Monday 25 July 2022

NIFHS DNA Summer School 2022

The North of Ireland Family History Society is running its annual Summer School from Monday 22nd August to Friday 26th August. The line-up of speakers at this years event includes myself, Martin McDowell, Anne Johnston, and EJ Blom. Details are below.

Bookings are now open through https://www.nifhs.org/courses/ 

One of the differences this year is that our classes are being recorded and will be made available to participants for 28 days to allow people to view classes they missed or rewatch.

Monday 22nd August to Friday 26th August 

via Zoom with 2 classes per day.

The course covers Autosomal DNA, Y-DNA and Mt-DNA with classes for both beginners and more experienced DNA researchers. We have how-to classes and also practical examples to show you how to get the most from your DNA results.

Each day has a theme (see schedule below) and each class is stand alone, so you can attend as many or as few as you like.

Classes will be approximately 90 minutes long, with a presentation followed by a question and answer session. The cost per class is £10 and if you book all 10, the price is £80.

We have an extra bonus exclusively for anyone who books all 10 classes -  you will be invited to a free question and answer session to be held on Saturday 3 September at 3pm. So, if you are puzzled over something you have learned or just want to share a big breakthrough, this will be your chance.

And as well as all this, we have some giveaways and special discounts available during the week - book now and make sure you don’t miss out on what promises to be our best Summer School ever!

Monday 22 August 2022 - Autosomal DNA

3.00pm Making Progress with Autosomal DNA – with Anne Johnston

7.00pm Trees and your matches – with Anne Johnston

Tuesday 23 August 2022 - Autosomal DNA

3.00pm Using the Chromosome Browser effectively – with Anne Johnston

7.00pm Inferred Matches/Mapping – with Martin McDowell

Wednesday 24 August 2022 - Y-DNA

3.00pm The Advantages of Y-DNA – with Martin McDowell

7.00pm Using Y-DNA to connect with ancestors in the 1500s, 1400s, and 1200s  - with Maurice Gleeson

Thursday 25 August 2022 - Mitochondrial DNA

3.00pm The Advantages of MT-DNA – with Martin McDowell

7.00pm Using MT-DNA – with guest speaker

Friday 26 August 2022 - Tools provided by two non-testing companies

3.00pm Using GEDmatch – with Martin McDowell

7.00pm Unravelling trees of matches using AutoKinship from Genetic Affairs – with EJ Blom

Further information about the content of each class and how to book is given in the DNA Summer School page on the Society’s website at NIFHS.

You can also keep informed by following our DNA page on Facebook.


I'll be giving examples of how Y-DNA can help establish connections back beyond the reach of autosomal DNA (1700s) and take us into the 1600s (Morgan), 1500s (Spierin), 1400s (Grace O'Malley), and 1200s (Stewart).

Maurice Gleeson
Aug 2022

Sunday 3 April 2022

Burke's Landed Gentry - how to access the various editions online

Burke's Landed Gentry (BLG) can be an invaluable resource for Irish research. A complete list of the various publications by Burke's Peerage can be found on their website here. BLG is just one of many publications by Burke's. There are two separate strands of BLG: 1) BLG of Great Britain & Ireland (19 editions); and 2) BLG of Ireland (5 editions). Below is a list of the various editions and links to any editions that are available to read for free online (at least for me, based in the UK).

If you find any additional links to editions marked "not available", please leave a comment in the Comments section below.


1833 - BLG of GB&I

Burke, John A Genealogical and Heraldic History of the Commoners of Great Britain and Ireland, enjoying Territorial Possessions or High Official Rank, but uninvested with Heritable Honours, First published in three volumes 1833–35
Re-issued 1836–37
Additional volume IV 1837

1843 - BLG of GB&I
Burke, John and Burke, John Bernard A Genealogical and Heraldic Dictionary of the Landed Gentry of Great Britain and Ireland. A Companion to the Peerage and Baronetage. With Supplement, Corrigenda and General Index. Published in Parts, usually bound in three volumes 1843–49.

1850 - BLG of GB&I
Burke, Sir John Bernard A Genealogical and Heraldic Dictionary of the Landed Gentry of Great Britain and Ireland, for 1850: comprising particulars of upwards of 100,000 individuals. With Supplement, Addenda, Corrigenda and Separate Index. A re-issue of the 1843–49 edition with additional pages in the Addenda. It can be found variously dated and one copy dated 1847–53 had the joint editors of John Burke and John Bernard Burke on the title page. Published in parts, usually bound in three volumes 1850–53.
  • Volume 1 (1853)
  • Volume 2 (1853)
  • Volume 3 (1853) and here (1850)

  • 1855 - BLG of GB&I

    Burke, Sir Bernard A Genealogical and Heraldic Dictionary of the Landed Gentry of Great Britain and Ireland, Third Edition. With Supplement. Published in parts 1855–58.
    Can also be found in one volume dated 1858.
  • Volume 1 or here

  • 1862 - BLG of GB&I

    Burke, Sir Bernard A Genealogical and Heraldic Dictionary of the Landed Gentry of Great Britain and Ireland, Fourth Edition. Can be found in one volume with a single title page dated 1863 but was first issued as two parts with two title pages dated 1862 and 1863.
  • Part 1
  • Part 2 or here

  • 1868 - BLG of GB&I

    Burke, Sir Bernard A Genealogical and Heraldic Dictionary of the Landed Gentry of Great Britain and Ireland, Fourth Edition Revised and Enlarged with Supplement and Corrigenda 1868.

    1871 - BLG of GB&I
    Burke, Sir Bernard A Genealogical and Heraldic History of the Landed Gentry of Great Britain and Ireland, Fifth Edition with Supplement, two volumes 1871.
    Volume 1 available here (1871)
    Volume 2 available here (1871)

    1875 - BLG of GB&I
    Burke, Sir Bernard A Genealogical and Heraldic History of the Landed Gentry of Great Britain and Ireland, Fifth Edition re-issued with two Supplements and Addenda, two volumes 1875.
    Volume 1 available here.
    Volume 2 available here.

    1879 - BLG of GB&I
    Burke, Sir Bernard A Genealogical and Heraldic History of the Landed Gentry of Great Britain and Ireland, Sixth Edition with Supplement and Corrigenda, two volumes 1879.
    Volume 1 available here.
    Volume 2 available here.

    1882 - BLG of GB&I
    Burke, Sir Bernard A Genealogical and Heraldic History of the Landed Gentry of Great Britain and Ireland, Sixth Edition re-issued with larger Supplement and Addenda, two volumes 1882
    Volume 1 available here.
    Volume 2 available here.

    1886 - BLG of GB&I
    Burke, Sir Bernard A Genealogical and Heraldic History of the Landed Gentry of Great Britain and Ireland, Seventh Edition, two volumes 1886
    Volume 1 available here.
    Volume 2 available here.

    1894 - BLG of GB&I
    Burke, Ashworth P. A Genealogical and Heraldic History of the Landed Gentry of Great Britain and Ireland, Eighth Edition, by Sir Bernard Burke, edited by his sons, two volumes 1894.
    Volume 1 available here.
    Volume 2 available here.

    1898 - BLG of GB&I
    Burke, Ashworth P. A Genealogical and Heraldic History of the Landed Gentry of Great Britain and Ireland, Ninth Edition, by Sir Bernard Burke, edited by his son, two volumes, including a separate section on Ireland (see Landed Gentry of Ireland for separate issue of this) 1898. Not available online.
  • Volume 1
  • Volume 2

  • 1899 - BLG of I

    Burke, Ashworth P. A Genealogical and Heraldic Dictionary of the Landed Gentry of Ireland by Sir Bernard Burke, edited by his son Ashworth P. Burke. (Re-issue of the Irish Supplement of the 1898 Edition of the Landed Gentry, with a Supplement), 1899. Available online here.

    1900 - BLG of GB&I
    Burke, Sir Bernard and Ashworth P. A Genealogical and Heraldic History of the Landed Gentry of Great Britain, Tenth Edition with Addenda 1900. Not available online.

    1904 - BLG of I
    Burke, Ashworth P. A Genealogical and Heraldic History of the Landed Gentry of Ireland. Second Edition but called Tenth Edition, referring to the numbering of the editions of the Landed Gentry of Great Britain 1904. Not available online.

    1906 - BLG of GB&I
    Burke, Sir Bernard and Burke, Ashworth P. A Genealogical and Heraldic History of the Landed Gentry of Great Britain, Eleventh Edition with Addenda 1906. Not available online.

    1912 - BLG of I
    Fox-Davies, A. C. A Genealogical and Heraldic History of the Landed Gentry of Ireland, New Edition (Third Edition) 1912. Available online here.

    1914 - BLG of GB&I
    Fox-Davies, A. C. A Genealogical and Heraldic History of the Landed Gentry of Great Britain, Twelfth Edition 1914. Available online here.

    1921 - BLG of GB&I
    Thorpe, A. Winton A Genealogical and Heraldic History of the Landed Gentry of Great Britain, Thirteenth Edition 1921. Not available online.

    1925 - BLG of GB&I
    Butler, Alfred T. A Genealogical and Heraldic History of the Landed Gentry, Fourteenth Edition. A re-issue of the 1921 Edition, with Supplement 1925. Not available online.

    1937 - BLG of GB&I
    Pirie-Gordon, H. Burke’s Genealogical and Heraldic History of the Landed Gentry, Centenary Edition. Includes an Irish Supplement 1937. Not available online.

    1939 - BLG of GB&I
    Pine, L. G. Burke’s Genealogical and Heraldic History of the Landed Gentry including American Families with British Ancestry, Sixteenth Edition 1939. Available online here.

    1952 - BLG of GB&I
    Pine, L. G. Burke’s Genealogical and Heraldic History of the Landed Gentry, Seventeenth Edition 1952. Not available online.

    1954 - BLG of GB&I
    Pine, L. G. Supplement to Burke’s Landed Gentry, 1954. Not available online.

    1958 - BLG of I
    Pine, L. G. Burke’s Genealogical and Heraldic History of the Landed Gentry of Ireland, Fourth Edition 1958. Not available online.

    1965 - BLG of GB&I
    Townend, Peter Burke’s Genealogical and Heraldic History of the Landed Gentry, Eighteenth Edition, Volumes I and II 1965–69. Not available online.

    1976 - BLG of I (renamed to Burke's Irish Family Records)
    Montgomery-Massingberd, Hugh Burke’s Irish Family Records, Fifth Edition 1976. Not available online.


    There are several useful links that provide general background information about BLG and its utility and reliability:

    Maurice Gleeson
    April 2022