Talk introducing the Tribes of Uí Maine Project The talk will be given at the launch of the 'On Our Doorstep' Art and Heritage Exhibition at Ballinasloe Library. The talk will explore the genetic and genealogical heritage of the region of south Roscommon, east Galway, the Clare borderlands and Lusmagh parish, Co. Offaly. This territory composed the medieval Kingdom of Uí Maine, whose Tribes gave rise to many of the most common surnames of the region today, and some of the most endangered ones. The talk will discuss the genealogical networks laid down in the medieval Annals and explore how Y-DNA can enhance our understanding of the connections between the surnames of the region. Using insights from the Glennon DNA Project, the presentation will demonstrate how Y-DNA can be used, in conjunction with traditional documentary research, to trace the origins and history of an entire regional surname group. In particular, the research gives new insights into how Y-DNA can shine new light on the impact of the Cromwellian transplantations on the tenants who went unrecorded in the Down Survey of the 1650s. The research is relevant to genealogists and local historians across the region interested in understanding the fate of their ancestors and mapping their micro-migrations down through the centuries since the dawn of the surname era. The new Tribes of Uí Maine Project will seek to engage individuals, communities and local heritage groups from across the region in this research to recover glimpses of a past largely forgotten.

Address
Ballinasloe Library, Co. Galway – County