Bob FitzGerald knows he’s Irish after all, with a name like FitzGerald who wouldn’t. He’s heard, too, that FitzGerald is an important name in Ireland. But, until recently, his Irish roots weren’t of much interest to him. His ties were to the mountains, lakes and rivers of Montana where he had been raised and now lives. So, why is he suddenly interested in finding his Irish roots? “I realized that being Irish is part of who I am, and that to understand myself, I needed to learn more about where I came from,” he said. “I realized I was missing out on a big part of my heritage by not exploring the land my family had left,” he said.
Like many Americans of Irish descent, Fitzgerald decided it was time to find out more about the land his family had left for America. Armed with a map, a guidebook and the knowledge that his family had probably come from County Kerry, he embarked on a quest to fill the gaps in his family tree. His vacation of discovery is one of the stories featured in the film Irish Homecoming, scheduled for release later this year.
Irish Homecoming focuses on four Americans in search of their Irish families. “Each of these people discovers more about the area their family came from, and why those people left; and they learn about the families who stayed behind,” says director Aiden Meade. “We looked for witnesses who found a real sense of coming back to a second home, who felt welcomed and accepted in a very special way,” Meade said. Through their stories, we see Ireland as a place where “the warmth of the people transcends every facet of the experience,” he said.
FitzGerald had no trouble making friends. Nor was it difficult to find connections to his family’s illustrious role in Irish history. From FitzGerald castle and Baginbun to the humble cottages of Valencia Island in the west, there are constant reminders that FitzGeralds have been roaming the Irish countryside for almost a thousand years. Even if he couldn’t pinpoint a family home or plot of land, he discovered that every FitzGerald he met provided a link to his roots.
But not all Americans have a famous Irish name. For many, like the film’s John Bailey, the search for roots begins in the government’s Genealogy Office in Dublin. Bailey knew his great-grandfather had crewed on a ship to America. With the help of the Office’s staff, Bailey headed to County Cork where he scoured birth and marriage records, parish listings and ships’ logs for clues that might lead to the discovery of his Irish home. Like FitzGerald, he not only discovered the route to his past, but also the warmth and hospitality of the Irish people.
Of course, most Irish Americans dream about finding their Irish home and meeting the cousins who stayed behind. For the Harrisons and the Malones that dream came true. Nina Harrison’s family had lost contact with their Irish relatives until 20 years ago when her father looked up a cousin in London. Soon she had discovered the run-down stone shell that since the early 18th century had served as the Harrison family home in South Armagh.
Why she bought her family’s homestead goes to the heart of Irish Homecoming.
Now, after extensive restoration, the home is the site for a welcome home party that serves as the climax of the film.
Along with the Harrisons, the party is joined by their neighbors, and by Eugene Malone who is hosting his cousin from Chicago on her first visit to the farm her grandfather left. The film concludes with the story of the lives the American Malones and the Harrisons left behind and how they feel about coming back. Not every Irish homecoming ends with a joyous gathering of cousins and neighbors singing and dancing into the night. But, as the participants in Irish Homecoming learned, a vacation of discovery in Ireland will be more than just a trip to the foreign country your ancestors left generations ago. Regardless of what the search for roots turns up, every visitor will experience the beauty of the Irish countryside, the warmth of the people and the fulfillment of a first hand glimpse of life in the land of their ancestry.
The video will be available through Rego Irish Records and Tapes, Tel: 1-800-854-ERIN, and the Irish American Cultural Institute, Tel: 617-647-5678, and will sell for $29.95.
Editor’s Note: This article was originally published in the May 1991 issue of Irish America. ♦
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