2026 At Glasgow Genealogy

It's December already - where has the year gone? 2025 has been very busy for me with genealogy and family history and 2026 is shaping up to be just as busy.

One of the best things I started doing in 2025 was running introduction to family history classes, in partnership with East Dunbartonshire Council. We've run two of these blocks of classes in 2025, the first in Bearsden in January, and the second block in Kirkintilloch in the summer.

Both classes sold out and it was great fun teaching the basics of genealogy research, and hearing such interesting stories from participants.

I also had the pleasure of meeting up with several groups of visitors to Scotland and helped them connect with their roots and discover the places their ancestors may have known. Again the generosity of the Scottish people came into its own - huge thanks to the parish priest who took the time to open up the church and point out to an elderly lady all the things her own mother would have seen when attending mass as a child. It's always lovely to be able to take people on these journeys which mean so much to them.

I've continued working with the International Institute of Genealogical Studies, writing courses for their students interested in Scottish research and doing regular presentations on Scottish topics which you can catch on their youtube channel.

Upcoming in 2026

2026 is shaping up to be just as busy as 2025. Firstly, I'm off to Salt Lake City in March for the RootsTech conference. I have spoken remotely to the conference for the past two years, and am so excited to be there in person in 2026. If you're attending, come and say hello, if not, get registered for the FREE online sessions as there is just so much interesting content.

I'm also going to be working with a cruise line in 2026 on their Scottish cruises, delivering Scottish history and culture sessions for their guests and escorting tours around all sorts of interesting places. I am very much looking forward to being in Shetland at the time of the summer solstice and experiencing the famous "simmer dim" when it never gets completely dark.

I also have a third block of intro to family history classes starting on 8th January in Bishopbriggs, so if you are in Glasgow or know someone who is, and are looking for a gift with a difference, why not book a place? Although it's run in conjunction with East Dunbartonshire Council, you don't have to be in their council area to secure your place.

There are other exciting things which I'd love to tell you about but am sworn to secrecy. I will be posting as soon as I'm allowed! With 2026 being busy, if you're interested in any genealogical work get in touch sooner than later and I'll put you in the diary. The best email is glasgowgenealogy@gmail.com.

Have a very Merry Christmas, and an amazing 2026.