Monday 21 July 2014

The Return of Genetic Genealogy Ireland (17-19 Oct 2014, Dublin)


Following its successful launch event in Dublin last year, Genetic Genealogy Ireland returns for a second year of DNA Lectures at the Back to Our Past event in Dublin, once again kindly sponsored by FamilyTreeDNA and organised by volunteers from ISOGG.


Last year's event was a great success and videos of many of the presentations have been viewed on the dedicated GGI YouTube Channel by almost 9000 people for about 100,000 minutes (that's over 67 days). So this 3-day event has already left quite a legacy.

This year in Dublin we have two commemorations of intense historical significance - the Battle of Clontarf in 1014, and the start of World War 1 in 1914. Both these historic events are reflected in the lecture schedule for the event, which promises to make this an occasion to remember.

Now is the time to make your arrangements for coming to this year's event and below you will find all the information you need to plan your travel and accomodation.

In a nutshell …


Location: the RDS (Royal Dublin Society), Merrion Road, Ballsbridge, Dublin 4

Event: Genetic Genealogy Ireland 2014 – a series of DNA Lectures, held in conjunction with Back to Our Past, Ireland’s only national genealogical exhibition.

Date: 17th – 19th October 2014 (Friday to Sunday)

Times: 11.30 – 19.00 each day (12.30-19.00 on Friday; last lecture starts at 17.30)

Admission Fee: 10 euro (about £8, $13.50) per day, but 30% discount if booked in advance at http://www.backtoourpast.com/mysitecaddy/site3/visitortickets.htm, so 21 euro (£17, $28) for all three days. This gives you access to EVERYTHING including the DNA Lectures. No other genealogical exhibition offers you so much for so little. The only real costs involved are getting there and staying there.

The Venue


The RDS (Royal Dublin Society) is Ireland's premier exhibition venue. Founded in 1731, the RDS hosts the famous Dublin Horse Show each year and its Exhibition Centre is equivalent to London's Olympia (where Who Do You Think You Are? Live is hosted each year). It is surrounded by parks, restaurants and affordable accommodation, from Bed & Breakfasts to reasonably-priced hotels. The venue is 15 minutes from Dublin's historic city centre, 5 minutes from Lansdowne Road Football Stadium, and is easily accessible by public transport (both bus and DART). Click here for a link to the RDS on Google Maps.


Back to Our Past – general info


This is the fifth year of Back to Our Past. It is run in association with the Over-50’s Show and the Coin & Stamp Fair. Attendance was 20,000 people in 2012. The exhibition consists of a multitude of stands/booths publicising the activities of organisations and businesses associated with genealogy and family tree research. The BTOP website is at http://www.backtoourpast.com/mysitecaddy/site3/

There are also several series of lectures, dealing with both traditional genealogy and genetic genealogy. Last years lecture schedule is still available on the website and will give you an idea of both the traditional genealogical programme … http://www.backtoourpast.com/mysitecaddy/site3/visitorschedule.htm

- and the DNA Lectures ... http://www.backtoourpast.com/mysitecaddy/site3/dnaschedule.htm.

This year’s traditional genealogy programme should be available 4-6 weeks prior to the event and we will notify you of this in due course.


Genetic Genealogy Ireland 2014 – the DNA Lectures 


The DNA lecture schedule will include a panel of international speakers from Ireland, the UK, the US, and Europe. Provisional topics for the lecture schedule include the following:
  • The basics of DNA testing 
  • DNA and Ancient Genealogies (including Brian Boru) 
  • DNA & the fallen soldiers of World War I 
  • Regional Irish DNA signatures (including Ulster & Leinster) 
  • Irish-Caribbean DNA 
  • The People of the British Isles Project 
  • Using DNA to help adoptees find their biological family 
  • Working with autosomal DNA 
  • Plague, the Potato Famine, and other ancient pandemics 
  • Next Generation Sequencing and the future of genetic genealogy 

The final schedule should be available in August and will be posted on this GGI website. The lectures will run from 11.30 to 18.30 each day (12.30 to 18.30 on Friday). The last lecture of the day starts at 17.30. Thus there will be 7 lectures each day (6 on Friday), 20 lectures in total.



Accomodation & Travel


A variety of Bed & Breakfast and hotel accomodation is close by. Click the links below to explore further. Last year, several US colleagues stayed in the Glenogra Bed & Breakfast which is a 4 minute walk to the venue. Two deluxe hotels are almost opposite the Glenogra, namely the Four Seasons Hotel and Bewley’s Hotel. The more reasonably priced Sandymount Hotel (formerly the Mount Herbert Hotel) is also quite close.

- Bed & Breakfasts

- Reasonably-Priced Hotels


There is plenty to do and see in and around Dublin, and many things are very centrally located so you can see a lot of things on foot. There is a host of activities surrounding the millennial anniversary of the Battle of Clontarf in 1014 and these can be found here - http://www.clontarf.ie/2014

The First World War claimed the lives of over 49,000 Irish soldiers and their contribution is remembered at the War Memorial Gardens. A variety of events related to the centenary commemoration are ongoing in Dublin throughout the year. 




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