Mr. Fintan Mullen:

In addressing ourselves to the issue of capturing the full value of our genealogical heritage, we would make the point that an all-island approach is vital, and this has been the case with the Irish Family History Foundation.

To give a bit of background, there are four centres in Northern Ireland. They are embedded in the archives and institutions and the heritage sector there. The Ulster Historical Foundation, UHF, grew out of the Public Record Office of Northern Ireland; Derry Genealogy is part of Derry City and Archives Service; Armagh Ancestry is linked directly with Armagh City Council; and Irish World has a broad reach not only within Northern Ireland but across the world. We are embedded within the heritage scene. All of the centres were centrally involved in the development of the Irish Family History Foundation and in the rootsireland.ie database. The four centres were some of the first to join it. The Ulster Historical Foundation pioneered the prototype system and Armagh Ancestry piloted the first phase of the development of the rootsireland.ie database, and it is fair to say that all-island co-operation was crucial in the development of what is now equivalent to a national service.

Historically, the North has always been centrally involved. For example, two of those involved, if I might name them, were Sir Robert Kidd, the ex-head of Northern Ireland's civil service, and Mr. Paddy Doherty of Derry Inner City Trust. In terms of our ongoing co-operation with the bodies, archives, etc., in Northern Ireland which are vital to the success of the genealogical heritage enterprise, UHF works regularly with the Public Record Office, Derry City Archives and the Cardinal Tomás Ó Fiaich Library and Archive, which are the three main archival institutions in Northern Ireland. That is merely a small example of how the cross-Border co-operation is essential if we are to maximise the full value of our genealogical heritage.