Kelly to Lead Tour Home to Australia

Susan Kelly, Dean of the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee School of Continuing Education, plans to spend St. Patrick's Day, 2003, in her homeland of Australia.

Kelly will be leading an educational tour of the island continent. The March trip includes visits to many of the cities and sites you might expect and a few you might not. As well, she and other tour organizers have arranged for exclusive opportunities and visits with dignitaries, including a breakfast meeting with the Hon. John Cain, former Premier of Victoria. He will discuss and take questions on Australian politics and social issues.

For more information, contact Kim Beck at 414-227-3321 or kcb@uwm.edu

Grants Totaling Euro 450,000 for Reconciliation Groups

The Minister for Foreign Affairs, Brian Cowen T.D., announced the allocation of grants totaling Euro450,000 from the Department of Foreign Affairs+ Reconciliation Fund. The grants are being made to 12 organizations involved in a range of cross-community and cross-border outreach and reconciliation programs.

Announcing the grants, the Minister said:

"The Irish Government is committed to encouraging reconciliation between the various communities and traditions in Northern Ireland, and between North and South. The ongoing work being carried out by so many organizations to foster reconciliation and build mutual respect is deeply appreciated by the Irish Government and these grants are a further reflection of the commitment made by the Government, in the Good Friday Agreement, to support such endeavors and provide financial assistance for the work of reconciliation and mutual understanding.

"Over the last four years, my department has made grants totaling more than Euro10 million to more than 300 groups and organizations involved in a wide range of cross-community and cross-border reconciliation and outreach activities.

"I am very pleased that, notwithstanding the more difficult budgetary constraints that now apply, the Government has been able to broadly maintain its financial commitment to the Reconciliation Fund in 2003.-

The Reconciliation Fund, established in the Department of Foreign Affairs in 1982, provides assistance to organizations involved in reconciliation work and creating better understanding between people in both parts of Ireland and between Ireland and Britain. The grants announced today were the final tranche of the Euro 2.539 million allocation for 2002.

Recipients of the grants announced by the Minister today include:

Ardoyne Youth Club (North Belfast) The Club caters for young people of all ages and supports the development of reconciliation through education, culture and inter-denominational activities, promoting acceptance and tolerance. Allocated: Euro20,000

Centre for Cross-Border Studies (Armagh) Based in the Queens University Belfast campus in Armagh, the Centre is a North/South partnership between the QUB and Dublin City University. Over the last 3 years it has been conducting research and policy analysis on practical issues relating to North/South co-operation. Allocated: Euro75,000

Conflict Trauma Resource Centre (Belfast) A cross-community project, the Centre facilitates individuals and communities who have suffered as part of the conflict in Northern Ireland, by liaising with voluntary and statutory bodies. CTRC provides a range of services including support for careers of victims, referral between individuals/groups to clinicians within the trauma field, assistance with research in local communities and training programs. Allocated: Euro25,000

Dún Uladh (Co. Tyrone) The organization aims to promote aspects of Irish culture and runs courses in a wide range of cultural activities on a cross-community basis. Funding is awarded for the implementation of a range of arts, cultural and community relations programs. Allocated: Euro30,000

Féile an Phobail (West Belfast) The Féile has been running since 1988 and aims to promote cultural diversity through the arts, as well as encouraging participation in the arts among the local community. Allocated: Euro50,000
Fellowship of Good Counsel Trust (Co. Donegal) This is a project of the Columba Community, a lay community organization who have worked in the field of reconciliation for over 20 years. The group is a cross-community and interdenominational initiative, which aims to enable Catholics and Protestants to explore their common heritage. Allocated: Euro50,000

Glencree Centre for Reconciliation (Co. Wicklow) Glencree is a well-established centre working with all who wish to build peace. Glencree provides a safe and inclusive meeting place for peace building, fostering better understanding between the different traditions on the island. Allocated: Euro30,000

International School for Peace Studies at Messines (Messines, Belgium) The school is providing a neutral space for contact between representatives of the two communities in Northern Ireland, a number of whom come from difficult interface areas. Allocated: Euro20,000

Irish Trade Union Trust (Dublin) The Trust+s Museum of Citizenship project seeks to provide a neutral physical space where individuals and groups can learn about themselves and others, and about prejudice and tolerance with a particular focus on conflict resolution in Northern Ireland. Funding is provided for a major all-island conference on citizenship. Allocated: Euro20,000

Parkside Community Association (North Belfast) Situated on an interface just off the Limestone Rd. in North Belfast, the group seeks to foster mutual understanding between the two communities through a series of social, recreational and educational programs. The association places particular emphasis on raising educational attainment levels in the local community, thereby providing an opportunity for self-development and increasing mutual respect among both communities. Allocated: Euro 20,000

Schomberg Society (Co. Down) The group seeks to promote the culture and heritage of the Ulster Scots tradition through educational programs and public events. Funding is awarded for a summer festival, which has at its core a program that researches the history of Marshall Schomberg and in particular the historical links which Marshall Schomberg had with Carlingford, Co. Louth. Allocated: Euro20,000

Scouting Ireland (All island) Scouting Ireland are currently developing their facilities at the Castle Saunderson estate, which forms part of the Cavan-Fermanagh border. The organization will maintain a cross-border/cross-cultural activity and training centre for young Irish people from all parts of the island. Allocated: Eruo90,000

Klein Internet Marketing Group of Sussex, Wis., has hired Patrick Kennedy as an accountant. to handle invoicing, collections, production metrics and other accounting functions.

A graduate of the University of Wisconsin Milwaukee with a bachelor's degree in finance, h is past work experience includes accounting and managing the office of a commodities consulting firm. He has had a financial services background for over 20 years.

Klein Internet Marketing Group provides website design, production, programming, hosing and marketing. For more information, visit www.kleininternet.com or contact Keith Klein at 262-820-8201.

BushmillsHeritage.com Launches as Complete Genealogical Resource

In a country whose citizenry reflects nearly every nationality in the world, it's no surprise that genealogy research is fast becoming one of America's favorite pastimes. To assist individuals searching for their family's history, Bushmills Irish Whiskey - whose own roots have been deeply planted in Irish soil for nearly 400 years - has created a new Web site with a compendium of online resources to take advantage of historical records that are now accessible electronically.

The Web site, BushmillsHeritage.com, will offer up research tips, Web site links, lists of references and quick and easy family searches to assist budding genealogists in their exploration of their personal histories. And on St. Patrick's Day (March 17, 2003), when nearly 33 million Americans celebrate their Irish heritage - along with a good number more who bestow themselves with an honorary Irish badge in the name of the green holiday - BushmillsHeritage.com will officially launch with the Family Heritage Search program.
This service, performed by Irish Genealogy Ltd. (IGL), based in Dublin, will provide an exploratory search for 500 families with Irish roots. With their network of professional genealogists and access to records held only in Ireland, IGL's search will yield specific location information on specific ancestors: where they lived, worked, went to school and owned property - all designed to assist the interested family with their family tree research.

"With a history that includes being the oldest licensed whiskey distillery in the world, heritage is a passion for us at Bushmills," said Suzanne Freedman, senior brand manager at Pernod Ricard USA. "We're excited about helping Irish Americans find the missing links in their personal histories, and unravel the mysteries and celebrations of their own heritage."

Visitors to BushmillsHeritage.com can register from March 17, 2003, to April 17, 2003, to be eligible to receive one of the 500 free Family Heritage Searches. Recipients will be chosen at random and will need to provide some family information to aid the searches.

Bushmills Irish Whiskey is imported by Pernod Ricard USA.

Helpful Facts and Figures:

Why The Irish Called Ireland "The 51st State" * According to the U.S. Census Bureau, more than 33 million Americans claim Irish heritage. That's 12% of the national population, and almost nine times the population of Ireland itself (3.9 million).

* New York City leads the country as the city with the most Irish Americans, followed by Philadelphia, Chicago and Boston.

* New York's St. Patrick's Day parade has 150,000 marchers, making it the world's largest annual parade. In 1762, the very first St. Patrick's Day parade was held in New York City when Irish soldiers from the British colonial army marched to celebrate their heritage. The United States has more St. Paddy's Day parades than Ireland.

* In Massachusetts, 23% of the residents claim Irish blood.

* The most Irish American state is California (2.7 million), which is followed by New York (2.5 million) and then: * Pennsylvania 2 million * Florida 1.7 million * Illinois 1.5 million * Texas 1.5 million

Genealogy - Setting New Trends In United States Pastimes

* Genealogy is on the rise. In the year 2000, more than 60%of Americans said they were interested in tracing their family history - an increase from 1995 figures showing only 45%.

* Estimates show that genealogy is a hobby for more than 100 million people in the U.S. As many as 19 million people have actually begun tracing their heritage, and 113 million have expressed an interest in beginning genealogy projects.

* Authorities as varied as the National Genealogical Society, The New York Times and PBS Television have declared genealogy to be the fastest-growing hobby in North America. Experts say that genealogy is now the second most popular hobby next to gardening.

* One popular genealogy website reports that 47% of their visitors are men, showing a surprising new demographic trend.

* The U.S. Senate has passed a resolution declaring October Family History Month, in recognition of recent widespread interest in genealogical pursuits. 

Tips to Begin Searching Your Family History

1. Get started Take a trip to the old attic. Locate letters from your ancestors, family photographs and religious books - these may contain important names and dates of birth, marriage and death. Spend an afternoon looking through old photo albums, paying special attention to inscriptions and dates on photos, which can provide a treasure trove of information. Besides, it's a nice way to spend the day and may open up doors for your search. 

2. Get organized Keep a scrapbook of all the family history materials you collect and share them with your family. Use this resource as a personal journal to document your search as well as serving as an invaluable keepsake for generations to come.

3. Get talking Reach out to your relatives. They can provide a wealth of information including the name of your oldest living relative. Interview that person and make sure to record your conversation. This will make them feel a part of your search and will allow you to connect with them on a deeper level.
Ask background questions such as: * Where are our relatives buried?, Do you know any dates of birth, death and marriage of relatives?, Tell me some old family stories,Do you know any living relatives I don't know? 

If so, interview these people and follow this same process - be sure to document all conversations and keep notes in your trusty binder with the other materials you've collected along the way. 4. Get surfing Search the Internet for official documents. Access to digital records has revolutionized family history research, driving an estimated 15 million Americans to genealogy web sites each month. Utilize web sites like BushmillsHeritage.com, Ancestry.com, Genealogy.com and Ellisisland.org. Search for the following:

* Cemetery records, obituaries, census returns, city directories, passenger arrival manifests and national archives, among others

5. Get together Join your local genealogical or historical society. Sharing with others who are interested in genealogy is extremely rewarding and can spark new research ideas. If you don't have time to join a group, many on-line sites have chat rooms for people that are in search of their family history - it's a good way to share stories and resources.

6. Get moving Travel to your ancestor's home and walk the land they left behind. If you're particularly lucky, you may even meet long-lost relatives. You'll be surprised by the profound sense of heritage you'll connect with from just stepping on the same soil as those who came before.

-Tips are provided by Irish Genealogy Limited, a research service that specializes in Irish roots. These tips, and more, can be found on BushmillsHeritage.com.