Jillian van Turnhout (Independent) | Oireachtas source

My apologies, I had to leave. There was a vote in the Seanad.

I read the submissions with great interest. I am an amateur. I have no difficulty in calling myself an amateur when it comes to genealogy. I am also a subscriber to findmypast.ie and Ancestry.com. I can testify to what they are talking about, for example, roots tourism. If I look at the access of records, for example, in the United States of America, that led me last year to going to a small town called Watertown, Wisconsin, which, when I was in New York and Chicago, people asked why I was doing this. It was purely an interest in ancestry that drove me to this small town because three generations of females from my family ended up in Watertown, Wisconsin. I am a testament to the fact that there is a generation of roots tourism.

On their presentations and first that of the CIGA, I wholeheartedly support everything its representatives stated in it. I agree with them about the GRO, especially from the outside where it is now. I have been there twice and on both occasions, I have at least had two or three persons on the street asking where it is located. I know how to find it. On the outside the building does not look like its image on the Internst but In fairness, I do not have complaints about the inside of it.

I agree with them on the 1926 Census. As a committee, we will look at this issue further, particularly in regard to the position being taken by the CSO on it.

On Ancestry.com, findmypast.ie and the submissions they made, these all are good. I agree with them about collaborative approaches and working together but I am trying to think of when this committee is writing its report and getting down to some of the hard facts of what we need to recommend. We can say we need a collaborative approach and we need greater partnerships and strategic alliances. Will that make a difference to anybody? Will that change anything for anybody? Perhaps there was a way that they could be forthcoming for us on some of their frustrations, obstacles or wish-lists that they see, perhaps, from other countries, that drive people to their sites. Both of their sites at times will offer free access to certain records, for instance, around St. Patrick's Day. Around certain events, they have Irish records to drive people to the sites. I wonder are there recommendations that they would like to see in the report to get an idea of where are the real issues for us as a committee to examine and ask what are the real obstacles to working together. We heard presentations earlier from the National Library of Ireland and the National Archives of Ireland. They have priorities, such as digitising the church records, which, for me, as an amateur, I would welcome. If they have already spoken about it while I was out of the room, I can read the transcripts. I thank them.