Anyone tried the new ecatalogue from PRONI?

[Janet]

There would appear to be a mine of information for ancestors from Northern Ireland at the following site:

http://www.proni.gov.uk/

Just key in whatever you want in the search facility on the ecatalogue. I have not got Northern Ireland ancestors so it is of no use to me, but wow I wish there was this facility for Southern Ireland! I keyed in a name and up came hundreds of names and places, a bit like the A2A site. I am really envious!

Janet

[Just Barbara]

Had a bit of a play, it's very good...........

[Richard]

Hi Janet, I have been hoping to get to Belfast for some time to view the Madden Papers. My family came to the U.K from Cloone, County Leitrim sometime during the famine. I know they were tennants of one Colonel Madden from the 1820's land Tithes, and the new Proni catologue has confirmed the records of rentals/evicitions on the Maddens lands for period 1845-1850 do exist and are held as part of the collection in Belfast, which is fairly exciting. It would be great to know exactly when and why my family were evicted and left Ireland, especially as records are generally so poor for the famine period.

[Janet]

Richard,

What wonderful news for you. Yes, there are pockets about the famine but evictions are difficult to get to grips with at times. I have found some intriguing eviction material in Tipperary which should link to my family but until you have site like this at Proni it is difficult to study it at a distance. We found one of OH's ancestors had built part of a famine road in the Wexford area and we did a survey of some known ones with a historian from Dublin but we are still waiting for a result and that was almost five years ago now! I do hope that others get something from this site.

Janet