Hi Tom, I am not quite sure about "what KIRWIN" stimulated this communication and I want to be sure we do not get too far off topic, however, if I am getting out of what you wrote what I think you were intending related to KIRWIN research.... My understanding is that you are reminding us as we do research, we must remember that in Ireland, as you mentioned, The Church of Ireland is only catholic (note lower case letters) in the sense that it is a member of a communion of united churches affiliated with what is called the Anglican Communion and is thus affiliated with the Church of England (or in the US, the Episcopal Church). This is different from the Catholic Church in Ireland (note Caps) which is affiliated with the Roman invaders to Ireland who converted hungry people with invitations to lots of food to practice their rituals. In other words, we must not assume that all Irish or KIRWINS are connected with what is known commonly as the Roman Catholic Church. Correct? Quick side note on this subject from my daughter's Irish dancing teacher, born in Galway... according to her, when the Romans did invade and try to use their conversion methods on the Irish, the Irish, being no dummies, did come to their feast days and eat their food and even did fine demonstrations of skilled local dance techniques in the church courtyards. In order, however to maintain their integrity as a people who had always followed other kinds of beliefs which the invaders called "pagan" the Irish hung onto their wit and wisdom by doing the dances in the church yards in a counter clockwise direction. This apparently was a clear message to all the gathered Irish to "meet in the fields" after they had eaten their fill, under the full moon to "party" using the traditional Irish rituals! Can't prove it but it sure smacks of the stubborn-but-smart resilience I have seen in not just a few KIRWIN cousins! Jana Tom Fitzsimmons wrote: > I know "Roman Catholic" is a common term, but it is often used with > emphasis on the "Roman" part with overtones of painting Catholicism > as a foreign, un-American kind of a religion.