even if you were ‘on the parish’ and entitled to tax-free status, you—or rather your dwelling, the basis of the … Read more

Genealogy and DNA

In recent years technology has placed another essential tool within reach of genealogists—DNA testing kits. By Fiona Fitzsimons A person’s ancestry is written in his or her DNA. The evidence can be used to trace deep ancestral origins, especially when researchers have run out of historical documents from which to work. Family historians use three … Read more