SNIPPET: The July-Aug 2004 issue of Dublin's "Ireland of the Welcomes" magazine has an interesting several-page article with text and colorful illustrations by Dan BARRETT, a retired postman/freelance writer living in Co. Tipperary. And a good resource for researchers is the Rathkeale, Co. Limerick Irish Palatine Heritage Centre. Some of the surnames associated with the Irish Palatine experience: SHIER, HECK, RUTTLE, JACOB, SPARLING, LAURENCE, BOWEN, STEEPE, COOKE, BARKMAN, CRONSBERRY, TESKEY, YOUNG, MILLER, BAKER, REYNARD, COLE, LOWE, BOVENIZER, LEGEAR, BENNER, ALTON, STARK, GILLIARD, MEE, PIPER, ST. JOHN and SWITZER. It was a SWITZER, from neighbouring Co. Tipperary that founded the famous Dublin fashion house of the same name. You might want to read a recent work, "People make Places," by Dr. Patrick J. O'CONNOR, which deals comprehensively with all aspects of the Irish Palatine odyssey. Photographs in the IOTW magazine include: (1) Typical dress worn by Palatines in the 18th century, costumes presented to the IPA at a gathering of Irish Palatines from around the world recently held in Germany. (2) The Irish Palatine Heritage Centre, Rathkeale, Co. Limerick. (3) Embury and Heck Memorial Methodist Church at Ballingrane built by the Irish Palatines in 1766; renovated in 1885, still used by members of the Methodist community in Co. Limerick. Its name commemorates those who brought Methodism to America - Philip EMBRY, a Rathkeale Palatine created Methodist preacher and cousin Barbara HECK, who sailed for America in 1760 where they established a Methodist community. (4) Castle Matrix, built as a Desmond stronghold in the middle of the 15th century, it became the home of the SOUTHWELL family in the early 1600s and was converted into a manor house. (5) Holy Trinity Church of Ireland in Rathkeale, where many Palatine names are recorded on the gravestones. Clever drawings by the author include Palatines arriving in Ireland and superior farming techniques which the Palatines bought to Ireland. Read more about the early Palatines departure to the New World, and during the Spring of 1709 about 11,000 people comprising several different families arriving in London from Rotterdam, the second leg of their proposed journey to America. Learn more about misfortunate Palatines essentially being stranded there, the camp settlements in London, solutions to the "indigent crisis," Irish landlord classes asked to encourage people onto their estates to bolster Protestant presence and because they were skilled agriculturists ..... Palatines arrived in Ireland in the early days of September 1709. Although subsequently experiencing poor treatment in Dublin,as had been the case in London, some settlers left for England again circa 1711. . During the years following their arrival in Ireland, the Palatines who for the most part were Lutheran and Protestant by persuasion, slowly became lukewarm in regards to religious practice, possibly due to lack of preachers and religious direction. As time progressed they enthusiastically embraced Methodism. Eventually -- "The county of Limerick, and to a lesser extent, the counties of Wexford and Carlow would become the major centres of a Palatine presence. In Limerick, Sir Thomas SOUTHWELL, with vast estates around Rathkeale took in innumerable displaced German families and settled them on his lands. Unlike nearly all of the other landlords who had taken in immigrant families only to lose them again within a very short time, SOUTHWELL .... treated his settlers with equanimity. With the British government stalling as regards funding, he wasn't afraid to use his own resources when it came to solidifying a Palatine existence. He assigned each family approximately eight acres of land, and at rents much lower than those demanded of local tenants ... When it came the planting and harvesting of potatoes the Palatines were ahead of their time, as they were the first agriculturists to use the horse and plough in the process, leaving the native Irish entirely dependent on the spade and shovel. The Palatines were also highly skilled in apple culture and were expert cider producers ...During the harsh famine days, the Palatines, due to their superior skill, methods in working the land and raising livestock, escaped the worst ravages of the great hunger and were known to help their less well off neighbours." Read about the eventual dispersal of several families away from Rathkeale circa 1730-40s and on to other landlord estates in Co. Limerick and to a lesser degree, Kerry and Tipperary, and emigration to the New World, etc., after SOUTHWELL's death. Learn more about changes in culture the 19th century brought with it - lessening of enmities existing between German and Gael, acquistion of English and other languages, lessening of the earlier more or less taboo against intermarriage. Per article -- "P. W. JOYCE, the famous historian and collector of Irish music and song was actually brought up in the Palatine village of Glenosheen in South Limerick, and anything he had to say of his German neighbours was always positive."