Rosalind McCutcheon, a Fellow and Vice-President of the Irish Genealogical Research Society died quite suddenly on Tuesday, 21st March, a day short of her 76th birthday. She was undoubtedly one of the foremost genealogists of her generation, but beyond that she was, by her own description, an actress and a singer. Those who knew her would tell you she was also an exceptional raconteur.
Known to all as Roz, she was born in Bandon, Co. Cork, in March 1947. At the time, her father was the headmaster of Bandon Grammar School. After graduating from Trinity College Dublin, she moved to England and lived there for the rest of her life. She came into a career in acting and singing quite by chance, and immediately realised she not only loved it, but excelled at it. She appeared on stage, in films, and in commercial advertisements. She used to say that appearing in a well paid TV advert could set her up for a year. One such advert was that for Murphy's Irish Stout from the 1990s. Roz, dressed as a Viking warrior, has her attempt to shatter the glass of a stout drinker using her powerful voice thwarted by the leather-clad Sisters of Murphy!
Her interest in genealogy began in 1962 at the age of 15. And what started out as a teenage pastime soon blossomed into a lifelong obsession, one which saw her reputation as an Irish genealogist being second to none. She was so knowledgable she was sought out wherever she went by those eager to seek her advice. Nowhere was this more demonstrated than at family history fairs, where queues would form just to snatch a few minutes with her. Though those who did get to speak to her will attest that her advice generally came with a related story and maybe even a song or two. Roz was a larger than life character.
Having joined the IGRS in May 1988, she soon became a stalwart, serving on its Council, eventually taking on the role of a vice-president, regularly giving informal genealogy talks and formal lectures, both in person and in later years online. She produced the Society's Newsletter since 1991 and was the guiding hand behind the Society's online Early Irish Birth, Marriage and Death Indexes. Despite the loss of so many records in the fire which destroyed the Public Record of Ireland in 1922, these early BMD indexes were Roz's attempt to draw attention to the innumerable secondary sources that still survive as evidence of birth, death and marriage.
Roz's greatest interest in Irish genealogy was the records of the Registry of Deeds, founded in 1708. She was such an expert, she could skim read the Registry's arcane memorials and without hesitation authoritatively state the facts of the transaction. This stood her in great stead when she began contributing to the Registry of Deeds Index Project Ireland, run by fellow IGRS member, Nick Reddan. Roz was by and far the most prolific contributor to the project.
FUNERAL ARRANGEMENTS
London, UK: Funeral Service will be held on Monday, April 24th 2023 at 2:30pm at The Church of the Good Shepherd, Lee, London, SE12 8NR, followed by private cremation. www.goodpeter.org.uk
Zoom link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88955283672? pwd=T0hiQ2kvR2QrQ2RhNnF2V3gxa2FoZz09;%20%09
Meeting ID: 88955283672 Passcode: 288391
Cork, Ireland - Memorial Service will be held on Saturday, 20th May 2023 at 3:00pm in St. Peter's Church, Bandon which will be livestreamed on https://corklivestream.com/ followed by private interment in family plot.
DONATIONS - IN MEMORIAM
London, UK - Donations in lieu of flowers to Helping Hands Foodbank, a foodbank for vulnerable migrants, run by this parish and AFRIL (Action for Refugees in Lewisham) based at St. Peter's Church. www.justgiving.com/action-for-refugees-lewisham
Cork, Ireland - Donations to SIMON would be gratefully received: https://corksimon.givingpage.org/corksimondonate
