http://ifhf.rootsireland.ie

[Andy]

Sorry if someone has already reported about this.

For YEARS, I, and loads of folk, have complained about the search engine and cost of the above site.

I logged in (in desperation) tonight under my old login and saw there were 10 free searches.

Ho Hum! I thought to myself, 10 searches, 24 hours to view them and all available searches taken up cross referencing single names. Then £7.50 to view a possible result.

NOT A BIT OF IT!!!!!

Regardless of County:

They have rejigged the search engine so that Births can be searched using JUST a surname, narrowed down using a mother or father's given name OR, if transcribed (many aren't - yet! but will be - soon) MOTHER'S maiden name.

Marriages can be searched using BOTH names and narrowed down if you suspect either Fathers' names. Church registered marriages frequently contain the Mother's maiden names

Deaths, aren't quite as useful - but you may get lucky.

35 Credits now cost 5 Euros, running to 750 Credits for 60 Euros. Used to cost money to join (perhaps still does) but the records now cost a fraction of the old rates.

A search page will cost one credit and ALL transcripts cost 25 credits. This is cheaper than FindMyPast to view possible matches. RootsIreland now has a VERY good search engine and the results are transcripts of the actual records not just the Quarterly Reference books - they've (not all yet) been crossed referenced.

The 24 hour deadline has gone too! Your searches will be stored for 240 DAYS giving ample time to narrow your search further so that your hard earned dosh goes MUCH, MUCH further.

Can't remember exactly the last time I was on the website but I can't believe the change!

One of my last posts was about Gallaghers. Lots - and - Lots of Gallaghers!

Just tonight, on the generous 10 free searches I managed to find over 40!!!! relations in the lines I'm researching, and then, because of more accurate dates, track them with 100% conviction in the (as yet) FREE 1901 and 1911 Irish censuses online.

Tomorrow when I top up my credits to match the FREE searches I've made, I should be able to choose the Credit Top Up most cost effective to those searches.

Not often I revisit an unwieldy website but PLEASE GIVE IT A SECOND CHANCE!!!!!!!!!

[SarahND]

Great news, Andy!
I am also one who has been put off by that site, wasting credits and not finding anything with the impossible search function, so I'm very pleased to hear that things have changed. I'll have to go back for another look.

All the best,
Sarah

[Andy]

Sarah, I've been a member of RootsIreland for YEARS, forgot my password but managed to get in. I PROMISE it's a NEW site.

FindMyPast will display images of the Quarterly books with a "This Person MAY have married" one of the people on the page. At £15 a pop doing Smith or Joneses this can be a lot of money.

This new Irish search engine uses LOADS of search parameters! FANTASTIC!

[SarahND]

FindMyPast will display images of the Quarterly books with a "This Person MAY have married" one of the people on the page.

That's what put me completely off FindMyPast... all those "maybe"s with the implied, but not stated, "maybe not"

Cheers,
Sarah