I have compiled facts and anecdotes and photos of Mary Agnes McGrath, my maternal grandmother. The family tree of her ancestors has been completed to the extent that they are known at this point in time. A list of world-changing events that occurred during her lifetime has been compiled. Chronological details of her life have been recorded. But when I put them all together I'm not happy with the result. Here's where my lack of writing experience is really showing.
I want to present something that looks good, has a narrative that flows well and engages the reader, and gives the reader a real sense of who Agnes McGrath was. Notwithstanding all of that, her life story is really aimed just at family.
Aggie was the perfect embodiment of a classical grandmother. She had the white hair fastened into a bun, she always wore dresses, she showed appreciation for the smallest favours and most childish of gifts, she was an accomplished cook and baker, she was totally devoted to her two children and her seven grandchildren. I took her for granted and in my more selfish moments, resented having yet another voice saying "no". This book is my effort to atone for the lack of appreciation I showed Nanny during her lifetime.
Initially the plan was to create an illustrated book - the kind you hold in your hands. Then I thought about an e-book. That, however, doesn't seem right as a tribute to a person who passed away long before the advent of electronic copies of anything. There will probably always be an electronic version to allow for new stories, photos or details if they are uncovered. But, I'm back to the printed and illustrated book concept.
So, I'm at the point of formatting "Aggie's Dash". That is the title.
Let me back up just a little. Once I decided that I would write family stories, I thought there should be a unifying theme. I decided on The Dash.
Read the poem that inspired this title here:
http://www.linda-ellis.com/the-dash-the-dash-poem-by-linda-ellis-.html
So, I started writing about Arthur Byrne, my three times great grandfather - and that's still in progress. The problem there is I'm pretty much stuck with facts and documents, there are no anecdotes and no pictures. Then I started a combined Bob Burns and Rita Sunderland (my parents) story. That's still in progress. The problem there is that I knew them both, have lots of photos and stories, and can't figure out what to include. It could be a huge tome, but I want to make it reader-friendly.
I figured it would be better to start with someone I knew and to whose story I could add more than facts and documents. The person I chose was Nanny - Mary Agnes McGrath.
So - over the next few days I will be arranging and re-arranging sentences and whole paragraphs. Photos will be selected and grouped and placed close to the narrative which they illustrate. I will have to resist the printing of each version. My pile of scrap paper - i.e. printed on one side with stuff I don't need to keep - is already threatening to take over my desk and does not need to be augmented.
The weather is cool and wet and I figure it's good to get used to this as my winter in Ireland is quite likely to have lots of days similar to what is forecast here. It should also give me some guidance on what clothes to take with me.
That's it for now. I have to continue to find diversions from the American election which is far too much like watching a train wreck - just can't look away even though I don't live in the US.
Friday, October 21, 2016
Monday, October 17, 2016
How do I get all the stories?
Everyone has a story. Now that I've started writing down recollections about my grandmother, Agnes McGrath Sunderland, and have made only a tiny start in the stories of my parents, I wish I could get everyone in the family to write about themselves.
It may not seem important to each person, but when I think of all the questions that I never asked my parents, aunts, uncles and grandmothers I wish I could record the stories of everyone in the family. If you are a part of the extended clan it would be wonderful to hear your story.
How do you start? Well, familysearch.org has 52 questions you can use to get started. Here is the link https://familysearch.org/blog/en/52-questions-52-weeks/. Please try to write out answers to those questions. If you can, use those as a guide to write the stories of your parents and other relatives.
Even if you don't feel you can write answers to all the questions, maybe you have a recollection or brief anecdote. I would love to hear it and read it and incorporate it into the family saga. What's more important, those that come after us will have a much better understanding of us if we can put something on paper which they can read maybe 50 years from now, or even 100 years from now. I wish I had such written memories of my forebears. Sadly I don't know of anyone who has passed away, who left a written record.
Well, that's not exactly true. I do have a diary that my mother kept from 1939 to 1943. Her entries were short. It was a 5 year diary with only a few lines of space for each day. Each date had a small space for each of 5 years. She was very faithful in recording how she spent her time. It's a window into her life.
Tomorrow I hope to get to the Irish embassy in downtown Ottawa to see if I could possibly get an extension on the 90 day limit on visits. I want to spend about 110 days in Ireland next winter and spring. Stay tuned.
It may not seem important to each person, but when I think of all the questions that I never asked my parents, aunts, uncles and grandmothers I wish I could record the stories of everyone in the family. If you are a part of the extended clan it would be wonderful to hear your story.
How do you start? Well, familysearch.org has 52 questions you can use to get started. Here is the link https://familysearch.org/blog/en/52-questions-52-weeks/. Please try to write out answers to those questions. If you can, use those as a guide to write the stories of your parents and other relatives.
Even if you don't feel you can write answers to all the questions, maybe you have a recollection or brief anecdote. I would love to hear it and read it and incorporate it into the family saga. What's more important, those that come after us will have a much better understanding of us if we can put something on paper which they can read maybe 50 years from now, or even 100 years from now. I wish I had such written memories of my forebears. Sadly I don't know of anyone who has passed away, who left a written record.
Well, that's not exactly true. I do have a diary that my mother kept from 1939 to 1943. Her entries were short. It was a 5 year diary with only a few lines of space for each day. Each date had a small space for each of 5 years. She was very faithful in recording how she spent her time. It's a window into her life.
Tomorrow I hope to get to the Irish embassy in downtown Ottawa to see if I could possibly get an extension on the 90 day limit on visits. I want to spend about 110 days in Ireland next winter and spring. Stay tuned.
Monday, October 10, 2016
Sometimes a phone call is all it takes
Just a few days ago, Hurricane Matthew laid waste to the Florida coast. Very heavily affected was Daytona Beach and the coastline north of there. Not so far up the coast live three cousins who had all decided to hunker down in their own solidly built apartment buildings, to ride out the storm. Hurricane shutters were indeed an important part of their safe, if harrowing, passage.
This morning I felt the need to check in with Jane to see how she, Mary and Alice had fared. That's when I learned that they had not evacuated. They're all fine and happy that electricity has been, mostly, restored.
As always happens when I chat with Jane, the conversation wandered and eventually came up the the story of the death of her grandmother, Bridget Murphy Byrne. My reporting of stories about Bridget's death was based on what I had heard from the family in Ireland. As it happens, they seem to have gotten it all wrong. For any distress I caused Jane, Mary and Alice, I'm so very sorry.
Recently I had found among the Irish civil records, the register of Bridget's death. The cause was listed as "childbirth 7 hours, extreme exhaustion". I had heard a story - speculation that must have been altered over a century of re-telling - that Bridget was so despondent over losing her newborn twin girls, that she fell down the stairs, possibly on purpose or possibly from simple exhaustion. The fall had reportedly caused her demise. But not so fast ...
Today I heard a completely different story from Jane - reported in her family so most likely the real account. It was not known that Bridget had been expecting twins. She had laboured long to deliver the first baby girl who was either stillborn or died almost immediately after birth. Bridget was exhausted and those in attendance had gone downstairs to let her rest. Some time later someone went to check on Bridget. Sadly they found Bridget had passed away and between her legs was another dead baby girl. The agony that this must have caused for her husband Luke and two very young sons, Ned and Art, is impossible to imagine.
Luke was unable to cope on his own and took his young sons to live for a while with his own uncle Luke and his wife Kate Doyle Byrne, at Coolross. Ned, the younger child who was about four, was left there. Art, only a year older than Ned, clung to his father's leg and thus managed to convince his father to let him stay with his Daddy. It is not known where they lived until the 1911 census. It must have been during this interval that young Art spent time at Coolross.
In the 1911 census, Ned was still living at Coolross with his aunt whom he disliked intensely. His uncle Luke had passed away. Reports abound that Ned was very unhappy with the treatment he received from Kate, and lives on in stories of a naughty child. He would set out for school but not get there only to be found hiding later in the day, he carved his name in a rock and it can still be seen at Coolross, and he generally let it be known how unhappy he was.
At the time of the census in 1911 young Arthur was listed as a scholar and boarding with Patrick and Mary Keogh in Knockloe, Rath, County Wicklow.
In that same census, Luke was a visitor at the home of George Byrne and his wife Maria, in Tinahely. He was identified as a Baker and was of the right age and born, apparently, in County Wicklow. In fact, Luke had been born in Dublin in 1865.
So far I have not found a connection between the George Byrne whom Luke was visiting, and the family at Coolross. There was a George at Coolross, brother of Luke who had the family farm, but he was blind and was unmarried.
I suppose this gives rise to more research to figure out where, if anyplace, George Byrne of Tinahely, fits in the family story. It could be no more than coincidental family names because Byrne is about the most common surname in County Wicklow.
Well the beautiful sunshine, if not the chilly temperature, is beckoning. It's time for a walk and some very fresh air.
This morning I felt the need to check in with Jane to see how she, Mary and Alice had fared. That's when I learned that they had not evacuated. They're all fine and happy that electricity has been, mostly, restored.
As always happens when I chat with Jane, the conversation wandered and eventually came up the the story of the death of her grandmother, Bridget Murphy Byrne. My reporting of stories about Bridget's death was based on what I had heard from the family in Ireland. As it happens, they seem to have gotten it all wrong. For any distress I caused Jane, Mary and Alice, I'm so very sorry.
Recently I had found among the Irish civil records, the register of Bridget's death. The cause was listed as "childbirth 7 hours, extreme exhaustion". I had heard a story - speculation that must have been altered over a century of re-telling - that Bridget was so despondent over losing her newborn twin girls, that she fell down the stairs, possibly on purpose or possibly from simple exhaustion. The fall had reportedly caused her demise. But not so fast ...
Luke was unable to cope on his own and took his young sons to live for a while with his own uncle Luke and his wife Kate Doyle Byrne, at Coolross. Ned, the younger child who was about four, was left there. Art, only a year older than Ned, clung to his father's leg and thus managed to convince his father to let him stay with his Daddy. It is not known where they lived until the 1911 census. It must have been during this interval that young Art spent time at Coolross.
In the 1911 census, Ned was still living at Coolross with his aunt whom he disliked intensely. His uncle Luke had passed away. Reports abound that Ned was very unhappy with the treatment he received from Kate, and lives on in stories of a naughty child. He would set out for school but not get there only to be found hiding later in the day, he carved his name in a rock and it can still be seen at Coolross, and he generally let it be known how unhappy he was.
At the time of the census in 1911 young Arthur was listed as a scholar and boarding with Patrick and Mary Keogh in Knockloe, Rath, County Wicklow.
In that same census, Luke was a visitor at the home of George Byrne and his wife Maria, in Tinahely. He was identified as a Baker and was of the right age and born, apparently, in County Wicklow. In fact, Luke had been born in Dublin in 1865.
So far I have not found a connection between the George Byrne whom Luke was visiting, and the family at Coolross. There was a George at Coolross, brother of Luke who had the family farm, but he was blind and was unmarried.
I suppose this gives rise to more research to figure out where, if anyplace, George Byrne of Tinahely, fits in the family story. It could be no more than coincidental family names because Byrne is about the most common surname in County Wicklow.
Well the beautiful sunshine, if not the chilly temperature, is beckoning. It's time for a walk and some very fresh air.
Thursday, September 29, 2016
Golf nearly done so more time for pruning the family tree perhaps
It's already September 29th. Our golf league finished last night so my official duties are pretty much done for this year. The only remaining task is to convert my Mac files to PC format so that everyone else can read them. Maybe Saturday???
Well, maybe not Saturday. The morning offers a meeting on the subject of DNA for Genealogy and as I've had two different DNA tests, both of which prove my substantial Irish heritage. There are also test results for my brother and an Irish cousin, so I'll be attending that presentation. The information from the tests is not exactly enlightening. There seems to be a field of relatives of varying degrees out there. The close ones in the Irish line I had pretty much known from regular research. The French ones I'm not particularly working on for now. However, some very interesting possibilities lurk in those chromosomes.
It seems that Tom and I who are of course a VERY close match being siblings, don't quite match Jim Byrne. Tom does match him VERY closely on the Y-DNA (male) test of the Byrne line. All that means is that our common ancestor is 6 or more generations back. This is not a revelation - we already have five generations worth of data. Interestingly enough, the commonalities increase the farther back we go. Fingers crossed that we're getting close.
Another interesting finding is the "matches in common" with a number of people most of whom are in Ireland. I've been in touch with one lady and am very much looking forward to getting together this winter to try to fit more of the puzzle pieces together. We have some surnames in common but from what I understand at this moment, they are all in-law connections and not blood relatives. Yet, the DNA matches seem to say otherwise.
The mysterious connections remain my greatest pull away from housework and things that need doing at the moment. Pulling from another side is a huge stack of library books. I found a couple of list of books worth reading and using the library website, placed holds. Naturally they all came available at the same time - now! Here I sit torn between two great alternatives. I do need to find something that pulls me to move around rather than sit still. Ah well - another day.
Well, maybe not Saturday. The morning offers a meeting on the subject of DNA for Genealogy and as I've had two different DNA tests, both of which prove my substantial Irish heritage. There are also test results for my brother and an Irish cousin, so I'll be attending that presentation. The information from the tests is not exactly enlightening. There seems to be a field of relatives of varying degrees out there. The close ones in the Irish line I had pretty much known from regular research. The French ones I'm not particularly working on for now. However, some very interesting possibilities lurk in those chromosomes.
It seems that Tom and I who are of course a VERY close match being siblings, don't quite match Jim Byrne. Tom does match him VERY closely on the Y-DNA (male) test of the Byrne line. All that means is that our common ancestor is 6 or more generations back. This is not a revelation - we already have five generations worth of data. Interestingly enough, the commonalities increase the farther back we go. Fingers crossed that we're getting close.
Another interesting finding is the "matches in common" with a number of people most of whom are in Ireland. I've been in touch with one lady and am very much looking forward to getting together this winter to try to fit more of the puzzle pieces together. We have some surnames in common but from what I understand at this moment, they are all in-law connections and not blood relatives. Yet, the DNA matches seem to say otherwise.
The mysterious connections remain my greatest pull away from housework and things that need doing at the moment. Pulling from another side is a huge stack of library books. I found a couple of list of books worth reading and using the library website, placed holds. Naturally they all came available at the same time - now! Here I sit torn between two great alternatives. I do need to find something that pulls me to move around rather than sit still. Ah well - another day.
Monday, September 12, 2016
Genealogist's dream day
Well it started like a regular Monday - but only for the first few minutes. It was finally happening, I had a short time to take a peek at the Irish vital records now online. The first record check was a Bingo! I had found and verified the date and place of death of Luke Byrne, the baker of Coolkenno. He died of pneumonia, in the infirmary in Gorey, Co Wexford, on 17 February, 1917. His occupation was listed as Baker. That's our guy!
Then there was the question of the date of death of his wife, Bridget Murphy Byrne. There had been rumours in the family that she had been despondent over the death of stillborn twin daughters and had thrown herself down the stairs. Hmm - does this record really show that it didn't happen that way?
Now we know that she died in Coolkenno on 9 Nov 1902. The cause of death was listed as "childbirth 7 hours, extreme weakness". Does this rule out Bridget getting out of bed and falling downstairs either accidentally or on purpose?
The mystery still remains, why was that young family in Mohill, Co. Leitrim at the time of birth of their son Edward in 1899 and also recorded in the 1901 census of Ireland. How did they get there? When and why did they return to Coolkenno? That will continue to be difficult to track down.
I had offered to give a little tour of Ottawa to Kyle Betit who had made several presentations at the BIFHSGO conference over the weekend. The records were put aside and the car was put in motion. We had our tour and both being genealogists, and more or less in the neighbourhood, we paid a visit to Notre Dame Cemetery in Ottawa. This is the largest and oldest mainly Catholic cemetery in the area, and the location of the burials of my McGrath ancestors.
I didn't know where their plot was and driving around wasn't helpful. A visit to the cemetery office, after some persuading, resulted in our getting the plot number from the person on duty. There was a card with the list of those buried in that plot and later I was able to get a photocopy. That confirmed the burials of my great grandparents, their three sons and one daughter. The question remained - what about Michael McGrath and Catherine Brennan McGrath, my great great grandparents? When I was able to find the date of death of Michael, lo and behold I also got confirmation that Michael and Catherine were buried in that same plot. At this point I think Michael must have purchased the plot when Catherine died in 1881. That's an investigation for another day. Maybe I'll find a more helpful cemetery attendant.
Armed with a cemetery map and the approximate location of the plot, Kyle and I went to the area and began the search. Well, rather like the gap in church records that is always where your ancestors would have been recorded, there was a gap between tombstones where plot #916 should have been. Or rather there was only a bit of a stone where I would have expected the McGrath stone to be. There was also an almost invisible flat stone in the ground, but it was so covered with earth that I'd have to bring a trowel and spend considerable time scraping to see if it was "ours". Now I'll have to phone Pat in Victoria to see if she knows whether or not there was a stone where her father was buried.
Once we left Notre Dame I began to question why it was so difficult to pry the information out of the staff person on duty. Aren't they there to help? The information was available on a computer if you knew the exact date of death. Heaven forbid an ordinary citizen should get beyond the information window! In providing the date of death of two McGraths I was off by 3 days - and was informed that I had the wrong dates. Well, since the records are ordered by date of death it certainly didn't take long to find the right information just three days off. I had used the funeral date by mistake. Sigh...
Those records also contained information that I could not see on the screen due to where I was standing. Kyle caught a glimpse so we know there is more. So - is there any effort being made to digitize these records? Or even provide a printed book that could be consulted? At Beechwood Cemetery, just around the corner, they trip over themselves to help. AND, their records are online. A long ago visit to Beechwood had a staff member offer to take me to the exact location of my grandparents grave and provide a copy of the record, and a cemetery map.
So - here's my dilemma. There is no headstone. There should be a headstone, shouldn't there? Should I be doing something about that? Of course I don't have a spare few thousand dollars and have no idea of the cost. I suppose I'll let that thought keep me up tonight.
Looking back on the day it was a winner - some confirmations and some 'sort of' discoveries. I had the added bonus of spending several hours with a professional genealogist who works on Who Do You Think You Are. Lots of suggested sources I have yet to explore. Yes indeed, today was a winner!
Then there was the question of the date of death of his wife, Bridget Murphy Byrne. There had been rumours in the family that she had been despondent over the death of stillborn twin daughters and had thrown herself down the stairs. Hmm - does this record really show that it didn't happen that way?
Now we know that she died in Coolkenno on 9 Nov 1902. The cause of death was listed as "childbirth 7 hours, extreme weakness". Does this rule out Bridget getting out of bed and falling downstairs either accidentally or on purpose?
The mystery still remains, why was that young family in Mohill, Co. Leitrim at the time of birth of their son Edward in 1899 and also recorded in the 1901 census of Ireland. How did they get there? When and why did they return to Coolkenno? That will continue to be difficult to track down.
I had offered to give a little tour of Ottawa to Kyle Betit who had made several presentations at the BIFHSGO conference over the weekend. The records were put aside and the car was put in motion. We had our tour and both being genealogists, and more or less in the neighbourhood, we paid a visit to Notre Dame Cemetery in Ottawa. This is the largest and oldest mainly Catholic cemetery in the area, and the location of the burials of my McGrath ancestors.
I didn't know where their plot was and driving around wasn't helpful. A visit to the cemetery office, after some persuading, resulted in our getting the plot number from the person on duty. There was a card with the list of those buried in that plot and later I was able to get a photocopy. That confirmed the burials of my great grandparents, their three sons and one daughter. The question remained - what about Michael McGrath and Catherine Brennan McGrath, my great great grandparents? When I was able to find the date of death of Michael, lo and behold I also got confirmation that Michael and Catherine were buried in that same plot. At this point I think Michael must have purchased the plot when Catherine died in 1881. That's an investigation for another day. Maybe I'll find a more helpful cemetery attendant.
Armed with a cemetery map and the approximate location of the plot, Kyle and I went to the area and began the search. Well, rather like the gap in church records that is always where your ancestors would have been recorded, there was a gap between tombstones where plot #916 should have been. Or rather there was only a bit of a stone where I would have expected the McGrath stone to be. There was also an almost invisible flat stone in the ground, but it was so covered with earth that I'd have to bring a trowel and spend considerable time scraping to see if it was "ours". Now I'll have to phone Pat in Victoria to see if she knows whether or not there was a stone where her father was buried.
Once we left Notre Dame I began to question why it was so difficult to pry the information out of the staff person on duty. Aren't they there to help? The information was available on a computer if you knew the exact date of death. Heaven forbid an ordinary citizen should get beyond the information window! In providing the date of death of two McGraths I was off by 3 days - and was informed that I had the wrong dates. Well, since the records are ordered by date of death it certainly didn't take long to find the right information just three days off. I had used the funeral date by mistake. Sigh...
Those records also contained information that I could not see on the screen due to where I was standing. Kyle caught a glimpse so we know there is more. So - is there any effort being made to digitize these records? Or even provide a printed book that could be consulted? At Beechwood Cemetery, just around the corner, they trip over themselves to help. AND, their records are online. A long ago visit to Beechwood had a staff member offer to take me to the exact location of my grandparents grave and provide a copy of the record, and a cemetery map.
So - here's my dilemma. There is no headstone. There should be a headstone, shouldn't there? Should I be doing something about that? Of course I don't have a spare few thousand dollars and have no idea of the cost. I suppose I'll let that thought keep me up tonight.
Looking back on the day it was a winner - some confirmations and some 'sort of' discoveries. I had the added bonus of spending several hours with a professional genealogist who works on Who Do You Think You Are. Lots of suggested sources I have yet to explore. Yes indeed, today was a winner!
Sunday, September 11, 2016
Some days I'd like to have a clone
My two favourite pastimes - golf and genealogy - competed for my attention all week, and at no time have they been more in conflict than the past few days.
After years of waiting and hoping, the Irish vital records were released - hopefully unlocking some mysteries that have been driving me crazy. I wanted nothing more than some uninterrupted time and maybe a cup of coffee, to peruse them online. They are still waiting for me and one day this week I shall turn off the phones and settle in for a good long excavation of information.
Here it is Sunday evening after an exhilarating, if more than a little bit busy, weekend. I was pulled in two directions. The conflict between playing golf and continuing the family history quest was never more at issue. I needed to be two places at once. In the end, I split the time as best I could and overall I think I made the right time allocations.
Over many hours during the past week, working with my co-organizer, both at home and at the golf club, we got everything ready for the multiple-match play format for our Williams Cup event. This is where a team of ladies from the morning league takes on a team of ladies from the afternoon. We kept the same three match play formats but instead of players being assigned only one format over 18 holes, everyone played three formats, for 6 holes each. Tricky but generally enjoyed by the players.
For the first 5 years of this event the morning ladies have won and only last year did the afternoon ladies wrest the trophy from their grasp. Today the afternoon ladies won by a large margin. To a non-golfer an explanation of the hows and whys would be boring. Suffice it to say that with wide-ranging handicaps it is very hard to find a format where one team does not hold a huge advantage.
It was so much fun today - I was not playing - just setting up, following the matches and doing the scoring, that I never made it to the conference for the very compelling talks that I'd been looking forward to. The promise of tasty snacks afterwards was another reason. They didn't disappoint but I digress. My fingers are crossed that the presentations were successfully recorded and available on the BIFHSGO website where I can "attend" them at my leisure.
The weekend actually started on Thursday evening with a reception at the home of the new Irish ambassador to Canada where we had a special presentation by Maurice Gleason that set the stage perfectly for the conference. The coffee and scones in that beautiful setting topped off the evening.
Friday night the conference had started wonderfully with the Whiteside Lecture about the events in Ireland around 1916 to 1922. I spoke with a few friends of my plans to spend the coming Winter in Ireland, researching and writing. I really want to be in a town with some shops and a library that I could walk to and not have to drive everywhere. My first choice was Bunclody, Co Wexford, still in the heart of Byrne country, and minutes from family. But I'd had no luck finding anything. A chance conversation with Shirley Monkhouse led her to recommend Moss Cottage. So - I checked it out online, sent an inquiry to the owners and Saturday morning's email brought their reply. Moss Cottage would be mine for the winter at a good price, and it has even more space and amenities than I had dreamed of. The day could not have started better.
The talks were terrific and as usual at these events, stirred up the old motivation to keep learning and digging and writing. It is wonderful to re-charge the battery and jump start all those projects I'd been trying to get around to. Saturday evening was nicely wrapped up with a fine dinner at Summerhays Grill with fellow participants, and topped off with the Northern Lights presentation on Parliament Hill. We even managed to get back to the car just as the rain, thunder and lightning were starting their own light show.
Today the plan was to get the Williams Cup event underway at Hylands and send the lady golfers out on their quest to win points for the team then head to the conference. Once that was done it was just so much fun catching up with the team, watching some great shots, recording all of the scores that I couldn't get away for the final conference presentations. The decision wasn't easy but I couldn't pass up the camaraderie at Hylands.
So as I sit here typing I can reflect on a wonderful week that unfolded as it should. Tomorrow I'm looking forward to showing off some Ottawa highlights to an out-of-town speaker from the conference, and then settling down with the Irish vital records at last.
The coming week certainly has the calendar quite filled up but there are spaces for some alone time with the computer. Perhaps I should let it rest now and cool off so I'll call it a day.
After years of waiting and hoping, the Irish vital records were released - hopefully unlocking some mysteries that have been driving me crazy. I wanted nothing more than some uninterrupted time and maybe a cup of coffee, to peruse them online. They are still waiting for me and one day this week I shall turn off the phones and settle in for a good long excavation of information.
Here it is Sunday evening after an exhilarating, if more than a little bit busy, weekend. I was pulled in two directions. The conflict between playing golf and continuing the family history quest was never more at issue. I needed to be two places at once. In the end, I split the time as best I could and overall I think I made the right time allocations.
Over many hours during the past week, working with my co-organizer, both at home and at the golf club, we got everything ready for the multiple-match play format for our Williams Cup event. This is where a team of ladies from the morning league takes on a team of ladies from the afternoon. We kept the same three match play formats but instead of players being assigned only one format over 18 holes, everyone played three formats, for 6 holes each. Tricky but generally enjoyed by the players.
For the first 5 years of this event the morning ladies have won and only last year did the afternoon ladies wrest the trophy from their grasp. Today the afternoon ladies won by a large margin. To a non-golfer an explanation of the hows and whys would be boring. Suffice it to say that with wide-ranging handicaps it is very hard to find a format where one team does not hold a huge advantage.
It was so much fun today - I was not playing - just setting up, following the matches and doing the scoring, that I never made it to the conference for the very compelling talks that I'd been looking forward to. The promise of tasty snacks afterwards was another reason. They didn't disappoint but I digress. My fingers are crossed that the presentations were successfully recorded and available on the BIFHSGO website where I can "attend" them at my leisure.
The weekend actually started on Thursday evening with a reception at the home of the new Irish ambassador to Canada where we had a special presentation by Maurice Gleason that set the stage perfectly for the conference. The coffee and scones in that beautiful setting topped off the evening.
Friday night the conference had started wonderfully with the Whiteside Lecture about the events in Ireland around 1916 to 1922. I spoke with a few friends of my plans to spend the coming Winter in Ireland, researching and writing. I really want to be in a town with some shops and a library that I could walk to and not have to drive everywhere. My first choice was Bunclody, Co Wexford, still in the heart of Byrne country, and minutes from family. But I'd had no luck finding anything. A chance conversation with Shirley Monkhouse led her to recommend Moss Cottage. So - I checked it out online, sent an inquiry to the owners and Saturday morning's email brought their reply. Moss Cottage would be mine for the winter at a good price, and it has even more space and amenities than I had dreamed of. The day could not have started better.
The talks were terrific and as usual at these events, stirred up the old motivation to keep learning and digging and writing. It is wonderful to re-charge the battery and jump start all those projects I'd been trying to get around to. Saturday evening was nicely wrapped up with a fine dinner at Summerhays Grill with fellow participants, and topped off with the Northern Lights presentation on Parliament Hill. We even managed to get back to the car just as the rain, thunder and lightning were starting their own light show.
Today the plan was to get the Williams Cup event underway at Hylands and send the lady golfers out on their quest to win points for the team then head to the conference. Once that was done it was just so much fun catching up with the team, watching some great shots, recording all of the scores that I couldn't get away for the final conference presentations. The decision wasn't easy but I couldn't pass up the camaraderie at Hylands.
So as I sit here typing I can reflect on a wonderful week that unfolded as it should. Tomorrow I'm looking forward to showing off some Ottawa highlights to an out-of-town speaker from the conference, and then settling down with the Irish vital records at last.
The coming week certainly has the calendar quite filled up but there are spaces for some alone time with the computer. Perhaps I should let it rest now and cool off so I'll call it a day.
Saturday, September 3, 2016
Progress suspended due to excess golf activity
Well here it is Labour Day weekend. Someone seems to have flipped the weather switch along with the turn of the calendar to September. It's not nearly so hot and the nights are quite chilly. This is my perfect weather and I hope it lasts.
My duties on the ladies golf executive at Hylands have taken over much of my free time. I'm enjoying it a lot but not getting any genealogy time at all. Next weekend is the conference for my family history association. I had signed up for the two days - Saturday and Sunday - but now my duties will keep me busy on Sunday at the Williams Cup competition at Hylands.
On Thursday evening I, along with many conference attendees, will go to a reception at the Irish embassy. This was a huge success at the conference I missed in 2013 so I'm really looking forward to it. I suspect that I'll need to haul a dress out of the back of the closet.
On Friday I will pick up one of the featured speakers at the airport, which is just minutes from my place, and take him to his hotel. The following Monday we will reverse that route. I'll miss his talk on Sunday so perhaps can persuade him to fill me in a little on the way to the airport.
One reason I'd like to hear it is that it deals with little known sources for Irish research and my plans for the winter in Ireland are making slow progress. If he can point me in some new directions I'll be all ears.
The weather is perfect this weekend and I have a game scheduled for Monday morning. Deep down I just know that I'll be off to the course either today or tomorrow as well.
In a short time I'm off to the post office to mail my passport application, including my current almost-expired passport. It's supposed to take less than 2 weeks so we'll see. In the meantime I can't make any last minute trips to Ogdensburg, NY as my ID will be in the hands of the Feds.
I'm also posting a little package of my favourite children's books to Mairead (Byrne) Parsons at the Rocktavern, Co. Wexford. Her third child is expected in a few weeks. Michael is now in first grade and Tom is off to play school. I think that will give Mairead upwards of three weeks of quiet days until the bump becomes the baby.
Having said very little, it's time to get on with the day and accomplish something. A walk to the post office will start me off and I'll just let the day unfold.
My duties on the ladies golf executive at Hylands have taken over much of my free time. I'm enjoying it a lot but not getting any genealogy time at all. Next weekend is the conference for my family history association. I had signed up for the two days - Saturday and Sunday - but now my duties will keep me busy on Sunday at the Williams Cup competition at Hylands.
On Thursday evening I, along with many conference attendees, will go to a reception at the Irish embassy. This was a huge success at the conference I missed in 2013 so I'm really looking forward to it. I suspect that I'll need to haul a dress out of the back of the closet.
On Friday I will pick up one of the featured speakers at the airport, which is just minutes from my place, and take him to his hotel. The following Monday we will reverse that route. I'll miss his talk on Sunday so perhaps can persuade him to fill me in a little on the way to the airport.
One reason I'd like to hear it is that it deals with little known sources for Irish research and my plans for the winter in Ireland are making slow progress. If he can point me in some new directions I'll be all ears.
The weather is perfect this weekend and I have a game scheduled for Monday morning. Deep down I just know that I'll be off to the course either today or tomorrow as well.
In a short time I'm off to the post office to mail my passport application, including my current almost-expired passport. It's supposed to take less than 2 weeks so we'll see. In the meantime I can't make any last minute trips to Ogdensburg, NY as my ID will be in the hands of the Feds.
I'm also posting a little package of my favourite children's books to Mairead (Byrne) Parsons at the Rocktavern, Co. Wexford. Her third child is expected in a few weeks. Michael is now in first grade and Tom is off to play school. I think that will give Mairead upwards of three weeks of quiet days until the bump becomes the baby.
Having said very little, it's time to get on with the day and accomplish something. A walk to the post office will start me off and I'll just let the day unfold.
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