Visitors & Diaspora - A Hundred Thousand Welcomes

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  In August my family and I travelled to Ireland. It was the first trip there for all of us. I always knew that I was part Irish, but our trip prompted me to do my genealogy through ancestry.com where I learned that I was nearly 1/2 Irish, more than I had always thought. Being an avid history buff, this prompted me to dig deeper to learn more about my family roots. Through a genealogist I was connected with Hazel at the Moycullen Heritage Society. What happened next exceeded my wildest dreams and underscored for me the importance, and value, of the work that people like Hazel so passionately engage in.

  I contacted Hazel just a few weeks prior to our trip. In just a short amount of time Hazel uncovered the most amazing connections and information about our family.

  We decided that we would meet with Hazel and that the family would spend the day with her learning about our Irish heritage. The day before our meeting Hazel emailed me to let me know that they had discovered the home where my great great grandfather lived. Upon reading this I became very emotional. I lost both of my parents at a young age, and therefore I never had the chance to ask them some of the questions I might have as an adult.

  To say that I was excited to meet with Hazel would be an understatement.

  When we met at the coffee shop in Moycullen, Hazel was there, ready. She was joined by her colleague Tim. They were ready with notes, historical records, and we believe Tim may also have been related through ancestors. The two had personalities and passions for history that rivalled mine.

  My wife and kids who are not as passionate about these things also noted her wonderful engaging energy.

  After sitting and talking about what she had discovered, we embarked on a journey through time.

  We visited the home that was my family homestead. Living there now was the most wonderful and welcoming woman, Nora. She invited us in and we had a lovely chat with her. We were able to walk the property that my ancestors had lived on and my kids got to imagine what life might have been like for them.

  We also visited two cemeteries. Hazel had been able to locate the headstones of many of my ancestors. It was incredible to see this and to see names that were already familiar to me through genealogy records.

  Hazel was a wonderful teacher who appropriately engaged our teenage children holding their interest and involving them in activities to look for names and dates. She was truly prepared for the 5 of us in every way.

  Following our visits to the cemeteries we made a final, spontaneous stop to a farm that belonged to another relative. There we had the good fortune of meeting the current family who lived there, descendants of my family as well. We walked the property, made connections and were invited into the home for impromptu scones and tea.

  The hospitality we were shown not only by Hazel and Tim, but by everyone who we encountered that day, was incredible.

  Our trip to Moycullen was on our last full day in Ireland. To say we saved the best for last would be an understatement.

  There was nothing grandiose or fancy about Moycullen. It was truly the people and the history that struck such a deep chord with me.

  I am extremely grateful to people like Hazel who volunteer their time and energy to helping families like ours.

  The information and insight she provided was just incredible and we are forever grateful.

  If you ever question the value of these heritage societies, our story should lay that question to rest.

  We will never forget our trip to Moycullen and Hazel’s amazing efforts to connect us to a piece of our family history. We are grateful.

  By John C Barrett (16/12/2022)