Friday 14th Feb 2020
10.30 DNA for Beginners (Andy Hochreiter, ISOGG USA)
Genetic genealogy has emerged as an important tool for genealogists and family historians. This presentation introduces the concept of using DNA as an adjunct tool to discover family history. The types of DNA and their unique inheritance patterns are explained, as well as the application of results in genealogical studies. Examples illustrate successful outcomes for breaking down brick walls and solving ancestral mysteries.
11.30 The Ballycarry DNA Project – Initial Findings (Martin McDowell, NIFHS)
The Ballycarry project is examining a geographic area through DNA and attempting to find connections between people descended from families who lived there in days gone by. By testing people who would never otherwise test we have gathered unique evidence that can be used to build family trees backwards and sideways to recreate family trees long since forgotten.
12.30 The Power of X to unlock Family Mysteries (Martin Hayden, ISOGG IRL)
DNA testing has over the past decade opened up a wonderful way of proving and disproving familial connections and in finding new cousins. While lots of focus has been on autosomal and yDNA testing the "Power of the X Chromosome” is often neglected. For a number of companies the X chromosome results are included as part of the autosomal test. This talk will explain the X chromosome, its inheritance patterns, how it differs from the Y chromosome and mitochondrial DNA. The talk will conclude with a worked example of how it can be used to confirm a family line.
DNA testing has over the past decade opened up a wonderful way of proving and disproving familial connections and in finding new cousins. While lots of focus has been on autosomal and yDNA testing the "Power of the X Chromosome” is often neglected. For a number of companies the X chromosome results are included as part of the autosomal test. This talk will explain the X chromosome, its inheritance patterns, how it differs from the Y chromosome and mitochondrial DNA. The talk will conclude with a worked example of how it can be used to confirm a family line.
13.30 A Tale of Triangulated Segments – DNA & Early Records connect families from Clones & North America (Peter McWilliam, ISOGG IRL)
Irish genealogy becomes increasingly difficult in the period between 1800 and 1830; in this collaborative project a combination of Clones, American and family records are used to identify a DNA test panel to address some genealogical puzzles in this time period. Surviving records from this parish are explored to assess the possibilities for genealogical research in the 18th century.
14.30 The Beauty of DNA – local Success Stories (Andrew Kane, NIFHS)
Getting your DNA results can be daunting for the beginner, but this need not be the case. The talk will guide you through how to use Family Matching on FTDNA and show how impressive successes can be achieved without any previous knowledge of the subject.
15.30 DNA Painter: choose the right tool for the job (Jonny Perl, ISOGG UK)
Many different techniques are available to help you investigate your DNA matches. In this talk, Jonny will show how the tools at DNA Painter can be used to help with a variety of research questions, helping you understand the pros and cons of each approach and make breakthroughs more quickly.
16.30 Ask the Experts Panel Discussion (20 minutes)
Ask any question you like in this panel discussion on hot topics in genetic genealogy.
Saturday 15th Feb 2020
10.30 Introducing Y-DNA for autosomal DNA testers (Donna Rutherford, ISOGG UK)
Many DNA testers have started with autosomal DNA testing. For these people Y-DNA is still a mystery. This talk is aimed at those already using genetic genealogy but are curious about Y-DNA testing. I will explain the Y-DNA test and results in basic terms to help those starting out.
11.30 The Tree of Mankind from FamilyTreeDNA (Mike Sager, FTDNA)
We will explore the Y chromosome haplotree in a variety of ways; from how the tree is built to tips and tricks for understanding and interpreting, and how new samples are incorporated to some of the more notable results FTDNA has produced.
12.30 Family Matters – Distance No Object (Ken & Alison Tait, NIFHS)
This talk will explain the advantages of having other family members, such as cousins, test their DNA and how these differ from the advantages of testing siblings. It will include real examples of how people have been able to find DNA connections around the world despite previously having had no knowledge of each other.
13.30 The Promise & Limitations of autosomal DNA (Debbie Kennett, ISOGG UK)
The first cousin-matching autosomal DNA tests became available in 2009. Sales have exploded in the last few years and over 30 million people have now tested. However, the currently available tests still have many limitations. It is important to consider these uncertainties when incorporating DNA evidence into genealogical research. As the cost of sequencing comes down, the current microarray tests will be replaced by whole genome sequencing. In this talk we look at some of the pitfalls of interpreting matches based on incomplete data and look ahead at some of the exciting developments we can expect to see in the coming years.
14.30 Eugene the Blackguard & the Lynches of Moveen West (Paddy Waldron, ISOGG IRL)
All that the Sacramento Lynches knew of their grandfather until DNA-matching connected them with Paddy Waldron in mid-2016 was that Eugene Lynch was a blackguard who abandoned his wife and children in Sacramento around 1910. The census of that year revealed merely that Eugene was Irish-born, and he could not be found in any other census. By November 2016, Eugene's grandchildren were meeting their long-lost cousins on a farm in the townland of Moveen West in County Clare, home to Eugene's grandparents and to their descendants for two centuries. The missing link between the Moveen grandparents and Eugene's mysterious appearance in California remained a puzzle until another Lynch visit to Moveen in 2019. A flash of divine inspiration during that trip, and the use of every trick in the genetic genealogist's toolbox, brought genealogical brick walls tumbling down. This talk will reveal how re-visiting the evidence produced unexpected breakthroughs, and not for the Californian Lynches alone.
15.30 Never Give Up – Miracles Do Happen (an adoption story) (Cathal McElgunn, ISOGG IRL)
Cathal helped an overseas DNA-connected adoptee find their biological family and explain a mismatch between their DNA ethnicity result and their perceived origins. He will describe a 3-country, 500 km train and 1100 km plane journey, DNA and record search towards finding family and solving the DNA ethnicity conundrum.
16.30 Ask the Experts Panel Discussion (20 minutes)
Ask any question you like in this panel discussion on hot topics in genetic genealogy.