The Irish Ancestral Research Association

Survey of Irish Heritage Centre Customer Satisfaction

In the 1980s the Irish Genealogical Project was initiated as a government-subsidized effort to put parish records on computer. Individual heritage centres were set up in different counties and people were hired for transcription and data entry. For various reasons some centres have been more successful than others in providing access to genealogical information that was formerly only available on microfilm at the National Library or at individual parishes.

The Heritage Council, a government-appointed body in the Republic of Ireland has been asked to review the system of genealogical resources in Ireland. The initial call for comments and terms of reference were published in September of 1997 and an interim report, based on that survey, was presented to the Minister of Arts, Heritage, Gaeltacht & the Islands on June 11th. This report details the findings from the two initial consultation phases, namely the responses to the public advertisement and from specific key partners actively engaged in genealogy in Ireland. While this report included some recommendations, it reflects only the findings from the two consultation processes outlined above, and is not being circulated to the public at this time.

The final report will be in a different format and will contain the recommendations of the Heritage Council. This final report will be presented to the Minister of Arts, Heritage, Gaeltacht & the Islands in November of 1998 and in due course, with the Minister's approval, the findings will be made public.

In order to give some input to this report from the genealogical community worldwide, The Irish Ancestral Research Association is conducting the following survey. In order to be included in the official report, we need to submit our data by the end of September. The deadline for input, therefore, is September 21. The survey can be filled out and submitted electronically, or it can be printed out and mailed to:

: M. E. Grogan
TIARA
9 Joy Street
Boston, MA 02114

Survey is Closed

No further entries are being accepted at this time. The results are in. Thanks.

Yes No Was the initial response timely?
How long did you wait for a reply to your initial inquiry? weeks

Yes No Were the fees clearly stated and reasonable?
What was the initial fee? £

Yes No After confirming that a record existed, were additional fees requested before details would be furnished?
What was the fee for further research? £

Yes No Did the search results provide the information that you requested?

Yes No Did the research report identify the sources of all information cited?

Yes No Did the report cite the full information for entries that were found?
(witnesses, sponsors, residence)

Yes No Did the report clearly identify what sources were searched, including the sources which produced no relevant information? Parish registers Census Tithe applotment Griffith's valuation Cemetery records Civil registers Other

Yes No Did you specify a location to search for records? Townland Parish Poor Law Union Barony County

Yes No Would you recommend that other researchers use the Heritage Centres?

Yes No While doing your own research, have you experienced difficulties in obtaining access to records in Ireland?

Yes No If the material at the Heritage Centres was open to visiting researchers would you pay an access fee?
If so, what would be a reasonable charge? £ per day

Yes No Have you researched other sources in Ireland by mail or in person?
National Archives National Library General Register Office Clergy Valuation office Public Records Office of Northern Ireland Local Libraries and Archives Historical or Genealogical Societies

Yes No Did the heritage centre suggest other sources you could research for further information?

Yes No Have you researched sources in your local area? Census Passenger lists Naturalization Church Cemetery Vital records

Yes No Have you ever commissioned a search by a professional genealogist in Ireland? If so, were the results Unsatisfactory Satisfactory Very Successful

Use the following list to assign values to the services provided by Heritage Centres or other organizations you have used.

Unacceptable Acceptable Exceptional Armagh Ancestry
Unacceptable Acceptable Exceptional Athlone Public Library

Unacceptable Acceptable Exceptional Brú Ború Heritage Centre
Unacceptable Acceptable Exceptional Cualann Historical Society

Unacceptable Acceptable Exceptional Carlow Genealogy Project
Unacceptable Acceptable Exceptional Cavan Genealogy Research Centre

Unacceptable Acceptable Exceptional Clare Heritage & Genealogical Centre
Unacceptable Acceptable Exceptional East Clare Heritage

Unacceptable Acceptable Exceptional Cork City Ancestral Project
Unacceptable Acceptable Exceptional Mallow (Cork) Heritage Centre

Unacceptable Acceptable Exceptional West Cork (Bandon) Heritage Centre
Unacceptable Acceptable Exceptional County Derry Genealogy Centre

Unacceptable Acceptable Exceptional Donegal Ancestry
Unacceptable Acceptable Exceptional South Down Family History Research

Unacceptable Acceptable Exceptional Dublin Heritage Group
Unacceptable Acceptable Exceptional Dun Laoghaire Rathdown Heritage Society

Unacceptable Acceptable Exceptional Fermanagh Heritage World
Unacceptable Acceptable Exceptional Fingal Heritage Group

Unacceptable Acceptable Exceptional Galway Family History Society West
Unacceptable Acceptable Exceptional East Galway Family History Society

Unacceptable Acceptable Exceptional Kildare Heritage & Genealogy Society
Unacceptable Acceptable Exceptional Killarney Genealogical Centre

Unacceptable Acceptable Exceptional Kilkenny Archaeological Society
Unacceptable Acceptable Exceptional Laois & Offaly Family History Research

Unacceptable Acceptable Exceptional Leitrim Genealogy Centre
Unacceptable Acceptable Exceptional Limerick Regional Archives

Unacceptable Acceptable Exceptional Longford Research Centre
Unacceptable Acceptable Exceptional Louth County Library

Unacceptable Acceptable Exceptional North Mayo Family Research Centre
Unacceptable Acceptable Exceptional South Mayo Family Research Centre

Unacceptable Acceptable Exceptional Meath-Louth Family Research Centre
Unacceptable Acceptable Exceptional Monaghan Ancestry

Unacceptable Acceptable Exceptional Roscommon Heritage & Genealogy
Unacceptable Acceptable Exceptional Sligo Heritage and Genealogy Centre

Unacceptable Acceptable Exceptional Tipperary Heritage Unit
Unacceptable Acceptable Exceptional Tipperary North Family Research Centre

Unacceptable Acceptable Exceptional Ulster Historical Foundation
Unacceptable Acceptable Exceptional Waterford Heritage Centre

Unacceptable Acceptable Exceptional Wexford Genealogy Centre
Unacceptable Acceptable Exceptional Wicklow Heritage Centre

Unacceptable Acceptable Exceptional National Archives, Dublin
Unacceptable Acceptable Exceptional National Library, Dublin

Unacceptable Acceptable Exceptional General Register Office, Dublin
Unacceptable Acceptable Exceptional Valuation Office, Dublin

Unacceptable Acceptable Exceptional Public Records Office of Northern Ireland
Unacceptable Acceptable Exceptional Other:

How long have you been doing genealogical research?
Have you ever joined a genealogical society? Yes No
Are you a member of TIARA? Yes No
Have you ever attended a genealogy conference? Yes No
Have you ever been to Ireland? Never Once Twice Three or more times
What country do you live in? Other:

Additional Comments:

Yes No	Was the initial response timely? How long did you wait for a reply to your initial inquiry? weeks
Yes No	Were the fees clearly stated and reasonable? What was the initial fee? £
Yes No	After confirming that a record existed, were additional fees requested before details would be furnished? What was the fee for further research? £
Yes No	Did the search results provide the information that you requested?
Yes No	Did the research report identify the sources of all information cited?
Yes No	Did the report cite the full information for entries that were found? (witnesses, sponsors, residence)
Yes No	Did the report clearly identify what sources were searched, including the sources which produced no relevant information? Parish registers Census Tithe applotment Griffith's valuation Cemetery records Civil registers Other
Yes No	Did you specify a location to search for records? Townland Parish Poor Law Union Barony County
Yes No	Would you recommend that other researchers use the Heritage Centres?
Yes No	While doing your own research, have you experienced difficulties in obtaining access to records in Ireland?
Yes No	If the material at the Heritage Centres was open to visiting researchers would you pay an access fee? If so, what would be a reasonable charge? £ per day
Yes No	Have you researched other sources in Ireland by mail or in person? National Archives National Library General Register Office Clergy Valuation office Public Records Office of Northern Ireland Local Libraries and Archives Historical or Genealogical Societies
Yes No	Did the heritage centre suggest other sources you could research for further information?
Yes No	Have you researched sources in your local area? Census Passenger lists Naturalization Church Cemetery Vital records
Yes No	Have you ever commissioned a search by a professional genealogist in Ireland? If so, were the results Unsatisfactory Satisfactory Very Successful