Have you roots in the Route?

The popular event will be a weekend of workshops, lectures and entertainment held in Ballymoney Town Hall and it will focus on the genealogy of families from North Antrim, the region traditionally known as the Route*.

The festival is attracting considerable interest from enthusiasts across the world and many have already booked their flights and reserved their places.

The inspiration for the festival came from the genealogists themselves. In recent years, more and more visitors have been arriving in Ballymoney Museum to study their North Antrim ancestors and ask for advice and information. On the internet, the ballymoneyancestry.com website has also proved extremely successful at helping people across the globe with their research. It wasn't long before visiting families began to ask for a special occasion where they could meet face to face with all the other people searching for their Ballymoney ancestors. They wanted an event where they could be taught new skills, exchange information and make new friends….and that's exactly what "The Route Back Home 2010" will be!

The main activities will take place on Friday 1 and Saturday 2 October. On Friday night, there will be a dinner followed by entertainment. This will be the perfect chance for everyone to relax and enjoy some local culture and the famous North Antrim hospitality. In addition, a guided coach trip to local church graveyards is scheduled for Thursday, 30 September. This will be an optional event and only 30 places are available on the coach.

Speakers will include representatives from the North of Ireland Family History Society, Ulster Historical Foundation, Public Record Office of Northern Ireland, Libraries NI and the Centre for Migration Studies.

Subjects have been selected to appeal to genealogists with research interests in North Antrim. Delegates will be able to explore themes such as archive resources from the 17th & 18th centuries, the Griffith's Valuation, family history on-line, researching migration and graveyards and church records in Ballymoney & district. General advice will also be available and there will be an opportunity to discuss research techniques with local genealogists who have years of experience studying family history in this region. Every effort has been made to keep costs to a minimum and ensure that everyone has a weekend to remember.

For more information, and to book a place at "The Route Back Home 2010", go to http://www.visitballymoney.com/the_route_back_home_2010.aspx or contact the Museum Manager at Ballymoney Museum, Ballymoney Town Hall, 1 Townhead Street, Ballymoney, BT53 6BE, Tel: (028) 2766 0230 Email: [email protected] .

*The Route was an ancient name given to the north eastern region of Ulster. It may have been associated with an ancient road named Slige Midlauchhra. The road ran from the seat of the Irish Kings, at Tara, to Dunseverick Castle on the coast. Another theory is that 'Route' is a corruption of 'Riata', the name of an ancient ruling dynasty. To discover more about the history of Ballymoney, see www.visitballymoney.com .