Dear Eric, The records for county Galway that are available on a cd from Eneclann have nothing to do with the 'Journal of the Memorials to the Dead' - the Galway and partial Mayo transcriptions that have been published on cd were transcribed by Mr. Ian Cantwell, son of Mr. Brian Cantwell (RIP) I'm not familiar with Ian's work - unless he is the person who transcribed parts of County Clare - some of our libraries do have a copy of this. His father, Mr. Brian Cantwell transcribed graveyards in counties Wexford and Wicklow - he also worked on some Dublin graveyards. Brian read stones that were dated pre 1880 and he also read any stones in what seemed to be family plots that post dated 1880. As far as I know, he read only those stones that were legible when he visited any graveyard. He was a very thorough man as regards graveyards he visited and he checked the Journal of the Memorials of the Dead in order to compare his readings with those that had been transcribed in the past. For any graveyard that had been transcribed, Brian listed differences or gave the information on stones that he had not read but somebody else had in the past. Brian transcribed hundreds of graveyards - there are about 10 or eleven volumes of gravestone transcriptions for counties Wexford and Wicklow - these works took him at least ten years to bring to publication. For all of those graveyards, I could count the number of times he has notes of differences between his work and any that he found in the Journal of the Memorials to the Dead on ten fingers. Over the last twenty to thirty years, advisory notes to those who would transcribe gravestones have been published in the 'Irish Genealogist' - any advise given was always to have a cut off date of 1880. Cork - take a look at the publications of Henchion in the Journal of the Cork Archaeological and historical Society - wonderful. Mr. Henchion sought out living people in the localities he transcribed graveyards in and also researched re families in literature - he gives a synopsis for the genealogy of families who he had more to add on at the end of each of his transcriptions. All people that I know of who have transcribed any graveyard in the last 50 years, compare their notes to those published in the Journal of the Memorials to the Dead. Many of these are published in journals Irish Ancestor, the Irish Genealogist, Clogher Record - these two journals have the publications for many counties - or the journal of the Irish Family History Society (Kildare particularly in this journal). On the shelves in the NAI lie publications on Dublin, alongside Brian Cantwells Wicklow and Wexford works. What is today known as the Genealogical Society of Ireland and had once a different name has published on some of Dublins bigger graveyards. For Carlow, the Irish Country Women's Association published a number of volumes of transcriptions a few years ago. Clare and Limerick are two counties that also spring to mind as regards volunteer bodies who have transcribed graveyards in their locality. Journal of the Waterford Archaeological & Historical Society, JKilkennyAHS, JGalwayAHS, Louth JAHS - For county Down - you have all the volumes published of transcribed graveayards there - published probbaly in the last ten years - maybe five - compiled by R.S.J.Clarke and published by the Ulster historical Foundation. Volume 1 includes graveyards around Belfast City. If I had time, then I could check all my records/files and probably name a lot more people, places and counties that work has been done in - for the moment, all I can ask is that if I have forgotten any/many - please forgive me You have never seen a copy of the Journal of the Memorials to the Dead - the notes written by the people who were dedicated enough to go to graveayards around the country along with whatever they transcribed in whichever graveyard they visited. All stones were not transcribed. According to those who have visited the same graveyards since, readings were at times inaccurate. Many many graveyards in Ireland have been transcribed by dedicated people - and more have been transcribed by dedicated people in the last 50 years than ever before. It would be great to see the works of those who did transcribe graveyards pre 1915 published, it would be great to recognise the work that they did do. They transcribed counties in spots - as best they could, given the time they had. They did not transcribe every single stone standing or laying flat. Publications in the Irish Ancestor can be accessed by purchasing the Irish Ancestor cd from Eneclann............publications in the Clogher Record can possibly be accessed by becoming a member of the Society - same for the Irish Genealogist. Armagh - you have Seanchas Ardmhaca - sorry, I may have forgotten to mention that there are gravestone publications in that journal - then there is whatever is to be founf in the other journals that have societies which publish them. Eneclann could publish the information that is contained in the actual 'Journal of the Memorials to the Dead' - but not these others. Every person can access any publication in any journal simply through inter-library request - or, in some instances, the transcriptions have been published on the internet - especially on rootsweb genealogy lists. As far as I know, the Latter Day Saints Library has copies of Brian Cantwells 'Memorials to the Dead' for Wicklow and Wexford - they also have copies of the ''Journal to the Memorials for the Dead" and any person who wants to, who lives outside Ireland can access these by going to their local Family History Library and ordering copies of these films from the LDS. There are no transcriptions for everywhere in any county Eric..................else why would all the people who ahve transcribed graveyards in the past 50 years have bothered. Brian Cantwell did not spend 10-15 years of his life transcribing Wexford and Wicklow if someone had done it before him To any person who would want to encourage Eneclann to publish documented gravestone material - I would ask you to please check if there is a society associated with the county of your interest - be it titled Archaeologial & Historical - be it Genealogical - Family...........whatever. Please check with them as to what is available for your county. Then, write to Eneclann. Jane ----- Original Message ----- From: "E Macklin" <[email protected]> To: "Wallbank" <[email protected]>; <[email protected]> Cc: "Cathy Joynt Labath" <[email protected]>; "[email protected]" <[email protected]>; "[email protected]" <[email protected]>; "[email protected] web.com" <[email protected]>; "[email protected]" <[email protected]>; <[email protected]>; <[email protected]>; "[email protected]" <[email protected]>; "[email protected]" <[email protected]> Sent: Friday, December 24, 2004 5:59 PM Subject: Memorials to the Dead > Good morning everyone: Re: Journals of the Memorials to the Dead - Ireland