Sir, – As a local historian and amateur genealogist, it was disappointing to read the negative reaction of some to the availability online of parish registers ("Taoiseach gets 'belt of crozier' over online parish records", November 9th). I have benefitted hugely from online access to the parish registers. Taking just one example, for decades genealogists and military historians have debated the nationality (American or Canadian) of William Pelham (1843 – 1933) who, as a result of his bravery during the US civil war, won the Congressional Medal of Honour. Simply as a result of those records being available online, I have been able to show, using the baptism information of his siblings in the parish register and information from US records (also online) that he was Irish and born in the parish of Tuosist near Kenmare. The crozier-wielders should consider the huge benefits to local communities, to researchers who cannot visit the National Library, and to genealogy tourism, instead of engaging in the support of petty turf wars over records already in the (offline) public domain. – Yours, etc,
BOB FREWEN,
Parknasilla, Co Kerry.