Hello, Those of you with Irish roots may be interested in adding your voice to this message. If you manage mailing lists for Irish surnames, you might pass the information along. For further information you can check out this website: http://world.std.com/~ahern/petition.htm >From that website you can click on the link to the CIGO (Council of Irish Genealogical Organisations) page which details the involved circumstances and has links to the National Library of Ireland site. I have heard many many people discuss the frustration they have felt in getting all the way to Ireland only to have research efforts thwarted due to this state of affairs. If we join in the voice, perhaps they will have it all organized in time for our own research ventures ;] Jana Black, Marin County, CA ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ St Patrick's Day GRO Protest On Thursday 16 March please join the Day of Protest to express dissatisfaction with the understaffing, under-funding and general neglect of the General Register Office in Dublin, Ireland, by the Department of Health & Children.(The GRO is closed on ST Patrick's Day). If you wish to take part please communicate your concern by email to BOTH of the following: Department of Health & Children: queries@health.irlgov.ie Department of Tourism, Sport & Recreation: dtsr@iol.ie If you live within the Republic of Ireland please ALSO telephone your message to the Department of Health & Children at (from within 01 area) 6313800 or (Lo-Call) 1890-200311 and ask for the Minister's office. Below the line is a suggested wording, but you may send whatever message you wish. Bridget (Grouser) Murphy - --------------------------------------------------------------------- The General Register Office is an important genealogical repository for people of Irish heritage world wide. The Department of Health & Children must provide it with adequate staffing and funding to allow it to offer the level of service maintained in former years. It is not acceptable that it should be closed at lunchtime. It is not acceptable that paying customers should be limited in the number of records they may check by purchasing photocopies. It is not acceptable that there is only one set of index books for public inspection. To free up the GRO's Search Room copies of these records and index books should be made available as well elsewhere. Long term promises about a computerised index do not address GRO users' immediate needs.