Via Zoom: For members who prefer remote participation.
Meeting Schedule
10:00 a.m. Refreshments, Meet and Greet, Ask the Experts
10:45 a.m. Announcements/Webinar Begins
11:00 a.m. Lecture
Saturday, October 17, 2026
The Making of a United Ireland: How It May Happen and What Needs to Be Done
with BRENDAN O’LEARY
A century ago, the solution to the Irish struggle for independence was to have six of the country’s northern counties stay in the UK while the other 26 became the Republic of Ireland. Since then, the unification of these two areas has seemed impossible, especially because of the bloody legacy of the past.
Will Ireland ever reunite? Soon the demographic advantages of Ulster unionists, who wish to remain in the UK, will end. And other current factors make Irish unification referendums more likely: Brexit, the popularity of Sinn Féin, and political developments on both sides of the border and within the UK. Brendan O’Leary–a global expert on divided places who has been engaged with the Irish question for close to 40 years-–will argue that the time to consider the future of the island of Ireland is now. He will address how unification could happen and what needs to be done.
Brendan O’Leary is Lauder Professor of Political Science at the University of Pennsylvania. He is the author or editor of 30 books, including the prize-winning A Treatise on Northern Ireland and Making Sense of a United Ireland. He advised key actors in the making of the Good Friday Agreement and is a former Senior Advisor on Power-Sharing to the U.N.
Quick Ancestor Sketches: Turning Research into Readable Family History
with DEVON NOEL LEE
Writing and sharing your family history helps connect living and future generations to all the ancestors you’ve sought out and documented. However, writing is a genealogy task few attempt. Devon Noel Lee will discuss a simple way to turn your genealogical findings into engaging short stories of your ancestors. She will explore how to organize your research, develop reusable templates, and add enough context to bring an ancestor’s life into focus. No advanced writing skills are required. Whether or not you’ve written a story before, ancestor sketches offer an accessible way to preserve the stories behind the records.
Devon Noel Lee is the author of A Recipe for Writing Family History. She and her husband run the YouTube channel Family History Fanatics.
Saturday, December 12, 2026
“American Newspapers, Please Copy”: Researching U.S. and Irish Newspapers
with CLAIRE BRADLEY
Newspapers are excellent sources for finding details of court cases, wills, crime, and of course, obituaries. Claire Bradley will discuss the categories of information found in newspapers, both in the U.S. and Ireland, and where to search for them. She will demonstrate techniques for searching newspapers and how to read and mine them for relevant information. She will also discuss locating relevant newspapers and illustrate how you can even use modern-day records to assist with figuring out your DNA matches.
Claire Bradley is a professional Irish genealogist working with both paper records and genetic genealogy. She holds a Certificate in Genealogy from University College Dublin and a Master’s in History of the Family from the University of Limerick. For 15 years, she has taught a beginners’ adult education course covering all the major Irish sources, and she regularly lectures to a wide range of family history and historical societies in Ireland and elsewhere.
Saturday, January 16, 2027
Using City Directories to Find Your Ancestor’s Footprint in Urban Settings
with KERRY TANNENBAUM
Longtime Forum member and professional genealogist Kerri Tannenbaum will once again kick off the Forum’s new year, this time with a lecture about using city directories to find your ancestor’s footprint in urban settings. An often untapped genealogy resource, city directories can be a powerful way to connect your ancestors to addresses and other records. Tannenbaum will discuss how to locate city directories and use them to further your research, particularly for urban ancestors. Case studies will be shared to showcase how powerful this tool can be.
Kerry Tannenbaum has received many awards from the National Genealogical Society. She runs her own genealogy research company, Family Dot Connector. She is also a contributing editor of the Forum Newsletter.
Saturday, February 20, 2027
Genealogy Show and Tell
Our popular Genealogy Show-and-Tell program is back! Do you have an interesting research story? A favorite, famous, or infamous ancestor? Family heirlooms, artifacts, letters, clothing, photos, or other objects you’d like to tell us about? Members are invited to take part either in person or via Zoom.
To participate, please send an email to Program Director, Patricia Phelan, at programs@ifhf.org by December 15.
The Making of a United Ireland: How It May Happen and What Needs to Be Done
Quick Ancestor Sketches: Turning Research into Readable Family History
“American Newspapers, Please Copy”: Researching U.S. and Irish Newspapers
Using City Directories to Find Your Ancestor’s Footprint in Urban Settings