Where's Merrill? a genealogical thriller

George Jones – who’s gonna fill his shoes?

We knew this day was coming – but it’s still heartbreaking. RIP George …. and thanks, for everything. Obituary Merrill & Sabrina Love Theme  

Merrill’s young girlfriend

Teenager Sabrina who Merrill promised to marry …. but he didn’t, and so she sued him.

The Merrill & Sabrina Love Theme

Stranger In The House by Elvis Costello, here dueting with the wonderful George “No Show” Jones. You Tube video This never was one of the great romances But I thought you’d always have those young girl’s eyes But now they look in tired and bitter glances At the ghost of a man who walks ’round in my disguise I get the feeling that I don’t belong here But there’s no welcome in the window…

I thought long and hard whether I could classify the Where’s Merrill?saga by the commonly used phrase “based on a true story.” Then I started to question the accepted definitions of the word “true”. Simple defining statements such as “not false” or “real” are inadequate, and possibly misleading in certain contexts. The truth is something that is understood to be true, so we should start to define…

Danny – Loved your uploaded photo of a fig. Exciting stuff.

USA 2, Europe 1. Early score flash from Medinah – but the Irish or is it British pairing are going along nicely. Let’s just call Rory a catholic Ulsterman.

It was good to hear you’d met a Mayo native from Crossmolina. This town features in a rare edition travelogue which I self-published about 8 years ago. The tale involves a Neary…

An Irish-French Catholic writer composed the following poem concerning her recollections of living through the Great Famine as a young girl. The message of hope is apt for the 2020 Covid-19 pandemic crisis enveloping our world. Thank you, Kitty.

And the people stayed home. And read books, and listened, and rested, and exercised, and made art, and played games, and learned new ways of being,…

The Old Place – Tullinaglug

Twas there for more than 150 years … now it’s gone but never forgotten.

New life, a new structure, new adventures.

Aahh. That’s life … for an old cottage full of memories.

A bizarre and mysterious 1906 NY immigration sailing arrival record

Upon first inspection of the Ellis Island immigration record dating from September 1906 (shown below), the Ship’s Officer of the popular Transatlantic steamer, the SS Baltic, seems to have gotten bored with logging the nationality of dozens of Irish immigrants. It appears that this man had other things on his mind. Naughty thoughts.

Take a look at the curious entries written downwards in…

Irish Fake News in 1887

The concept of fake news reported in the media is not a new thing. For time immemorial, journalists with the power to promote their opinions to the masses have abused this privilege. Modern-day social media has just highlighted this phenomenon with the likes of President Trump never happy if some journo or blogger dares to question his scary New World Order.

Back in 1887, in Ireland, Tory or…

An earlier “Tour round Ireland” with images (part 3)

Other European tourists made tours round Ireland even earlier than John Barrow in 1835. Almost 60 years earlier, an agricultural reformer from England called Arthur Young completed his “Tour in Ireland” in 1776 in preparation of a book of that name. Arthur wanted to see how the Irish natives ran their farms. Sometimes he was impressed (in the wealthier east of the country) and at other times,…

An earlier “Tour round Ireland” with images (part 2)

More desirable properties viewed and commented upon by John Barrow in County Mayo in 1835:

A better sort of Mayo stone cabin

“Even while the small farmer is able, from his surplus produce, to pay his rent, his condition is far from enviable, but might with a little management be improved. If he can afford to keep a cow and a pig, he generally admits both to be partakers of the same apartment;…

An earlier “Tour round Ireland” with images (part 1)

In 1961, Lily Parker toured Ireland with her family and camera, capturing 61 images of Irish coastal sites in colour. A similar tour was carried out much earlier by John Barrow, a draughtsman, in 1835. This bewildered tourist was able to create sketches of some of the strange sights he saw, to accompany his comments in text. On returning to England, Barrow employed James Lee, a renowned wood…

Only 0.3% of People Have One Ethnicity in their DNA, Showing Our World is a True Blend

Unclaimed Persons Celebrates Ninth Anniversary and Launches New Website

The second Neary / O’Rourke marriage

It was great-aunt Maggie Neary’s 132nd birthday on 6th April 2017. Right on cue on this birthday, a long-lost photo of Maggie on her wedding day in 1913 emerged from an old family chest. Margaret Neary married John O’Rourke, a fully qualified NYC Civil Engineer originally from Leitrim, on 18th June 1913 in the Bronx. Just under 10 years earlier, Maggie’s eldest sister Mary Neary married John’s…