RootsIreland.ie, the website of the Irish Family History Foundation, has introduced subscription options to access its database, replacing its pay-per-view credit system that seemed less expensive if you used it as infrequently as I did. A one-month subscription is 25 € / $35, a six-month subscription is 125 € / $177, and a one-year subscription is a pricey 225€ / $318.
Image from RootsIreland.i.e. home page.
You are limited to the number of searches, but the amount seems generous for an individual. The Foundation explains, “We have a fair usage limit for subscribers, but we deliberately set it very high (1,000 views in 1 month; 7,000 views in 6 months; 15,000 views in 12 months. If you do manage to reach the limit, you will need to wait for the next calendar month of your subscription to start searching again (when your monthly limit is automatically reset).”
RootsIreland is the largest online database of Irish family records. According to its Terms and Conditions, if you are like me and still have pay-per-view credits, you can continue to use them to search and view records on the site until they are used up.
Claire Santry in her blog Irish Genealogy News says that reaction to the changes is mixed. She writes, “RootsIreland has told Irish Genealogy News that the new site is a work in progress and the Search facility will see some small changes in due course.”
You can learn more on the RootsIreland.ie website.
I am appalled and disgusted at the move to a subscription service under the conditions given.
Surely some sort of reduced rate to a long term account holder would have been appropriate rather than the derisory offer of the transfer of my Credit Balance.
I have been a registered user since November 2009 and will not be paying the exorbitant subscription fee. Which, interestingly more than a Annual Worldwide membership to the Ancestry website.