An incredible trip to Ireland that will stay with me forever!

Five years ago, my life changed when I discovered 19 American Civil War letters written from my Irish immigrant great, great grandfather Florence Burke to his wife and children back home in West Springfield, MA. I dropped everything to research, write and publish (June, 2016) my first historical fiction novel based on the letters. Last week my husband and daughter accompanied me as I returned to Ireland to promote my book and to thank the Ballinhassig historian who helped me with historical accuracy and knowledge of the Great Potato Famine. It was a trip I’d been dreaming about for years. And it turned better than I’d anticipated. That doesn’t happen very often.

My first stop was in Dublin. Arriving at 3:30 am US time, we managed to collect our bags, find our rental car, drive to Dublin Centre and pull it together (meaning change in the car and touch up make up in the mall bathroom.) I was meeting Sinead Crowley from RTE News at the Famine Exhibit at St. Stephen’s Shopping Centre—and we just made it. It is amazing that the interview took over and hour to record, but I was only on the news for about two minutes! That’s alright by me; it’s far more than I ever expected. I appeared on the 1pm and 6pm RTE One news broadcast on September 21st-how exciting!

Preparations are under way for Culture Night. Up to 400,000 people are expected to take part in free events across the country tomorrow pic.twitter.com/E5xAbGtgKt

— RTÉ News (@rtenews) September 21, 2017

After the interview, we bid Gerard and Dublin farewell, and headed southwest toward Baltimore, with a quick stop near Tipperary to view the amazing Rock of Cashel Castle. It did not disappoint. Even my 13 year-old daughter came out of her coma to take in the magical castle. Seeing a real castle with turrets, dungeons and giant stone walls certainly was one of the highlights of our trip. After a few more hours, and unbelievably narrow roadways, we finally reached Baltimore. And we crashed hard.

To our delight and shock, the following day was filled with sunshine and beautiful blue skies. We spent our free day touring the gorgeous coastal town, visiting Baltimore Castle, climbing to the famous Beacon and hiking around the grassy cliffs.

We also visited the Skibbereen Heritage Centre and Schull, the very town where my great, great grandparents lived. It was emotional viewing the Famine Museum and thinking about how horrible it was for my ancestors to live through—between 8-10,000 people died in Skibbereen alone. It was hard to imagine people, like my great, great grandparents, having to leave this beautiful coastal town to emigrate to America in order to survive. Being in West Cork created a vivid picture of my ancestor’s life and the hardships they experienced.

The following day, September 22, was Culture Day/Night in Ireland, an annual day of celebrating Arts and Heritage throughout Ireland. We were all feeling a little more rested and it was a good thing because I was presenting my novel, Yours Faithfully, Florence Burke in Skibbereen (West Cork) and later that night in Ballinhassig (Cork, near Cork City).

After the presentation in Skibb, we decided to drive to Bantry to see the birthplace of my great, great grandfather, Florence Burke, and to follow a lead on a possible living relative there. It turned out to be a dead end. Fortunately we made it to our hotel in time to eat a quick dinner and change for the evening event at the Sportsman’s Rest Pub!!

This event was very special to me because I was returning to the village that I used as the “fictional home town” of Florence and Ellen Burke. On my research trip 5 years prior, I randomly drove through Ballinhassig and met an historian (John L.O’ Sullivan) in this same pub. He helped me with research and history, therefore enabling me to write my historical fiction novel. Now, at the same pub, dozens of Ballinhassig residents came out to hear about the book, to sing songs about the famine, Bantry and Ballinhassig, and to share stories of their own. John and his family were there too. Everyone was welcoming and incredibly talented! John and the pub owner Sheila presented me with a custom made Hurling lamp, a book about Ballinhassig, and a very cool Shillelagh! I felt incredibly grateful to these fantastic people who have supported and embraced me from the start.

Our final day in Ireland was spent back in Dublin. We rose early from Cork and drove 3 hours back to the Famine Exhibit where I met Ronan McGreevy, an author, editor, videographer and reporter for the Irish Times. He had read my book and was writing a review and article for the Irish Times. Ronan is a non-fiction type of guy, having written a book himself about the Irish in World War One, called “Wherever the Firing Line Extends.” However, he enjoyed my historical fiction novel very much, saying, “it is a beautiful retelling of the Burke’s tragic life story.” Ronan was a very cool guy—he even took Jillian and I out for coffee after the interview. He gave us tips on Dublin, the Zoo, and best places to eat and drink. I can’t thank him enough. The Irish Times article should be out next week.

Before coming to Ireland an article was written in the Irish Examiner giving details about the discovery of the letters and the upcoming events during my visit. The press I’ve received here in Ireland has been amazing and I hope it leads to finding a publisher in Ireland to “acquire” my book. That is my ultimate goal.

I’m grateful for all the opportunities that have arisen on this short trip. I hope to do more promotions in Ireland; I hope this is only the beginning. I want more reasons to come back to this beautiful country! I want to thank the wonderful people in Ireland who made me feel like I was returning “home.”