Belfast Branch
[ Home ] [ Branches ] [ Ballymena ] [Bangor ] [ Belfast ] [Coleraine ] [ Killyleagh ]
[Larne ] [ Lisburn ] [ Mourne ] [ Newtownabbey ] [ Omagh ]
The Belfast Branch meets in the C.S. Lewis Room at the Holywood Arches Library. The library is situated at the Belfast City end of the Holywood Road and has a large car park at the back for our use. Approaching from the City Centre, turn up Holywood Road and take the first turning on the left. The Car Park can be seen on the left.
New Members and visitors are very welcome to join along with our existing members for our talks. We try and have a talk at most meetings which are held on the first Thursday of each month from September to May.
Lateral Links
Lateral Links is now finished and available to Branches. A copy will be sent to each Branch and there is also one in our Library. The finished file contains around 1000 names sorted alphabetically and by county.
We hope that all Society members will make use of this and also present ideas for any enhancement to the project.
Reports on this seasons meetings will appear here......
A report of last seasons meetings follows:
September 2004 Meeting
The Belfast Branch resumed business on Thursday 2nd September with a lively meeting with inputs by Jonathan Bell on William Connor , Brian White on his ancestors and Isobel McQuitty on the activities of the East Belfast Branch of the Historical Society. Attendance had increased and new faces appeared. It was interesting to hear from Jonathan about the extensive works of Connor now held in the Ulster Folk and Transport Museum and how these reflected the life and times of mainly Belfast people.
November 2004 Meeting
As part of the 25th Anniversary Celebrations, the Branch attended the Society's Migration Lectures at the Belfast Festival at Queen's.
For info on these lectures CLICK HERE
December 2004 Meeting
Not being ones to change from tradition, this again was our Christmas Party evening. Apart from an excellent supper, Anne Johnston organised an excellent quiz that kept the teams entertained and puzzled.
January 2005 Meeting
Having been welcomed by some Scottish Pipe music and our chairman attempting Scots Irish, we had an excellent talk from Mr. Nelson McAusland about the Scots Irish.
Mr McAusland explained that while there had been some toing and froing from Scotland to Ireland that the first main move from Scotland was in the early 1600s as a result of the Reevers' problem for James I. Counties Antrim and Down were left largely alone as they had already been settled. The main influx were Scottish who went to the west of the Province while the English kept to the east. Around 1688, it was estimated that over 80% of settlers were Scottish.
Around 1718 however the move to America began with an estimated 250,000 moving in the 18th century.
Local Sport was mentioned with Lord Castlereagh building the first golf course at Newtownards and Thomas Sinclair having involvement with the Royal Belfast Golf Club.
February 2005 Meeting
The Branch was pleased to welcome back Con Auld who after a "grilling" about his own Family Tree by our chairman went onto tell us about the Kennedys of Cultra.
Arriving in Cultra in 1668, the Kennedys arrived at an opportune time to buy a large amount of land from the Clandeboye Estate. This included the harbour at Cultra which was a successful predecessor to Belfast harbour. It was also the site for the Cultra Regatta. The Kennedys lived in Cultra Manor from 1680 until well into the 20th century. Their history involves members who sided with the United Irishmen and those who held Governors posts around the world. While initially opposed to the continuation of the railway line from Holywood to Bangor, they did agree to its extension in 1848 albeit with a number of conditions, one of which was that they couldn't see it!
-
Other notices read at the meeting can be found in the Society News section