In the 1960s my mother inherited a ring that had been passed down through two generations. When she began wearing the ring, just before falling asleep or upon waking, she heard the sounds of murmuring voices, clinking glasses, and muffled laughter as if there were a party going on in another part of the house. Then, a man’s insistent voice calling out, “Rose! Rose!” A few weeks … [Read more...] about Photo Album: Bits and Pieces
Family
Roots: The O’Dowd Clan
By Adam Farley, Assistant Editor
February / March 2014
February / March 2014
In 982 the King of Connaught, Aedh Ua Dubhda (or Hugh O’Dowd), “died an untroubled death.” This note in Lebor Laignech, the medieval Irish manuscript better known as the Book of Leinster, is the first record of the O’Dowd surname, making it one of the oldest continually-used family names in Europe. It is also one of the few names that has almost universally kept the “O,” O’Dowd … [Read more...] about Roots: The O’Dowd Clan
Photo Album: Bridget’s Shawl
Submitted by Robert F. Lyons of Kennebunkport, Maine
February / March 2014
February / March 2014
Bridget O’Donnell of Cork, Ireland, my great-grandmother, was sent out to Boston by her father in 1846. A recent discovery of her photograph in the Lyons family bible reignites interest in her story and our origins. Bridget was 14 years old, soon to be 15, when her father took her to Cobh, expecting to book passage for her to America. He gave her for the journey a silver … [Read more...] about Photo Album: Bridget’s Shawl
Who’s Your Daddy? Johnny O’Callaghan’s Unlikely Journey to Becoming a Father
By Patricia Danaher. May 3, 2013.
Johnny O'Callaghan was your typical Irish actor trying to make it in Hollywood. Then his life changed on a chance trip to Uganda, where he met a little boy he knew was meant to be his son. Who's Your Daddy, his one man play running now at the Irish Rep, tells his extraordinary story. Interview by Patricia Danaher. Johnny O’Callaghan’s moving and hilarious hit play Who’s Your … [Read more...] about Who’s Your Daddy? Johnny O’Callaghan’s Unlikely Journey to Becoming a Father
Irish Family History Day – January 24
By Adam Farley, Editorial Assistant
January 22, 2013
January 22, 2013
Irish Family History Day is Thursday, January 24. In partnership with The Gathering and the launch of more than 21 million birth, marriage, and death (BDM) certificates to the site, FindMyPast.com has declared Thursday, January 24 to be “Irish Family History Day.” It’s more than just a nominal accolade though, because this Thursday the site is opening their Ireland records to … [Read more...] about Irish Family History Day – January 24