RootsIreland mistranscriptions and errors

[Alison55]

Wouldn't that be great? I had not seen this. Thanks for posting.

Her blog is superb. I'm sure if there were updates, she would post them. Fingers crossed.

[Sinann]

That would be great. I hope it's not a subscription system though.
So does the National Library have much in the way of Church records?


Forget that just saw the writing under the photo.

[brennan1]

I have used  IFHF to access the records of my ancestors, sometimes with good results, but often with mistranscriptions, much as other contributors have experienced. 
I have waited a long time in the hope that these records would become available when parish records are digatised  and available to view (i am happy to pay a subscription to access the records)

However   

A report in Sunday Independent 31st March 2013
'Genealogy firm resists online records'
"A genealogy service has said that if the State puts church and family records on line it will have a "significant impact" on earnings of family history centres.
The IFHF with ................... ... earned income of 1,089,763 euro for 2012, with profits of 34,161 euro for the year, according to to documents lodged in the Companies Office

[Sinann]

Oh they are naughty, wonder what they do with all that money!

I don't like subscription sites because I think it's like paying to go into a shop to see if they have anything you want.

[Billyblue]

[quote author=Sinann link=topic=670189.msg5191442#msg5191442 date=1389868860
I don't like subscription sites because I think it's like paying to go into a shop to see if they have anything you want.
[/quote]

Know what you mean!      
I subscribed to a site (nothing to do with the one under discussion here) about a year ago because a search of their website indicated they had info on whatever I was looking for.  After I paid my money, and did a full search, it came up with a big fat zero!
I was not amused, and told them so.
Dawn M

[ballydw]

Having read all the contributions from researchers re IFHF I agree with most of the comments.
I am very lucky in the Parish where I live in Co Cork the local Church Office has a facility where access to all the Registers Baptism & Marriage are available to browse going back to early 1800's at no cost. I have used the facility on numerous occasions to assist people in tracking their ancestors.
I do not know if this type of facility is available in any other parishes in Ireland - are we 1 of the very few? But it is thanks to a past parish priest who had a great interest in genealogy that I think this facility was set up.

[brennan1]

Lucky, lucky you. I am not aware of any other Church's in Ireland that offer this service
My paternal ancestors are from Co. Meath and I am finding it very difficult to get any info (prior to 1864) from a church there. In contrast my maternal ancestors are from Co. Wicklow and I have had a great deal of help and  information from the church secretory at the church there. This has enabled me to take this line of ancestors much further back than I had expected.

[ballydw]

brennan1 great when one meets a co-operative person. Good luck with your research

[Alison55]

I don't think the churches can be blamed for not having the staff or time to do individual look-ups.  Those old record books are extremely difficult to read, dates and pages out of order, missing etc.  In many churches, if there is a secretary at all, she works a few hours one afternoon a week.  And if they let individuals search, the books would soon be in shreds, as they almost are already.

As important as it is to us, genealogy is not the mission of churches. The needs of the living, spiritual and physical, are their mission. The answer is to get these books digitized and online.