GGI2020 Belfast - speakers & topics

By way of an early Christmas present, here is something to whet your appetite for 2020. The speakers and topics for GGI2020 in Belfast have been drafted. And once again we have a very exciting line-up for our third year in Belfast.

There are 12 presentations in total, 6 from new speakers who have never spoken at GGI previously. We have an international range of speakers representing Ireland, the UK and the US, including Mike Sager who works for our sponsors, FamilyTreeDNA. Mike oversees the results of the Big Y test and probably has the greatest overview of the Tree of Mankind of anyone on the planet. His talk will be one of the high points of the conference.

We have beginners covered with introductory talks by Andy Hochreiter and Donna Rutherford. There is a focus on local projects and local success stories from the North of Ireland with talks from Martin McDowell, Andrew Kane and Ken & Alison Tait. Guidance on the management and interpretation of your DNA results are provided by Jonny Perl and Debbie Kennett, while Martin Hayden reveals how to harness the power of X-DNA (our first ever lecture on the topic). And to round off the selection, we have Peter McWilliam, Paddy Waldron & Cathal McElgunn presenting fascinating case studies on how DNA combined with paper records can break down long-standing Brick Walls in your family tree.

So there is something for everyone and this all promises to make GGI2020 another must-see event. The complete schedule (together with talk descriptions) will be published in January.

See you in Belfast!

Maurice Gleeson

Dec 2019

GGI2020 Belfast - back for a third year!

Genetic Genealogy Ireland returns to Belfast in February 2020 - Friday 14th & Saturday 15th, so come along as a Valentine's Day present to yourself!

GGI2020 Belfast consists of two days of top-notch DNA Lectures from experts in the field, with a particular focus on the North of Ireland and how genetic genealogy is making such a difference to family history research in the region. Many of the speakers are from the North of Ireland Family History Society (NIFHS) who have a joint stand with the conference sponsors, FamilyTreeDNA.

The NIFHS also runs the North of Ireland DNA Project. This has the largest local DNA database of people with ancestry from the North of Ireland and boasts over 4400 members. The NIFHS hold regular introductory courses and classes on DNA and how it can help you with your family history research, as well as several ongoing DNA Interest Groups. Anyone who has ancestry from the North of Ireland needs to be in this DNA project!

This is the third year of the event and we are once more in the International Convention Centre at the Waterfront Hall in Belfast. This award-winning multi-purpose venue was built in 1997 and has been voted Best Event Space 2017 and (in 2002) the Second Best Conference Centre in the World. As well as conferences, conventions and exhibitions, it hosts concerts by the Ulster orchestra; plays, operas & musicals; and the ever-popular TV show Britain's Got Talent. If you're lucky, you might get an audition while you're there!

Waterfront Hall, Belfast- the second best Conference Centre in the world 

The venue itself is located in the heart of Belfast City, minutes walk from Belfast City Hall. Nearby hotels include the Hilton Belfast, the Malmaison Belfast, and the oh-so-affordable Premier Inn. The Titanic Belfast museum is a mere 20 minutes walk north & slightly east. The address of the Belfast Waterfront is 2 Lanyon Place, Belfast, BT1 3WH, Northern Ireland.

Here are some rates for nearby hotels (as of 18 Dec 2019 for a 5 night stay from Wed 12th to Mon 17th Feb 2020 for 2 adults):

• Hilton Belfast ... £474 / $625
• Premier Inn City Centre ... £228 / $300 (this is where most people stayed last year as it is the closest hotel to the venue and reasonably priced - I am trying to organise a group rate so please check back here in the next few days)
• Premier Inn Cathedral Quarter ... £230 / $304
• Premier Inn Titanic Quarter ... £220 / $290
• ETAP Hotel Belfast ... £186 / $245
• Easy Hotel Belfast ... £191 / $252

Ideally located near ... well, everything!
(click to enlarge)

The DNA Lectures will take place in the same lecture theatre as last year (Hall 2B). There will also be a stream of parallel lectures organised by Martin McDowell of the NIFHS. The facilities are impeccable and the staff are very friendly and efficient, which made for a very smooth conference last February. No doubt we will have the same again next year. Hall 2B has a capacity for 100 people - so plenty of room for everyone! You can go on a virtual tour here.

The DNA Lectures of GGI2019 Belfast are upstairs in Hall 2B (top left)

GGI2020 is run as part of the larger Back to Our Past exhibition, is kindly sponsored by FamilyTreeDNA, and is organised by volunteers from ISOGG and the North of Ireland Family History Society.

See you in Belfast next February!

Maurice Gleeson

Dec 2019

ISOGG Day Out - GGI2019 Dublin

The good news is that, once again, Gerard Corcoran (ISOGG Ireland Representative) has organized a fantastic agenda for our traditional ISOGG Day Out on the Sunday after the conference (i.e. Sunday Oct 20th). And this year we are featuring Epic Ireland and a Historic Walking Tour of Dublin.

The bad news is that all the places have been taken (GGI speakers and volunteers on the FTDNA stand always get first pick). And as we have a lot of international speakers this year, all the available places were snapped up.

However, if you wish to pay your own way, please feel free to join us. The agenda is below and you will need to book in advance if you want to be with or near the main group for lunch or dinner or the afternoon walk.

There may be some future changes to the agenda (due to unforeseen circumstances) but such changes are not currently anticipated.


Sunday October 20th, 2019

MORNING PROGRAMME
EPIC Ireland, the CHQ Building

10:00 Assemble at the reception of EPIC Ireland in the CHQ Building. EPIC Ireland is the Museum of the Irish Diaspora and has won multiple awards for their inspiring exhibition.

Location: The CHQ Building, Custom House Quay, North Dock, Dublin 1, D01 T6K4

Website: https://epicchq.com/the-museum/

If you want to visit the museum on the same day as the ISOGG Day Out, there are two-for-one tickets available via Ireland Reaching Out (Ireland XO) - just click here to register.



The Irish Family History Centre is located in the same building and offers a range of services to help you with your Irish genealogical research. There is also a gift shop for any momentous you might want to bring home.

Website: https://epicchq.com/irish-family-history-centre/


12:30 Lunch at the Urban Brewery, downstairs at the CHQ Building

Website: https://www.urbanbrewing.ie/


AFTERNOON PROGRAMME

14:30 Walking Tour of Historic Dublin

We will walk off our lunch on one of Pat Liddy's famous Walking Tours of Historic Dublin.

Website: https://www.walkingtours.ie/en_GB


EVENING PROGRAMME (open to everyone)

18:00 Banquet Dinner, Ka Shing, 12a Wicklow Street, Dublin 2.

21:00 a brief(?) visit to Temple Bar for ... 

And a very sincere thank you to our sponsors for the ISOGG Day Out 2019 ...

Iain McDonald - Speaker Profile

Iain MacDonald

Talk Title: 
Exploring new Y-DNA horizons with Big Y-700

Biography

Growing up in the Highlands of Scotland, I became interested in the ancient history of the megalithic monuments that surrounded me, and the people that built them. Following degrees in St. Andrews and Manchester, I took my PhD in Keele, and have been a post-doctoral researcher in Manchester for the last decade. I now hold an Honorary Fellowship in Genealogical, Palaeographic and Heraldic Studies at the University of Strathclyde's Centre for Lifelong Learning.

What do you do as a Day Job?

By day, I'm an astrophysicist. I look for new planets around other stars, and try to identify what they're made of and how they are evolving. I also look into the death of stars, and how they seed the cosmos with the element needed for life. My day is mostly spent staring at computers, programming and extracting statistics for the papers I'm writing. However, for a few weeks a year, I get to jet off to exotic locations, spending nights on remote mountaintops, looking at the stars with some of the most advanced technology mankind has created.

What do you do as a Night Job?

By night, I'm a genetic genealogist. I've specialised in using the statistical knowledge from my day job to piece together the timings and migration patterns of family histories. Most of my time is spent as administrator for the R-U106 group, helping organise research into this large haplogroup (nearly 5000 members) and unravel how its families descend through 5000 years of mostly unrecorded history. I also help co-administrate the even larger Scottish Y-DNA project. Most of my time is spent working with individual testers, but I'm trying to find more time to work on my programming.

How did you get into genealogy?

Our McDonald family (originally Donald) had an oral tradition of descending from Banffshire that my father wanted to unravel and see if we were descended from the Lords of the Isles. We started researching this side of our family about 15 years ago, and traced back to a 1791 marriage in Aberdeenshire, where the trail ran cold. While researching my other lines was interesting, I always returned to try to unpick my Donald line. Eventually, this involved piecing together several thousand Donald individuals from more than 100 different families across the north-east of Scotland. I still didn't get any further forward with my brick wall, but I learned a lot about the history of the area and areas where the family name was common.

Tell us about your involvement with genetic genealogy

Y-DNA testing offered a fresh opportunity to research the origins of my Donald line, and I took my first test over 10 years ago. By comparing my Y-DNA to the Clan Chiefs, we found we weren't descended from Donald himself. I found myself part of the R-U106 group shortly after its foundation, and realised that no-one really had the expertise to tell me what my results meant: if I wasn't from the Clan Donald, where was I from? So I taught myself genetic genealogy and learned the statistics I needed to deduce my origins from another physicist-cum-geneticist (Ken Nordvedt). From there, I built my way up to performing age estimation (TMRCAs) and migration analyses for the R-U106 group, eventually becoming one of its administrators. I've helped many people, including noble families, royalty, and provided input to the RTE1 programme "John Connors – The Travellers". More recently, I've started to invent new statistical tools to make these estimations more accurate, and working with others in the field and Family Tree DNA directly to try and spread this knowledge more widely. I do some small amount of teaching as part of my role at Strathclyde, and we have just published a book: "Tracing your ancestors using DNA: a guide for family historians".

What will you be talking about?

The Big Y-700 test provides a new frontier in Y-DNA testing options. I will discuss the details of this test and what you can expect to find from it. I will focus on the ability to determine ages of Y-DNA haplogroups and how this translates into the ability to trace our ancestors' migrations from the most ancient times, down to the histories of individual surnames, and how these can be merged into times probed by autosomal DNA results.

Where can people get more information about you and the work you do?

Anyone wanting to know more can see my website: http://www.jb.man.ac.uk/~mcdonald/ where you can also find information on how to get in touch with my directly.


These lectures are sponsored by FamilyTreeDNA and organised by volunteers from ISOGG (International Society of Genetic Genealogy).

John Collins - Speaker Profile

John Collins

Talk Title: The tools at DNAGedcom and Genetic.Family

Achievements & Affiliations

• Bachelor of Science from UMBC
• Founder of Genetic.Family
• Admin of Genetic.Family User Group and DNAGedcom User Group on Facebook
• SCGS Member

What do you do as a Day Job?

I am a software developer for manufacturing software used by Department of Defence contractors. We create tools to help facilitate building and tracking parts for nuclear submarines as well as missile systems.

What do you do as a Night Job?

I am the CTO of DNAGedcom. I act as lead developer for Genetic.Family, and work to direct us as we move forward innovating technology for the genealogy community.

How did you get into genealogy?

Rob Warthen dragged me in kicking and screaming. I worked with him at a previous job, and he wanted some help with DNAGedcom. After helping build out some tools, I attended my first genealogy conference in November of 2018. The great community and the amount of help we can give to people searching for their family just feels important to me.

Tell us about your involvement with genetic genealogy

To be quite honest, I am still learning. I am figuring out the technical side, but I spend my time learning from questions others ask in various forums, and the answers they get. I am a data analyst at heart, so I am here to give my expertise to help people organize and catalogue the massive amount of tiny clues they get into more meaningful data that they can actually use. I have not really done any of my own genealogy – I am purely driven by the community.

What will you be talking about?

DNAGedcom has been around since 2011, but there have been a lot of changes recently there. Join us for a review of the changes over the last year, including new announcements first seen at Genetic Genealogy Ireland. In addition, learn how Genetic.Family will help you work within and across all your DNA Companies.

Where can people get more information about you and the work you do?

• https://genetic.family/Help
• DNAGedcom User Group on Facebook
• Genetic.Family User Group on Facebook

GGI2019 Dublin – the final DNA Lecture Schedule

GGI2019 takes place over the weekend of October 18-19^th 2019 at the RDS (Royal Dublin Society) in Ballsbridge, Dublin (see map here). Below is the final schedule for the DNA Lectures together with a description of each talk. 

The lectures will take place upstairs in the Merrion Room. This is a different location to previous years (so don't get lost). You can see the new layout here. This room is above the entrance to the Main Hall (Hall 1) and will be well sign-posted from the floor of the exhibition hall (just follow the signs for DNA Lectures).

It is planned to record the lectures and make them available either on the Genetic Genealogy Ireland YouTube channel (as in previous years) or via Legacy Webinars. 

Entry is free to the event and to the DNA Lectures.

Friday 18^thOct 2019

10.30   Did the Irish bring rare mtDNA to Newfoundland? (David Pike, ISOGG Canada)

Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) has the distinct feature of being strictly maternally inherited, making it an indispensable tool for genealogical research of matrilineal ancestors. Within the mtDNA Project for Newfoundland and Labrador one particular mtDNA profile (belonging to haplogroup H5a5) has been found to occur at an unusually high frequency, especially in comparison with how rarely it appears to occur elsewhere. Given the substantial number of Irish who settled in Newfoundland, it is natural to ask whether Ireland is the source of this mtDNA lineage (as well as other mtDNA profiles in Newfoundland). This lecture will highlight what is known of the H5a5 profile in Newfoundland and where it may have originated.

11.30   An Irish - Ukrainian Case Study (Regina Negrycz, ISOGG US)

Sometimes it is simple to tell which side of the family a DNA match is on via the surnames, other times not. This presentation will show examples identifying a match’s relationship for two different ethnicities. The case study will also illustrate the identification of the relationship for a Y-DNA match using autosomal DNA.

12.30   Epigenetics for the Genetic Genealogist (Katherine Borges, ISOGG US)

Learn what Epigenetics is and why you need to learn about it for genetic genealogy. This presentation includes a brief history of this nascent field including both animal and human studies. Knowledge of epigentics can give you clues to mutations in your DNA.

13.30   The tools at DNAgedcom & Genetic.Family (Rob Warthen & John Collins, ISOGG US)

DNAGedcom has been around since 2011, but there have been a lot of changes recently there. Join us for a review of the changes over the last year, including new announcements first seen at Genetic Genealogy Ireland. In addition, learn how Genetic.Family will help you work within and across all your DNA Companies.

14.30   Canadian Casualty Identification Program – using Databases to connect Families to Their Lost Soldiers (Mags Gaulden, ISOGG Canada)

These are exciting times for anyone who has a lost relative, no matter the reason for the loss. With advances in DNA retrieval and analysis, work is being done to identify the remains of individuals who have been found around the world. This process is very similar across all aspects of research, including law enforcement, the various Doe projects and even in the identification of lost military personal from historical and current conflicts. We will take a look at the work being done by the Canadian Casualty Identification Program as well as the use of DNA databases to help in the process. Are public databases being used? Is there a government database for these soldiers’ families to leave reference samples? Are there privacy concerns to worry about in this kind of work? If I give a sample will Law enforcement have access to my sample? Join me as we attempt to bring clarity to an exciting time in genetic genealogy.

15.30   Early Irelanders: who were they and what happened to them? (Lara Cassidy, TCD)

Ancient genomes from the Mesolithic and Neolithic periods can shed light on social organisation in prehistoric Ireland. We explore this here, alongside the contribution these groups made to the modern Irish.

Saturday 19^thOct 2019

10.30   The formation of the insular Atlantic genome: over 4000 years of continuity on Europe’s northwest extreme? (Lara Cassidy, TCD)

We explore the signals of genetic continuity (and discontinuity!) in Ireland from the Copper Age onwards using haplotypic data taken from both modern and ancient populations. Ancient data also allows us to trace the appearance and distribution of Y chromosome lineages through time on the island.

11.30   Irish genealogies & DNA: back into the mythological past (Bart Jaski, Utrecht University)

When people research their Irish family history and ancestry, their surname is probably the most important part of their identity. Surnames are inherited from father to son, and certain Irish (Gaelic) surnames can be traced back to ancestors who lived more than a thousand year ago. This makes Irish surnames unique in the world, and they are therefore also important for DNA research worldwide. This research can take us even further back in time – perhaps even into the ‘mythological’ past before the coming of Christianity when Irish tribes dominated the island.

12.30   Irish DNA Down Under (Michelle Patient, ISOGG Australia)

One of the largest cohorts of migrants to Australia and New Zealand were from Ireland, but for many of us connecting back our research to the Irish ancestors has been a challenge. The topic will give an overview of migration waves and patterns from Ireland into Australia and New Zealand and discuss a number of examples of Irish ancestry puzzles and the role DNA has had in resolving them.

13.30   The DNA Journey - perspectives from Irish adoptees (Dolores Quinlan, MIACP)

I’ll be talking about my experience as a psychotherapist working with adoptees on their voyage of discovery: what it's like to search when you have nothing; what the journey is like emotionally going from nothing to “finding your people”, the emotional rollercoaster, the stops and starts, the dead ends.  I’ll also discuss the results of a research project I did on this topic.

14.30   Exploring new Y-DNA Horizons with Big Y-700 (Iain MacDonald, ISOGG UK)

The Big Y-700 test provides a new frontier in Y-DNA testing options. I will discuss the details of this test and what you can expect to find from it. I will focus on the ability to determine ages of Y-DNA haplogroups and how this translates into the ability to trace our ancestors' migrations from the most ancient times, down to the histories of individual surnames, and how these can be merged into times probed by autosomal DNA results.

15.30   Using GenomeMate Pro & other tools (Michelle Leonard, ISOGG UK) 

This presentation will delve into the world of DNA segment data and how to use it to enhance your genealogical research. I will explain how to use both the tools provided by the main testing companies and the most useful currently available third party tools. I will use practical examples to demonstrate how to make best use of segment data tools such as GenomeMatePro, GEDMatch (Tier 1) and DNA Painter. These tools can help with understanding, interpreting and organising DNA results and, ultimately, can contribute to how successful you are in identifying matches and making breakthroughs via DNA testing.

These lectures are sponsored by FamilyTreeDNA and organised by volunteers from ISOGG (International Society of Genetic Genealogy).

Maurice Gleeson

Sep 2019

Regina Negrycz - Speaker Profile

Regina Negrycz

Talk Title: An Irish-Ukrainian Case Study

What do you do as a Day Job?

Regina has been employed by an international life insurance company for over 22 years in a multitude of positions, including Systems Analyst, Production Support, Project Manager and Business Analyst.

What do you do as a Night Job?

In 2016, Regina accepted delivery of a 15-foot POD containing approximately 1,000 city directory books, 875 microfilms of city directories, 400 telephone directories, and millions of telephone books on microfiche. The hard copy city directories have been scanned (mostly) and are becoming part of a unique online database that can be searched on up to five fields (surname, first name, business, street name & city). These directories are from the United States and portions of Canada (British Columbia, Montreal, Vancouver) for the time period 1891 through 2002. Regina is also publishing a series of quick guides under the moniker Ancestral Guides and books based upon deaths and marriages found in the city directories. Regina has also been lecturing on DNA at the annual Salt Lake Christmas Tour in Salt Lake City, Utah each December.

How did you get into genealogy?

When I was 8 years old, I was given an assignment to fill in my family tree. Both of my grandfathers had died before I was born, so I called each of my grandmothers. One didn’t know any information to give me, and one did but wouldn’t! This peaked my curiosity and set me off on a mission to fill in the puzzle pieces!

What about your involvement with genetic genealogy?

I began attending DNA lectures in 2014. My first instructor knew the topic very well, but skipped over portions of the explanations, so I would continually ask questions. From there, I attended every DNA lecture and webinar possible. While lunching with my genealogy society in October 2015, I decided to begin leading a DNA Special Interest Group, the first of its kind in Florida. The group was widely received. I’ve tweaked it over the years to included one-on-one sessions and it has now morphed into online sessions with limited attendance, again the first of its kind in Florida. I will be extending these online sessions in January 2020 to the general public.

So, what will you be talking about?

Sometimes it is simple to tell which side of the family a DNA match is on via the surnames, other times not. This presentation will show examples identifying a match’s relationship for two different ethnicities. The case study will also illustrate the identification of the relationship for a Y-DNA match using autosomal DNA.

What DNA tests will be discussed?

Y-DNA, autosomal DNA

Where can people get more information about you or your topic?

www.ancestralbeginnings.com

https://www.facebook.com/AncestralBeginningsGenealogy/

https://www.familyrootspublishing.com/store/category.php?cat=3467

These lectures are sponsored by FamilyTreeDNA and organised by volunteers from ISOGG (International Society of Genetic Genealogy).

Mags Gaulden - Speaker Profile

Mags Gaulden

Talk Title: The Canadian Casualty Identification Program, Using Databases to Connect Families to Their Lost Soldiers.

Biography

Mags is a Professional Genealogist specializing in Genetic Genealogy as a founder of Grandma’s Genes in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. Growing up in a family full of family historians, Mags was primed to become a Genealogist. After earning her Bachelor’s Degree from Columbia College, she began to work her own Genealogy and Genetic Genealogy as a “hobby”.

This 30 year “hobby” eventually led her to a Leader role with WikiTree where she currently leads The DNA Project, The US Southern Colonies Project, The United Empire Loyalist Project and the British Home Children Project. She also leads the Templeton and McElmoyle One Name Studies and The FamilyTree DNA WikiTree and McElmoyle DNA Projects. Mags is the former Genetic Genealogist for the Canadian Casualty Recovery Team where she worked to connect the remains of fallen soldiers from the first and second world wars and Korea with their living family.

She is a member in good standing of the Association of Professional Genealogists, The International Society of Genetic Genealogy, The Ontario Chapter of the Association of Professional Genealogists, The Ontario Genealogical Association, The Ottawa Branch of the Ontario Genealogical Association and BIFHSGO – The British Isles Family History Society of Greater Ottawa.

She is a Genetic Genealogy Lecturer, Blogger and a Social Media Maven serving as an admin for the several Facebook groups including the International Society of Genetic Genealogy Facebook Group.

What do you do as a Day Job? 

Genealogy and Genetic Genealogy are my day job. I work with Clients and help them answer questions about their family and family history. I also work with the Royal Ottawa Hospital and The University of Ottawa as part of the NETS (Narrative Exposure Therapy) Study. This study is designed to give vulnerable members of our homeless population a sense of self and identity through genealogy and genetic genealogy research. Beyond consultation and research I volunteer, speak and blog about genealogy and genetic genealogy across the globe.

What do you do as a Night Job? 

I guess my “hobby” part of genealogy would be working my family tree. The saying “the cobblers children have no shoes” seems very fitting here.

How did you get into genealogy?

I always laugh and tell people that my grandmother caught me as I was being born and started yelling my family names at me. This is pretty close to true. My Grandmother grew up in a “children’s home” in Columbia, SC and didn’t discover her true family, even her real last name, until she was 17. I grew up hearing about my families from my grandparents. In high school a distant cousin gave me some family research papers. I dove into them and I haven’t come up for air since.

Tell us about your involvement with genetic genealogy 

I can’t imagine being more involved in genetic genealogy. Working with WikiTree (a collaborative, free global family tree) to make genetic tools available to WikiTree users is one way. Being involved through my client work is an important way as well. But I also see that being involved with the genealogy and the genetic genealogy community through mitoYDNA.org or other volunteer opportunities like ISOGG (International Society for Genetic Genealogy) is also important. I guess what I am saying here is that it’s important to pay the bills, but it’s also very important to give back.

What will you be talking about?

These are exciting times for anyone who has a lost relative, no matter the reason for the loss. With advances in DNA retrieval and analysis, work is being done to identify the remains of individuals who have been found around the world. This process is very similar across all aspects of research, including law enforcement, the various Doe projects and even in the identification of lost military personal from historical and current conflicts. We will take a look at the work being done by the Canadian Casualty Identification Program as well as the use of DNA databases to help in the process. Are public databases being used? Is there a government database for these soldiers’ families to leave reference samples? Are there privacy concerns to worry about in this kind of work? If I give a sample will Law enforcement have access to my sample? Join me as we attempt to bring clarity to an exciting time in genetic genealogy.

Where can people get more information about you and the work you do?

Website: http://grandmasgenes.com/
Blog: http://grandmasgenes.com/blog/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/GrandmasGenes
Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/grandmasgenes/
WikiTree: https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Gaulden-7
mitoYDNA: https://www.mitoydna.org/
mitoYDNA Twitter: https://twitter.com/MitoYdna/
mitoYDNA Facebook Users Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/mitoYDNA/



These lectures are sponsored by FamilyTreeDNA and organised by volunteers from ISOGG (International Society of Genetic Genealogy).

Dolores Quinlan - Speaker Profile

Dolores Quinlan

Talk Title: The DNA Journey - perspectives from Irish Adoptees

Biography

Dolores is a psychotherapist. She obtained her degree and Masters in Clinical Psychotherapy from the Tivoli Institute (Dublin). She also holds a diploma in Cross-Professional Supervision. For her Masters, she studied the psychological effect that DNA Testing has on Irish adoptees searching for their biological family. She is an accredited member of the Irish Council for Psychotherapy, and the Irish Association of Humanistic and Integrative Psychotherapists.

What do you do as a Day Job?

I work in private practice providing psychological support for a wide range of issues including adoption related issues. I provide support before, during and after their search and reunion. I have enjoyed group facilitation and tutoring students in counselling skills in the National University of Ireland Maynooth, and volunteer work with Barnardo’s post adoption services.

My work as a therapist is very rewarding. Being a facilitator of personal growth, I get to witness people transform connecting with themselves on a deeper level becoming a more authentic version of themselves. Its lovely seeing someone evolve having built new resources and self-acceptance discovering a new zest for life. I get to meet courageous and resilient people and sharing their experiences is a real privilege.

What do you do as a Night Job?

I work some evenings in my practice to accommodate clients who are unable to come during 9-5 hours and I have a very energetic 1 year old golden retriever who gets me out in nature. I’m fortunate to live near a river surrounded by acres of land and mature trees which I love to ramble around and recharge. I enjoy going into the city to listen to live music in the smaller venues and I’ve recently returned to school to learn the art of silversmithing and look forward to designing my own creations in the future. It’s a creative outlet that allows me to meet people in an environment that’s completely different to my day job. It’s fun, and through DNA testing I discovered that my great, great grandfather was a tinsmith – may be its genetic.

How did you get into genealogy?

I took a strong interest in genealogy about 4 years ago and became obsessed with it during that time. I’ll say a lot more about this in my presentation. It turns out that I have ancestors who variously owned a horse drawn taxi company, ran a confectionary business and were architects for the pro-cathedral. They are buried in tombs in the basement of the cathedral.

Tell us about your involvement with genetic genealogy

I have tested with all the major companies, but it took quite a while before I got any meaningful matches. It was hugely exciting at first, I was so curious about how all my matches were related to me but trying to understand my matches and how that fitted in was daunting and at times overwhelming. However, over time I made some amazing breakthroughs and discovered things I could never have imagined which ultimately changed my whole life.

What will you be talking about? 

I’ll be talking about working with adoptees on their voyage of DNA discovery and sharing my research gathered from interviews with adoptees, during and after DNA search and re-union, the experiencing of a DNA search when you have nothing to begin with, the emotional roller coaster, stops and starts, and ultimately the psychological experience of going from nothing to suddenly finding your people, your identity.

Where can people get more information about you and the work you do? 

My profile on the Lucan Counselling & Psychotherapy website ... http://lucancounselling.com/counsellors.php?counsellor=4

My profile on the Holisto website ... https://holisto.com/therapist-listing/dolores-quinlan

These lectures are sponsored by FamilyTreeDNA and organised by volunteers from ISOGG (International Society of Genetic Genealogy).

Michelle Patient - Speaker Profile

Michelle Patient

Talk Title: Irish DNA Down Under

Biography

Australian genealogist and international speaker, Michelle Patient has qualifications in Chemistry & Geology, is a scientist, computer geek and DNA enthusiast. She belongs to many genealogy societies and currently volunteers on the Society of Australian Genealogists Education Committee and is the New Zealand Representative for the Guild of One Name Studies.

What do you do as a Day Job?
I am a genealogy speaker and Facebook administrator. I also do DNA consultations for individuals and for the Australian SBS TV series: Every Family has a Secret.

What do you do as a Night Job? 

More of the same … 😊

How did you get into genealogy? 

I grew up with a grandmother whose family stories, photographs and memorabilia sparked my life-long interest in genealogy. Curiosity both about the family I didn’t know as well as the family my grandmother told me about. It turned into a daily passion when working on Grandma's unidentified photographs which were given to me in the 1990's. In 1989, I began searching for my English half-sister, eventually finding her in 1993. In 2005 I reconnected my mother with her birth family.  

Tell us about your involvement with genetic genealogy

Adding DNA research to my genealogy tool kit has increased the range of my methods, revealed skeletons and broken down many brick walls.  I have been extracting genealogy evidence from DNA since 2015, have tested all three test types and have undertaken at-DNA tests at all five major companies, tested many relatives as well as people looking for unknown parentage.

What will you be talking about? 

One of the largest cohorts of migrants to Australia and New Zealand were from Ireland, but for many of us connecting back our research to the Irish ancestors has been a challenge. The topic will give an overview of migration waves and patterns from Ireland into Australia and New Zealand and discuss a number of examples of Irish ancestry puzzles and the role DNA has had in resolving them.

Where can people get more information about you and the work you do?

https://www.facebook.com/michelle.patient

https://www.facebook.com/groups/NZDNAUsersGroup/

https://www.facebook.com/groups/DNADetectivesDownUnder/

https://soundcloud.com/auckland-libraries/dna-heritage-cut


These lectures are sponsored by FamilyTreeDNA and organised by volunteers from ISOGG (International Society of Genetic Genealogy).

Bart Jaski - Speaker Profile

Bart Jaski

Talk Title

Irish genealogies and DNA: back into the mythological past

Biography

As a student in the Netherlands, I became interested in medieval Irish history, and ended up studying in Cork and Dublin, where I did my PhD. I published Early Irish kingship and succession in 2000, and later became a lecturer at the Celtic Dept. at the University of Utrecht. Since 2007 I’m keeper of manuscripts at the Utrecht University Library.

What do you do as a Day Job?
As keeper of manuscripts I care for about 700 medieval manuscripts and thousands of other documents. Our biggest treasure is the Utrecht Psalter. I’m usually busy with teaching, presenting, digitisation, publishing, making exhibitions, everything to bring the collection out in the open.

What do you do as a Night Job?

I’m still interested in medieval Irish history, and I still publish about it, such as in the Dutch online open access journal Kelten, of which I’m also one of the editors. I’m particularly interested in Irish medieval genealogical texts and how they relate to each other, and in the Irish origin legend (the medieval Irish legend or myth how Ireland became populated in successive invasions).

How did you get into genealogy?

You cannot understand medieval Irish society without appreciating their obsession with genealogical recording. Some of the Irish genealogies are very detailed and very old, more so than anything else in Europe and perhaps even the world. This genealogical recording was necessary to understand claims to land and rights to rule. The Irish did not adhere to primogeniture but to succession according to age and qualifications, so that brother often succeeded brother (women were excluded). There was a lot of competition for power among relatives. Powerful royal dynasties created branches with distinctive surnames who occupied neighbouring territories. And so Connacht surnames such as O’Connor, McDermot, McDonagh, O’Teigeand O’Geraghty are all related and share the same ancestry in the male line. It is this process which defines medieval Irish society, and which does not exist elsewhere in medieval Europe. This is what makes the Irish situation so special.

Tell us about your involvement with genetic genealogy

Genealogy and DNA: it’s a fascinating match with lots of possibilities and pitfalls. I got interested in it when the research about the DNA of the descendants of Niall of the Nine Hostages was published in 2006 (“A Y-Chromosome Signature of Hegemony in Gaelic Ireland”). This opened up new ways of investigating the interrelationship between the various medieval Irish royal dynasties (and surnames), but it also showed that people researching DNA do not always understand the process of the formation of Irish surnames. In 2013 I wrote an article entitled ‘Medieval Irish genealogies and genetics’, to deal with this question. Since then I’ve tried to keep up with recent developments to see where and how DNA and genealogical research can meet.

What will you be talking about at GGI? 

When people research their Irish family history and ancestry, their surname is probably the most important part of their identity. Surnames are inherited from father to son, and certain Irish (Gaelic) surnames can be traced back to ancestors who lived more than a thousand year ago. This makes Irish surnames unique in the world, and they are therefore also important for DNA research worldwide. This research can take us even further back in time – perhaps even into the ‘mythological’ past before the coming of Christianity when Irish tribes dominated the island.

Where can people get more information about you and the work you do?

You can have a look at the webpage https://uu.academia.edu/BartJaski. Here you find publications such as ‘Medieval Irish genealogies and genetics’ (link), and 76 tables of medieval Irish royal dynasties (link).


These lectures are sponsored by FamilyTreeDNA and organised by volunteers from ISOGG (International Society of Genetic Genealogy).