Account Disabled Irish Family History Foundation

[GAJM]

What i would like to know is who signed over all the powers to them?

How can they legally say they have exclusive rights.

Surely these records are the right of Irish people and any of their descendants.

Ger

[corisande]

What i would like to know is who signed over all the powers to them?

Have a look at this Article in The Irish Times part of which I quote below

This pay-per-view system is designed to cope with the internal needs of the IFHF and to make the distribution of payments simpler, not to facilitate the researcher. The original databases behind the site have as much flexibility as it’s possible to imagine – searches can be restricted by place name, or mother’s maiden name, or godparents, or by using wild cards. None of this is possible on the site. At €5 per record, the system is impossibly expensive for precisely those users to whom it should be most useful. It is impossible not to feel that it exists to serve the producers, not the consumers.

And this is before bringing up the other controversies that have dogged the site. The databases were created with large doses of public money, infused through FÁS training schemes. Is there any return to the public purse from the money now being made from them? The rationale for the use of public money was to encourage tourism. But the present website conveys a very simple message: “Give us your money and go away.”

Sentiments that many of us would agree with. Compare the service of IFHF with Scotlands People - it just does not hold a candle to it in terms of either ease of searching or value for money.

[GAJM]

Yes well said corisande

People need to know more that FÁS had done most of the work in transcribing the records with money funded from the EU and the public purse.

The profit that they are making should be used for further FÁS training and other projects to improve Genealogy and Unemployment in this country.

I pay my taxes every week which fund these FÁS courses so i believe i should have an input into the "Terms and Conditions" i believe a petition would be a good idea.

Ger

[corisande]

On the basis that it is an ill wind that blows no one no good, I took a look at the Irish Genealogy site that now covers the parishes in Kerry and Dublin

http://www.irishgenealogy.ie/

It is FREE and is searchable by parish. As was pointed out, it is still being worked on, and they aim to expand it with government funding. I commend it to anyone looking in Kerry or Dublin

I assume the Irish Government has just written off the  money that was put into IFHF

Perhaps someone who knows could give us here the exact details of
 

• who paid for the IFHFs transcripts, was it in effect the Irish tax payer,
• How did each county IFHF get its "franchise". Did they buy it from the state, the churches, or just get it for nothing
• does the profit go into private pockets now - I am in the web business, and I can tell you that the cost of maintaining their site is very small, the majority of the costs were in transcription - there must be a lot of profit sloshing around today 
• why do they not let us have all the info that has been transcribed and is on the data base, as that Irish Times article says. 
• have they some sort of legal agreement with the churches that gives them the records in perpetuity
• is the IFHF a "charity" or a "company", it appears to be a company, in which case accounts will have to be filed.
• add any other questions you like - there are a lot!

.

 

[GAJM]

I had a relative who was doing one of the FAS courses and his wages were being fully funded by FAS funds and didnt receive anything from IFHF.

As far as i know (from reliable resource) that most of Cork will not be included on the Irish Genealogy website only around the City and West Cork.

The rest of Cork rights are owned by Mallow Heritage Centre/IFHF.

Ger

[Oaks and Acorns]

I totally agree with the sentiments expressed by corisande and Ger. The IFHF is a national disgrace and must represent one of the worst "services" in Ireland.

Regarding the irishgenealogy.ie site, I may have a cynical outlook on this but........

From their website:
...Initially this database contains the church records of much of Dublin and Kerry Dioceses. Work has commenced to complete the computerisation of the available records for Dublin and Kerry and the remaining records for County Carlow. Records from the Diocese of Cork and Ross which encompasses Cork City and all of the parishes in West Cork will be added next....

None of the areas listed above are on IFHF.

Sorry if I'm not getting into the spirit of thanking the Dept of Tourism but I think it's a sad effort to bolster the failed IFHF project.

By the way, does anyone else think it would be a good idea for the Minister of Tourism to impose a nominal charge, say 5 Euro, to view the records on the irishgenealogy site? The money raised could be used to promote Tourism and Genealogy in Ireland.

Dara.

[GAJM]

By the way, does anyone else think it would be a good idea for the Minister of Tourism to impose a nominal charge, say 5 Euro, to view the records on the irishgenealogy site? The money raised could be used to promote Tourism and Genealogy in Ireland.

Dara.

Would that be a 5euro subscription and can view everything you want after that Dara?

Ger

[marcie dean]

I am not saying that I do not agree.  But look at this a different way.  If someone buys a database of information, who does that database belong to, the people whose information is on there or the company who paid for it.?  So it is theirs to sell or protect.

marcie
By the look of it I will have the same problem.
I think there was another posting a while ago from someone prepared to do lookups and help people.  There was an answer from agadhowy?  I think the person was Julian.  Someone answered that records would be available from 2012 and that the Americans have bought some rights to records which they hope to digitize over the next 18 months.  Mormons?  Cannot remember the total content of the conversation.

[GAJM]

I am not saying that I do not agree.  But look at this a different way.  If someone buys a database of information, who does that database belong to, the people whose information is on there or the company who paid for it.?  So it is theirs to sell or protect.

marcie
By the look of it I will have the same problem.
I think there was another posting a while ago from someone prepared to do lookups and help people.  There was an answer from agadhowy?  I think the person was Julian.  Someone answered that records would be available from 2012 and that the Americans have bought some rights to records which they hope to digitize over the next 18 months.  Mormons?  Cannot remember the total content of the conversation.

Marcie,

They never bought these records.

1. They obtained them free of charge from the parishes and local libraries. Often not returning what they borrowed. Can only speak for my local area but the records borrowed were not returned. Was a local meeting in our parish a few months back about this so i am speaking from fact.

2. They used State funding via FAS projects to get people to do the work without expense to them.

3. They have charge excessive rates for a website with search criteria designed for people to spend more money than they have to in finding their ancestors. Its hit and miss finding the correct record at 5 euro ago. Where does all the profit go?

4. The database of information is a national treasure and no one has to right to claim it as theirs to make huge profits and lay terms and conditions over the people of ireland and their descendants.

Might be worth watching these

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6S484Me2MX8

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3NekbUfhZlY

He makes it all sound so good! Also claims no public/FAS funding

Ger