Some good Irish stories for ya'...

The call for entries for the inaugural edition of the Carnival of Irish Heritage & Culture was announced over at Small-leaved Shamrock. Everyone loves a good Irish story is the result of that call for entries.

If you enjoy reading about the amazing history of the rugged Irish people, or if you just love a good story, happy reading!

Included in the 1st edition of the Carnival of Irish Heritage & Culture is the story about the amazing life of John Boyle O'Reilly: Irish boy, exiled prisoner in Australia, escapee to America and finally, editor and part-owner of Boston's The Pilot newspaper. (Did I forget to mention that he was a poet?) Read The Dreamer here at A Light That Shines Again for my story about O'Reilly's fascinating life.

Want to read the story of some other brave Irishmen and the part they played in the war which faced them in their new country? Take a look at The Fighting Irish in America's Civil War over at Small-leaved Shamrock for the story of the 69th Pennsylvania Infantry: a group of volunteers who ended up fighting in every major battle of the Civil War, most notably the battle of Gettysburg.

For more good Irish reading, take time to read the other entries at the 1st edition of the Carnival of Irish Heritage & Culture.

The 2nd edition of the carnival will feature Irish research & resources.

Here's the specific topic:

As genealogists and historians, we're always trying to get the facts. What was the world like during a certain time and place in history? Who was there - what were their names and where did they live? What role did they play in the world around them?

Please share with us your recommendations for books and resources on Irish genealogy and history. What is your favorite (or most frustrating) database of Irish records? Can you recommend a favorite book or resource for Irish research? How about sharing your favorite Irish history books? Any online resources that have helped you in your search for Irish ancestors or your attempt to gain an understanding of Irish history in general?

I'm looking forward to receiving your recommendations via carnival entry by December 28 and publishing them on January 1, 2008 at Small-leaved Shamrock just in time for a fresh start on our projects for the new year! Even if you've never participated in a blog carnival before, please consider joining us. And if you have any ideas for topics that you would like to see on future editions of the Carnival of Irish Heritage & Culture, please send them via email. Your ideas and suggestions are welcomed!

The dreamer

I'm not sure exactly which side of the family passed down to me a love of poetry, but it has always been a part of me. My grandfather was known to have some classic poems memorized, and he often encouraged my childhood writing attempts, but I do not know if he ever penned a poem of his own. My dream would be to someday uncover a notebook of writings by him or a great-grandfather or great-grandmother who also loved to read and write poetry. So many things are lost to history: names, dates, where family members lived, their occupations. But so much more that a family historian can sometimes only dream of discovering.

So with the knowledge that I have Irish ancestors who loved poetry, and with the sad realization that I may never know who they were, I share with you a story of another Irish poet. One who lived an adventurous and incredibly busy life, yet found the time to pen meaningful verse that still lives on today. In fact, he may have been John F. Kennedy's favorite poet.

John Boyle O'Reilly was born in 1844, just three years after my great-great-grandfather Patrick Tierney and at the onset of the Great Irish Famine. John was born in a castle near Drogheda, north of Dublin, to a family that took seriously their Irish patriotism.

O'Reilly's early life included a good early education, newspaper work and military training. His amazing story continued with his involvement in the secret Irish society of Fenians, two years in English prisons for this offense, his deportation to Western Australia, and finally his escape and arrival in the United States. John began his new life of freedom in Boston and went on to become the editor and part-owner of The Pilot, Boston's well-known Irish newspaper.

After such an adventurous and difficult life, it is no wonder O'Reilly longed for the peaceful days of his childhood back in the country in Ireland.

John Boyle O'Reilly's poem, The Cry of the Dreamer, expresses his longing for a simpler time and place:

I am tired of planning and toiling
In the crowded hives of men,
Heart-weary of building and spoiling,
And spoiling and building again,
And I long for the dear old river,
Where I dreamed my youth away;
For a dreamer lives forever,
And a toiler dies in a day.

I am sick of the showy seeming,
Of life that is half a lie;
Of the faces lined with scheming
In the throng that hurries by;
From the sleepless thought's endeavor
I would go where the children play;
For a dreamer lives forever,
And a thinker dies in a day.

I can feel no pride, but pity,
For the burdens the rich endure;
There is nothing sweet in the city
But the patient lives of the poor.
Oh, the little hands too skillful,
And the child-mind choked with weeds!
The daughter's heart grown willful
And the father's heart that bleeds!

No! no! from the street's rude bustle,
From trophies of mart and stage,
I would fly to the wood's low rustle
And the meadows' kindly page.
Let me dream as of old by the river,
And be loved for my dreams alway;
For a dreamer lives forever,
And the toiler dies in a day.

A newspaperman and poet, he had the knowledge of the world around him and the artistic ability to express that world in a way that helped others to see it with new eyes. One of my favorite of O'Reilly's statements speaks of the freedom of the press:

For all time to come, the freedom and purity of the press are the test of national virtue and independence. No writer for the press, however humble, is free from the burden of keeping his purpose high and his integrity white.

Quoted in Roche, James Jeffrey (1891). Life of John Boyle O'Reilly, together with his complete poems and speeches edited by Mrs John Boyle O'Reilly. New York. p 195.

John Boyle O'Reilly was perhaps the most influential Irishman in 19th-century Boston. For twenty years (from his arrival in Boston in 1870 to his death in 1890) he acted, according to irishheritagetrail.com, as "a spokesman for the downtrodden, at times singlehandedly bridging the gap between people of various races, creeds and nationalities".

The life of John Boyle O'Reilly, the ideals he stood for and the work he did to encourage those ideals is immortalized in the John Boyle O'Reilly Memorial (at left), located along the Irish Heritage Trail in Boston. The O'Reilly Memorial was dedicated in 1896.

More information about the O'Reilly Memorial and other sites of interest on the Boston Irish Heritage Trail is located on their website. The Irish Heritage Trail is (according to irishheritagetrail.com) "a self-guided, three mile walking tour that takes you through Boston's downtown, North End, Beacon Hill and Back Bay. You'll learn about famous politicians, artists, matriarchs and war heroes, part of a rich tradition of rebellion, leadership and triumph that personifies the Boston Irish." (Talk about good stories.) The site includes a clickable version of the trail map below, with information about each memorial or site of interest.

Sometimes referred to as "the capitol of Irish America", Boston's past is rich with stories of Irish immigrants like John Boyle O'Reilly and the America that they and their descendants embraced and influenced to become the Boston we know today.

A look at the world of a modern Irish immigrant

Live in the Boston area? Looking for some entertainment this weekend? How about a humorous yet touching glimpse into the life of a modern day immigrant from Ireland? Brendan, a production written by playwright Ronan Noone and directed by Justin Waldman, will be running through November 18. Produced by the Huntington Theater Company of Boston University, performances are being held at the Stanford Calderwood Pavilion, Boston Center for the Arts, in Boston's South End.

The play is about an Irish immigrant named Brendan who has been living in Boston for five years and is about to become a citizen. While coping with the loss of his mother, Brendan struggles to overcome obstacles and earn his citizenship.

According to the Huntington Theater Company website:

"A recent Irish immigrant, Brendan now calls Boston home. He misses his family, but works hard to fit-in in his adopted country, earn his American citizenship, and find love and meaning in his new life in this funny and touching premiere..."

Birth announcement!

The Carnival of Irish Heritage & Culture has arrived and is calling for entries. If you have a blog about your own Irish genealogy or about Irish heritage and culture in general, you are invited to participate.

Our first edition will be about something everybody loves: a good story. What is your favorite Irish story? Show us that you've got the gift of blarney. Here's the specific request:

Of all of the colorful Irish characters that you've learned about throughout our search for family history or your study of Irish heritage in general, surely you've come across some good stories. Share your favorite story about an Irish ancestor or other Irishman or Irishwoman with us on this, the inaugural edition of the Carnival of Irish Heritage & Culture.

I'm looking forward to receiving your entries by November 19 and publishing the 1st edition of our Carnival of Irish Heritage & Culture on November 22 at Small-leaved Shamrock.

Even if you've never participated in a blog carnival before, please consider giving it a try.

Hope you'll join us! In the mean time, may God bless you: Go mbeannaí Dia duit!

Now's your chance - free access to Ancestry.com

Want to try your hand at a little family history research? Take advantage of three free days of access to Ancestry.com. Free access to Ancestry is usually available at many local libraries (although there is no remote access for library patrons). Subscription prices for personal access, however, are quite steep. And personally, I prefer burning the midnight oil when my library's doors have long been closed.

Take advantage of this opportunity and take a look at some online records, including:

• U.S. Census records
• City directories
• Immigration records
• Marriage records
• Old newspapers
• Military records
• More, more, more...

Have fun! And please let me know if you make any exciting discoveries.

Where science meets family history

Have you read about genetics in the news? Ever asked yourself, "How does this apply to me?"

The study of genetics and DNA testing in particular has now become not just a newsworthy topic, but a practical and meaningful tool for personal use. Family historians, in particular, stand to benefit greatly from the use of DNA testing.

Now a simple cheek swab test can be used to provide information that can confirm previous family history research or provide new clues to a family's heritage, both familial and geographical. On the flip side, genealogy is aiding the study of genetics by providing an avenue for further study of current findings.

If you are interested in getting an introduction to DNA testing and genetics and how they apply to genealogy and perhaps your own family history, check out the Carnival of Genealogy: 35th Edition. Hosted by Blaine Bettinger, otherwise known as the Genetic Genealogist, this "blog carnival" is a series of articles posted on various blogs about the topic of genetics and genealogy.

Included in the series of carnival posts are my own entries:

• Mr. Tierney, I presume? here at A Light That Shines Again (just before this post)
• A rose by any other name at 100 Years in America
• Bad genes - discovered! at Small-leaved Shamrock

Also check out:

• Calling all Ó Cobhthaigh, Cowhey, Coffey cousins! posted at Small-leaved Shamrock

Happy reading! As I learn more about DNA testing and its application to the Tierney family's heritage and that of other related families, I will post more information.

In the meantime, I hope you enjoy a little introduction to genetic genealogy thanks to the 35th edition of the Carnival of Genealogy.