My grandfather Thomas Patrick Barrett was a member of the American Association for the Recognition of the Irish Republic. When the convention was held in
Mayo, God Help Us
[New findings.] My mother and Uncle Tom Groark used to commiserate that they both had ancestors from “Mayo, God help us.” County Mayo [may-OH], isolated
Ballaghduff Breakdown 1903
The Petty Sessions Court Register of 1903 records a dispute over fences and right-of-way between five families of Ballaghduff and John Steevens of neighboring Miltown,
Pandemic… Thanksgiving… 1918
Here is another excerpt from the first draft of Kitty’s People: Legend of an Irish Family in the American Heartland. The scene opens in the
Kitty and Tom Get Married
Today, November 22, is the 108th anniversary of my grandparents’ marriage. What I know is that they got engaged on Palm Sunday because Tom Barrett
Postponing Marriage, Living with Your Parents
Where did I get the impression that in the “olden days” of America, people married young? For months now, I’ve been entangled in the twigs
