Third session puts focus on family

The third session of the Ireland Today Irish Studies conference at St. John Fisher College on March 16, 2012 started off with a video greeting from Fisher students studying in Ireland, then shifted to a a focus on family. 

Fisher Safety and Security Director Mike McCarthy described the research he put into a book on his family’s history, titled From Cork to the New World: A Journey for Survival, which started with asking why his ancestors left their homes. Initially, it was difficult to find information because the stories had not been passed down by those who emigrated. He explained that was because the life they left behind was such a difficult one that they were reluctant to talk about it.

Mike McCarthy discusses his book

McCarthy said he was surprised to find himself tackling this project because “I never fashioned myself as a writer.” But he found that years of police work, which involved writing descriptive reports about investigations, actually prepared him well. He also credited Fisher professor Dee Hogan with helping him edit and craft the language that went into the books.

McCarthy was followed by genealogist Dennis Hogan, who provided a number of tips for starting or extending research into the roots of Irish families. Among the challenges this research presents, for example, is that typical patterns of naming children after ancestors lead to many cousins having the same names (since all were named after the same grandparent).

Variants in name spelling and inconsistent use of the “O” and “Mc” prefixes on names also can make finding the correct records difficult, he said.

The third session was concluded with a talk from Lavery Library director Melissa Jadlos about the college’s copy of the Book of Kells.

The original Book of Kells at Trinity College in Dublin was created by Irish monks around the ninth century (circa 800 AD). A few years ago, the college allowed a publishing company to create approximately 1,500 facsimile copies and with the help of the local Irish community one of those was purchased for Fisher. It’s housed on the second floor, and is one of the library’s prized possessions.

- Jack Rosenberry

Twitter coverage of session 3

Photo slide show of session 3