I went to Dana Farber yesterday for my regular appointment. Since I won't have any results until next week, I'll devote this post to our amazing Ireland adventure.
Everything about our trip was magical, but the high point of the experience was our visit to Clogheen, Co. Tipperary, our ancestral homeland. Jeff and I have been there before, but this was Brian's first trip to Ireland, so we wanted to make it a special experience for him.
Some background discussion is in order here. I began my genealogical research in the late 1990s. I found that on my father’s side, his paternal grandparents were born in Ireland, and they both immigrated to America in the years after the Great Potato Famine of the 1840s.
My great-grandfather, John O’Halloran, was born in the townland of Clogheen, County Tipperary, Ireland. Following up on that information, I contacted a genealogist in Clogheen, Ed O’Riordan, who, along with his friend and now his partner, Karol DeFalcoi, kindly helped me with my research.
In 2000, I was able to satisfy a life-long dream as Gretchen and I took a vacation to visit the “Auld Sod” for the first time. I was so excited! High on my list was to visit my ancestral home in the townland of Clogheen. The slogan from the Clogheen website said: "A valley so soft and green it will take your breath away". Here is an edited excerpt from a 2012 essay I wrote and published on the Clogheern website about this experience:
At Ed's suggestion, we drove up the winding road from Lismore in Waterford to the Vee Gap. It was late afternoon, and I was hoping that the sun would stay out to give us a good view as we arrived. The narrow road twisted and turned as it clawed its way up the Knockmealdown mountains. Finally, we reached our destination, the Vee Gap. At this pass through the peak of the mountain, the hills rose from either side of the road in the shape of a perfect V.
I pulled over and we got out of the car. As I walked to the crest, a spectacular tableau unfolded in front of me. The sun was streaming through the scattered clouds, dappling the oh-so-green valley below with shafts of golden light. It did take my breath away. I don’t remember ever seeing anything so beautiful. And there, nestled at the base of the mountain, was the village of Clogheen. As I looked down at my ancestral homeland, I was overwhelmed. I stood there for many minutes, transfixed, tears streaming down my face. I don’t know how to explain my emotions, but I felt that I was meant to be there, that somehow I had come home. The surreal beauty of that scene will stay in my memory forever.
When we arrived there last week, I had the same anxiety about whether the sun would come out for Brian’s first view from the Vee Gap. It had been cloudy all day, but Brian optimistically suggested that maybe a miracle would occur. Sure enough, it did! As we reached the Vee Gap, the blue sky had magically reappeared, and it was just as beautiful as before. It was magical. Talk about the Luck of the Irish! Here is the iconic picture from our trip:
