Irish Genealogical Research Society

Event type: Talk

The event will start at 5.30 pm and follow the timetable below:

5.30-5.45  introduction

5.45-6.45  William Roulston “Scottish migration to Ireland in the seventeenth century” (including Q&A)

6.45-7.15  break (tea & coffee provided)

7.15-8.15  Marian Lyons "Irish merchants in France from 1630 to the eve of the French Revolution: prospects, challenges and identity” (including Q&A)

“Scottish migration to Ireland in the seventeenth century” 

In successive waves of migration, tens of thousands of Scots migrated to Ireland over the course of the seventeenth century. Most settled in the province of Ulster, but a substantial minority could be found elsewhere on the island, in counties including Longford, Sligo and Tipperary, as landowners, farmers, clergymen and merchants. This presentation looks at the sources for tracing these Scottish families and understanding more of their life experiences during this tumultuous era.

speaker: William Roulston, Research Director, Ulster Historical Foundation.

William Roulston has been Research Director of the Ulster Historical Foundation since 2006. He is the author of a number of books on aspects of Irish history with a particular focus on the province of Ulster. His most recent book is "Researching Ulster Ancestors, 1800–1914" (2026).

“Irish merchants in France from 1630 to the eve of the French Revolution: prospects, challenges and identity” 

This lecture traces the establishment, development and decline of Irish merchant communities in Saint-Malo, Nantes, La Rochelle and Bordeaux during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. It explores the merchants' motives for settling abroad and examines their experience of establishing and expanding their businesses, outlining challenges they navigated and various investment opportunities in European and Atlantic trade that they embraced. The means by which they achieved commercial success, elevated their standing and eventually became integrated into French society are also highlighted.   

speaker: Marian Lyons, Professor of History, Maynooth University.

Marian Lyons is Professor of History at Maynooth University and has published extensively on the Irish in Europe, particularly France, during the period 1600-1789.

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