Mary Kate Neill was born on June 11th, 1900 in the tiny township of Graiguenaspiddoge in County Carlow. The 1901 census shows her ten months old. Her mother was Catherine or Kate Neill (née Cullen) aged 38, and her father Michael Neill aged 51. Born in 1850 just after the potato famine of 1845-7, he was a blacksmith. Graiguenaspiddoge was a row of 28 houses beside a main road in the countryside,…

This week, I finished an index for all the names on all the stones in Rathdowney, Laois(Queen's Co) and I head of into town to go to the graveyard to begin checking the 1300 or so names and with my new magic torch hopefully be be able to read the bits I had a problem with.

As I get into the town, I wonder to myself if an acquaintance of mine who is also director f a funeral home would be interested in the index so I call to ask him.  "Ah Jane", ses he......"I have an index.  I keep…

A Church index of sorts.

While I've been travelling around with my friend Janet, Daniel who helps me with from-ireland has done a bit of organising of my last few months posts and created a Church index.

Mainly the Churches are in the counties I name above, but, we also have some Cork, Carlow, Kildare, Waterford, Dublin, Westmeath, Offaly (King's Co.) and Galway churches.

I just know I've forgotten somewhere!!

This is actually a very pretty little church and the thing about it is that it is on my way from Laois to Tipperary as I was a few weeks ago on my way to Nenagh. You literally drive through this little patch of Offaly and then you are into Tipperary. I have done the graveyard a good while ago but I haven't checked my site to get a link. Been at the computer for about 2 hours now and all I seem to be doing is talking!!!…

By Joseph Gannon

The light of evening, Lissadell,

Great windows open to the south,

Two girls in silk kimonos, both

Beautiful, one a gazelle.

From William Butler Yeats'

In Memory…