Interested in researching your Celtic roots? You can do that and more when you attend Pathways to Our Past, the Celtic Connections Conference 2018. On August 10th and 11th TIARA (The Irish Ancestral Research Association) and IGSI (Irish Genealogical Society International) will join forces to co-sponsor a third Celtic Connections Conference. Speakers will present lectures in the areas of Irish, Scots-Irish, Scottish and Welsh genealogy, culture, DNA and exciting new ways to interpret and discover your ancestral roots.
The August conference will be held at Boston Marriott Newton hotel and will feature presenters from Ireland, Scotland, and England. Internationally-known genealogists Audrey Collins, Dr. Bruce Durie, Fiona Fitzsimons, Maurice Gleeson, John Grenham, and Christine Woodcock will make presentations along with local and nationally-known family history experts from around the United States.
Conference participants will be hard-pressed to choose among four tracks of lectures with such stimulating topics as “Strategies for Finding the Origins of Your Irish Ancestors,” “Using Canadian Records in your Irish Research,” and “Mapping Your Celtic Ancestry: by Surname, by DNA, by Place.” A full listing of the two days of programs is available at www.celtic-connections.org.
Offerings outside the classroom will be equally engaging. Luncheons on Friday and Saturday, included in the registration price, will feature music and storytellers. Friday night banquet attendees will be entertained by the musical group “Katie and Friends” with “Songs from Both Sides of the Atlantic.” The conference will end on Saturday with a lively Celtic-themed pub quiz.
A preconference bus trip on Thursday, August 9th will highlight the story of millworkers with a visit to the Lowell National Historic Park, the Boott Cotton Mill, and the Immigrant Girl Experience. Admission tickets, lunch and bus tour through scenic New England towns are all included but space is limited.
The 2014 and 2016 conferences were well-attended events drawing attendees from across the U.S. and Canada. Early registration is advised.
Pathways to Our Past, the third biennial Celtic Connections Conference takes place August 10 & 11, 2018, at the Boston Marriott Newton, 2345 Commonwealth Avenue, Auburndale, MA. Specially priced lodging for conference-goers is available at the conference site. Discounted registration fee for the full conference is $225 for TIARA/IGSI members and $250 for non-member. Single-day registration for either Friday or Saturday is $120 for TIARA/IGSI members and $145 for non-members. The early-bird discount is available until June 4. Tickets can be purchased separately for the Thursday bus tour, Friday banquet, or Saturday trivia night.
Conference details including the conference brochure and online registration are available at http://celtic-connections.org/.
About the Celtic Connections Conference
The Celtic Connections Conference (CCC) is a biennial educational event co-hosted by the Boston-based Irish Ancestral Research Association (TIARA) and Minnesota-based Irish Genealogical Society International (IGSI). The first CCC was held in the Boston area in 2014 and the second in Minneapolis in 2016. This year’s conference takes place at the Marriott
Boston Marriott Newton. To learn more visit http://celtic-connections.org/.
Contact:
Celtic Connections Conference
P.O. Box 66010
Auburndale, MA 02466