News for Smallest Leaf: a new website and a new book!

This week I celebrate my eighth anniversary of blogging here at A Light that Shines Again, 100 Years in America, and Small-leaved Shamrock. It has been slow-going at times, but I've stuck with it and look forward to many writing years ahead.

I am thrilled today to announce my brand new website and blog at smallestleaf.com. I have decided to pair my interest in genealogy with my other favorite hobby - poetry! - and use my website to share both.

Many of you have known me as a genealogy blogger for many years, but you may not have known of my love for poetry. Tales from my family tree are a regular source of subject matter for my poems, along with world history, nature, faith and the writing life.

I have just announced the upcoming publication of my first collection of poetry: winner of the Eakin Book Award given by the Poetry Society of Texas. You’ll find the title familiar. I feel a bit like the Irish mother who gives her firstborn a name that has been in the family for generations. My poetry collection is entitled (surprise!): Smallest Leaf. You can read more about my new book on the Poetry page at my website.

Thanks to all of you readers who have followed me over the years! I hope you'll stick around for what's to come. Happy reading!

A new little light shining in the world

There's a new little light in the world that's recently been warmly welcomed into my family!

Visit 100 Years in America to learn more about why I've been away from blogging lately.

A light shining for two years... and more!

That is my hope for this humble little blog about the Boston-Irish side of my family tree. Begun two years ago tomorrow, it has been and continues to be the "shy younger sibling" to my other two more active and better known blogs 100 Years in America and Small-leaved Shamrock.

A heartfelt thanks to all of those that have read, commented, offered assistance in my research, or otherwise supported my efforts here at A light that shines again. The humble, long-suffering lives of my famine-immigrant, hard-working Boston Irish laborer ancestors have begun to be memorialized here, where I hope their stories will provide inspiration to those of us that live today in better and more hopeful times.

I truly believe the poetic words written by Christopher Pearce Cranch that I've included on the banner above which provided inspiration for the title of this blog:

"Yet not in vain,
Fathers and mothers, were your humble lives;
Each in its turn an influence that survives,
A light that shines again
In sacred memories, and in hearths and homes,
Vital as greater names that gild historic tomes…”

Taking the time to learn about the lives of my ancestors, particularly those that may not have been valued so much by the world around them at the time that they lived, has given me new insight into my own life and times. I am aware that, no matter how homely and "common" they were, these family members who came before me have passed on to me a great gift, and I hope to remember their humble lives and share their stories for many years to come.

As George Bernard Shaw stated,

"This is the true joy in life, the being used for a purpose recognized by yourself as a mighty one... I want to be thoroughly used up when I die, for the harder I work, the more I live. I rejoice in life for its own sake. Life is no 'brief candle' to me. It is sort of a splendid torch which I have a hold of for the moment, and I want to make it burn as brightly as possible before handing it over to future generations."

Please join with me in celebrating two years of A light that shines again! If you'd like to read some of my favorite articles within this blog, take some time to stop by The best of 2008: A light that shines again - iGene Awards or this blog's one-year-anniversary wrap-up: Happy Anniversary, A light that shines again! You might also enjoy stopping by the two-year-anniversary celebrations over at 100 Years in America and Small-leaved Shamrock.

Spring cleaning at A light that shines again

I've been focusing lately on doing some projects that have taken me away from blogging - you could say I've caught the spring cleaning bug. It has been so long since I've written a post here that I thought I would just let readers know that yes, I am still alive and well.

I realize that this is one of the longest gaps in blog posts that I've had since I began blogging. I'm hoping to get my "house in order" and get back to spending some more time here at A light that shines again.

In the meantime, happy spring, everyone!

Out into the world you go, little carnival!

After raising it from birth over at Small-leaved Shamrock (with a little help from A light that shines again and West in New England), I'm now sending the Carnival of Irish Heritage & Culture out on its own into the world. It has grown and is big enough to have its own place within the world wide web.

Happy early one-year birthday, little carnival! We look forward to much more from you in the future!

Visit Carnival of Irish Heritage & Culture (the blog) to read previous editions of the carnival, see a complete list of past carnival participants, learn how to submit your own article to the upcoming edition, and more.


Don't forget to stop by West in New England for the most recent 9th edition on Irish Superstitions entitled Luck of the Irish.

Time to talk: Blog Action Day 2008

Getting to know "A light that shines again"

It has been more than a year since I began sharing my family history on my three blogs: my Irish side of the family here at A light that shines again (with an emphasis on my Boston and Quincy, Massachusetts immigrant ancestors) and Small-leaved Shamrock (with an emphasis on my Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania roots) and my Hungarian/Croatian side of the family at 100 Years in America.

Read Getting to Know “100 Years in America” for a little more background on me and my interest in family history.

Here at A light that shines again the focus is about my Tierney, McCue and related families; the history of the Boston Irish; and Ireland itself, particularly County Tipperary. I have a special interest in the Great Famine of the mid-19^th-century since my Boston-Irish immigrant ancestors’ lives were impacted so greatly by that painful time in Irish history. I began this blog to focus on these aspects of Irish and Irish-American history, and my family’s story in particular. Their “sacred memories” are what inspires me to continue to write, as Christopher Pearce Cranch wrote so poetically:

“…Nor less should we forget the worthy sons
And daughters who through centuries lived and died
Unknown to fame. The muse of history shuns
Their buried records. Gathered side by side
In yonder burial ground, they leave no signs
Save in half-obliterated lines
That tell their birth, their death. Yet not in vain,
Fathers and mothers, were your humble lives;
Each in its turn an influence that survives,
A light that shines again
In sacred memories, and in hearths and homes,
Vital as greater names that gild historic tomes…”

To get a further introduction to A light that shines again, you might enjoy reading the following. Inspired by Terry Thornton's "Getting to Know You" challenge, I've listed what I've chosen as the "brightest", "breeziest" and "most beautiful" articles here at A light that shines again.

Brightest (my best work): "The city where a century ago he came unwanted, he has made his own..."

Breeziest (best light-hearted article): Sad news: there is "no Irish at me"

Most beautiful: The death of memory

I choose not to write too much about myself on my various family history blogs. The preservation of the stories of my family's deeper history is usually my focus. However, you can learn a little more about me at The view from my corner of the world. Thanks for reading. I appreciate your comments, so please write!

Happy Anniversary, A light that shines again!

Yesterday was the one year anniversary of my series of family history blogs.

A light that shines again, Small-leaved Shamrock and 100 Years in America are one year old!

Here are a few of my favorite articles from this, the Boston branch of my Irish family history this past year:

• In brief


• A rough start in Ireland


• It's a long way to Tipperary


• "Never."


• A new life in Boston


• A happy day in 1874


• The year 1876


• "Where an Irish Catholic should never, ever, set foot"


• Home sweet homes


• "The hill remains..."


• A little Ó Tighearnaigh history for you


• Mr. Tierney, I presume?


• The dreamer


• Irish Geography 101


• Boston's Big Dig: another one for the history books


• The poverty-stricken Irish: Why did they pick Boston?


• A collection of seven posts on Irish Christmas traditions


• A remembrance: the Tierney family of Quincy, 1908


• A round-up of Tierney family history resources


• Touching letters from a "strong & feisty" old Irishman to his son


• "The city where a century ago he came unwanted, he has made his own"


• On the finer points of Irish lacemaking


• Good Samaritans across the Atlantic: February 1847


• "A good story never has to end..."


• A wee bit of Irish history for ya


• Passing the torch: sharing Irish history with young people


• "Out of the dusk of slow-accomplished Time..."


• The death of memory


• Sad news: there is "no Irish at me"


• "Sticks and stones can break my bones..."


• "Dusty, crumbling, smelly, irreplaceable documents and books"

As I mentioned over at Happy Anniversary, Small-leaved Shamrock!, I had known that my one year anniversary of blogging was coming, but yesterday in the midst of busy daily activities, it slipped my mind that the one-year mark had arrived. Somehow my inattention to the date seems very appropriate. One of the joys of writing and publishing via blog is just how beautifully that it has allowed me to fit in writing on subjects that I enjoy within the confines of a busy life. Daily life continues to keep up its busy pace around me, yet ideas flow and when I find a quiet moment, I make a short visit to the computer to log my thoughts and to eventually share them with readers like you.

The year has flown, yet somehow I can't imagine life now now without sharing a part of my world and my family history with family, friends and other readers via blog. It has been a tremendously rewarding experience to have this avenue to share information and stories that I have been collecting for many years, and at the same time to find that in the sharing I am inspired to learn more.

I have spent a good amount of time this past year writing about things that are meaningful and interesting to me in the realm of my personal family history. I hope that you'll agree and that you've enjoyed sharing a little bit in the story of my family and my Boston Irish heritage here at A light that shines again. If so, please continue the journey along with me as reader as I begin my second year publishing via the web.

Once again as I celebrate my one year blogging anniversary, I send a special thank-you to you, my readers, and particularly to those of you that have taken the time to send comments or emails. Thanks for reading and I look forward to continuing this journey with you for another year.

For more highlights from the world of Lisa's blogs, you might enjoy reading Happy Anniversary, Small-leaved Shamrock! and Happy Anniversary, 100 Years in America!

Shedding some new light on the subject

I've added some new features to the sidebar of A Light That Shines Again. If you are a regular reader and don't scroll down the page each time past the most recent post, you might want to take some time to do so now.

If you don't want to miss a new post, don't miss:

• The opportunity to subscribe to new posts via email


• The opportunity to subscribe to new posts in a reader (RSS feed is the term, if you want to get fancy)


• The opportunity to bookmark this site (Heard of del.icio.us?)

Also take a look at:

• The new Family Surnames list (this should make it easier for new readers to quickly determine whether or not they have a connection to our family)

If you want to learn more:

• Check out the Related Reading sidebar, with links to books of interest about Ireland, the famine, Irish emigration, Boston, Irish genealogy, etc.

I'm glad to see that many of you are enjoying A Light That Shines Again. If you are a regular reader and you are enjoying this blog, please drop me an email if you get a chance. I'd like to hear your comments and suggestions.

In the meantime, here's an Irish blessing for you...

May you always have work for your hands to do. May your pockets hold always a coin or two. May the sun shine bright on your windowpane. May the rainbow be certain to follow each rain. May the hand of a friend always be near you, and may God fill your heart with gladness to cheer you.