We do have some old newspaper abstracts on this website (which can be found here) and I always remember one day as I was copying some material in the National Library in Dublin laughing to myself because life had not changed that much. The bit I was transcribing was advising people to take their keys out of their front doors because thieves were just able to walk into houses. The thing is, the paper had been published in the 1830’s, and then it was about 2006, and only that week my mother had begun to bring her car key into the house at night instead of leaving it sitting in the car. My mother was a medical Doctor and getting called out at night was a regular thing so leaving her key in the car saved her the trouble of having to look for it when called out.
Ireland Old News – a newspaper site giving ‘abstracts’ from Old Irish Newspapers. Came across this website earlier today (I had forgotten it!) and I am or was the 399248th visitor since the year 2000.
We tend to forget the things that so many people have done, especially in this day and age of advanced technology. Many of you don’t remember the days when the Irish Census returns were not on the internet, many of you don’t know about the days when you had to go to the Irish Civil Records office to get the references for births, marriages and deaths. Today, we can get those references if they exist on the internet (for the most part). We all forget so easily about how it was so hard back then and about what we owe to the dedicated people who transcribed material and put it up on the net for the rest of us to see.
Ireland Old News contributors:
Cathy Joynt Labath who I believe did most of the transcribing and who created the website.
Jim McNamara (and I think he told me recently it was 1999 we first met) and
Brian Magaoidh who I am still in contact with.
Alison & Kathryn who I knew through lists.
Dennis Ahearne (RIP) who contributed so much to people researching their Irish ancestry.
Some examples of the earliest years covered for any county – extracts from other newspapers are included on the site, I’ve just taken the first extract for any county as an example.
The Armagh Guardian, Dec 3rd, 1844
Cavan Herald, July 14, 1818
Ennis Chronicle (Co. Clare), 1793
Corke Journal, 1756
Londonderry Journal (Derry) 1772
Ballyshannon Herald 1832 (Donegal)
Dublin 1705
The Enniskillen Chronicle & Erne Packet 1813 (Fermanagh) Connaught Journal, Galway 1823
The Kerry Examiner, 1847
The Kildare Observer 1915
The Kilkenny Independent 1826
The Leitrim Journal & Carrick-on-Shannon Advertiser 1868 The Limerick Chronicle 1769
The Drogheda Conservative, or Meath, Louth, Monaghan and Cavan Advertser 1837
The Ballina Chronicle, 1849 (Mayo)
The Meath Chronicle 1899
The Northern Standard, & Monaghan, Cavan and Armagh Advertiser 1839
The Midland Tribune, 1901 (Offaly/King’s Co.)
Roscommon & Leitrim Gazette,, 1822
Sligo Champion, 1887
The Clonmel Advertiser, 1818 (Tipperary)
The Strabane Morning Post, 1812 (Tyrone)
Jackson’s Oxford Journal 1804 (Waterford)
Belfast Newsletter (Antrim & Down) 1749
The Bray & South Dublin Herald, 1916 (Wicklow)
The Newry Commercial Telegraph, 1813 (Co. Down)