Cousins in the Tree

When I review the Irish and Italian (Catholic) branches of our family's tree, I can't help but think of the Monty Python scene from The Meaning of Life...not for those sensitive to the dogma of the church, but funny as heck.

If I did the research correctly, and I trust much of it, but I do find errors, our family can trace roots to about the late 1780s. Not bad, but I was able to trace my wife's family back to the 1500s.

The Ryan family is quite large. I've accounted for close to 400 plus cousins and it's growing. The top of the tree begins with my 5th great-grandparents Michael Ryan, William Caples, Phillip Kennedy, and Honora Maher. I'll research that generation next fall and winter as it will be time-consuming to search Irish church and civil records, but the subsequent generation's names keep growing.

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To America!

In the bleak Irish spring of 1880, Matthew Ryan and his wife Margaret (Caples) left their home in the area of Kilcommon, Tipperary Ireland along with their eleven (11) children ages 26 to 4. They endured a 60 mile trek by foot or by carriage or maybe a combination of both to the port of Queenstown, Cork (now called Cobh) and on March 23rd boarded the SS Helvetia, a 419 foot, tripled-masted, single-stacked clipper ship. The thirteen members of the Ryan family joined 557 other English, Irish, and Scandanavian passengers for the nearly two-week voyage across the temperamental Atlantic. The morning of April 6, 1880 was unseasonably warm in New York City. I envision my third great-grandfather, Matthew Ryan, aged 55, and his family made their way up to the main deck as the ship exited the Atlantic Ocean and slowly entered the upper bay, sailing between Staten Island and Brooklyn via the Narrows toward the Bedloe's Island, later named Liberty Isl...

The Magical Traveling Shamrock, John Wayne and our Mother.

If you travel to Ireland and you do not spend some time at the Lawcus Farm B&B and its surrounding area, then you are doing a serious disservice to an Irish experience. Now, I understand to each his own, but it should be a mandatory stop for all travelers. I know I mentioned in earlier paragraphs about this place, but we strongly believe there was a connection for our kids, for us, and for my father. The owners of the establishment are characters in themselves and put forth great effort to ensure their guests are not only treated well, but making sure your time in their country is memorable. I’ll get back to Mark, who has an uncanny resemblance to John Wayne and Ann-Marie again. Our final day in Stoneyford and the Farm started as usual with a solid breakfast. Coffees preceded a small fresh fruit cup for all, followed by homemade porridge with prunes, and granola and local honey from their abundant Jaspers. Ann-Marie take...

The Dingle

So busy, it's difficult to find time to write. We're go, go, go. and the wifi is not so good at our place. We left Galway Tuesday morning and drove a couple hours to an area of western Ireland called The Burren. It was a ridiculously foreign landscape and beautiful. Steep, sharp limestone mountains covered in scrub brush, grasses and dotted with livestock. As we drove through the emerald countryside, we saw a sign that said Birds of Prey display and Aillwee Cave. Rick Steves wrote in his travel guide that it was interesting, but not worth the fee. So, of course we decided to check it out. What the hell does he know :) Cliffs of Moher After that we stopped in Doolin and had lunch while overlooking the Atlantic. A short drive to The Cliffs of Moher. We lucked out with a sunny day. The kids attributed that to their Nana. The cliffs are worth the visit, especially if you go later (after 2pm) as we did. We drove to the S...

A Hibernian Voyage to America. Our Irish Ancestors

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