Donaghcloney Old Graveyard
This old graveyard is situated on a mound above the River Lagan. It's clear to see that the site was once a reasonably large ring fort, well sited just above the river. The previously circular site was altered by the building of the road. The oldest known gravestone dated from 1707, but many of the oldest stones are sadly no longer obvious or legible. The following inscriptions are or were on headstones in the graveyard. Photos of headstones follow beneath.
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Finding Connections
ABC Family History Association is all about making connections! Our members have some connection with Northern Ireland, whether they live there or their family came from there, no matter how long ago. We run family history courses to teach people from our area and throughout the world how to find the connections between us and know who our ancestors were, where they came from, what they did and how they lived. We offer regular talks, workshops and visits. Members can also take part in projects to use those skills and share results. Each year we publish a book written by our members based on the results of our current project. We love to welcome those from overseas to our area and help them get the most from their trip to their ancestral homeland!
About Us
Join Us
You can join ABC Family History Association as an Online Member who can enjoy our web page, online talks, family history courses and workshops and start or take part in projects, or you can take out one of our local Membership categories for individuals, couples and students who can also attend events we organise in Northern Ireland, which will be well publicised on this page. Organisations who support our purposes can take out a Corporate Membership. Come and join us!
News!
Stay in the Know
ABCFHA Programme from Jan to Jun 2025 NEW! (download )
New Books added to our Library
Alfred Gracey, one of our members from England, has donated a copy of the new 'Townlands Atlas' to our ABCFHA library. Thank you for your generosity, Alfred. Other members have also donated books and other resources, particularly Tommy McClimonds, Ann McClelland, Joy Smith, Audrey Ward and Elaine Bleakney. Thank you to all and to Gerry Dunne for continually updating our library list.
New Resources added to our Members Only area!
We are working hard to increase the resources for our members and we have recently added transcriptions of tenant names from 1776 estate maps from the Rathfriland area of Co Down, and from 1831 maps of the Manor of Acton near Poyntzpass; some records from Cremore Presbyterian Church at Poyntzpass; and an article entitled 'Tandragee and the House of Montagu' by Jason Diamond.
'From The Armagh Militia to The Cold War'
our new book!
Books - still available
'Seeking New Horizons', 'Our Family Stories' and 'Around Brackagh' books are still available at £12 softback and £20 hardback, plus postage if required - Please email abcfhachair@gmail.com
Corporate Member Showcase
Joss/Joyce Family Association
Dedicated to the Joss/Joyce family of Scotland and Northern Ireland, the Joss/Joyce Family Association explores the genealogy of this family. Originally originating from Aberdeenshire, Scotland, this lineage settled in counties Antrim, Armagh, and Down, in Northern Ireland, where Joss turned into Joyce. More information can be found at Joss/Joyce Family Association.
Armagh County Museum, Armagh, Northern Ireland
A number of our ABC members are volunteers at the museum, helping to catalogue some of the many documents that await them. There is much to be found at this museum for those interested in family history, as we discovered on a visit there in August 2022. Read all about this superb museum at Visit Armagh - Armagh County Museum
Cranberry Genealogy Club, Pennsylvania, USA
Cranberry Genealogy Club is a corporate member of ABCFHA and an informal partner organisation. Read all about the club here: CranGenClub (cranberrygenealogy.org)
CranGen is a vibrant, forward looking organisation which offers its members a wide range of Zoom talks and events and strives to help all to learn more about their ancestry. Should you be have ancestors who emigrated to Pennsylvania, we recommend membership, which costs $12.50 per year. Details on their website!
Armagh Cultural Heritage Library
NEW!
Armagh Cultural Heritage Library has a new home at 1 Markethill Road, Armagh - familiar to some as this is where the Teachers' Centre is located. On our Resources for Research page within our Members Only area there are a number of lists of sources, newspapers, books etc available in the library to help with family research.
Articles by Members
Here we offer articles of interest contributed by our members:
The Story of Mrs Lindsay and James Clarke of Banbridge
Seapatrick Co Corner, Then and Now
Activities
ABC Family History Association is buzzing!
SHORT COURSES AND WORKSHOPS
Educational
ABC Family History Association organises short family history courses and workshops which vary from 30 minutes online to 1 full day face-to-face. We also offer bespoke courses to other organisations for their members, with courses for beginners and more advanced researchers.
REGULAR ZOOM TALKS
Using the Technology
ABC Family History Association
offers regular talks, where members from anywhere in the world can join us on Zoom. Our talks, which last around an hour and are free to members, cover a wide range of topics in family and social history and are delivered by experts from around the world.
COFFEE/TEA &
A BUN WORKSHOPS
Research Help and Support
ABC Family History Association's goal is to help you with your family research, over a cuppa and a bun at Brownlow Community Hub. We give advice on the next steps to take, suggesting taking a family history course, telling you about various web sites, assisting with presentation of research - including topping up the necessary computer skills.
RESEARCH
PROJECTS
Building a Community
Local research projects in which members can participate are a great way of finding out how we connect and can lead to improved understanding and better community relations. A project may be building your own family tree, writing a story for one of our book projects, doing a One Place Study, a DNA project, transcribing church records and lots more.
VISITS AND
TOURS
Fun Trips!
ABC Family History Association organises visits to a variety of places within Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. Trips may be short local visits to a museum or heritage centre, for example, or a local guided walking tour. We may also venture further afield. Trips and visits, some of which include a meal together, require additional payment.
ENCOURAGING DNA TESTING
Using the Science
ABC Family History Association encourages you to consider DNA testing. DNA results can help to break down your 'brick walls' in research and find new family members, helping to connect us all. Our DNA project teaches you how to analyse your results and maximise your findings using Ancestry, My Heritage, GEDmatch + DNA Painter.
Armagh City, Banbridge & Craigavon
Borough Council Area
This is our Gallery of Members' Images of the ABC area.
Click on an image to 'like' it!
Email us your own images if you'd like to have them featured here
We'd love to show members' photos of places in ABC in our Gallery - please make sure you own the copyright of the image and email it with details to abcfhasec@gmail.com
