With permission. Maisie From: <[email protected]> To: <[email protected]> Sent: Thursday, October 28, 2010 9:41 AM Subject: [Irish Genealogy] "Search for Elusive Ancestors" (Dublin-born Ms. Eavan BOLAND -- and "Roots, " (Dr. Eilis Ni DHUIBHNE - 1984) > "Names. Every art is inscribed with them. Every life depends on them. I > was to find out, as I searched for information about her, just how > wounding their absence can be." -- Quotation, Ms. Eavan BOLAND's prose > memoir, "Object Lessons." > > and from Dr. Eilis Ni Dhuibhne, National Library Ireland (1984) > > ROOTS > > Today a note from M. O'Brien > Arrived in my letter tray. > 'Can you trace my roots?' he asks. > 'What will I have to pay?' > > 'My forefather is Brian Boru, > I want you to link him to me > On a tree of yellow calfskin. > I'm prepared to pay a fee.' > > In his letter he encloses > Data on his elders and betters: > His father and mother, > Their fathers and mothers > And a couple of dozen sisters and brothers. > > The census of '51 > Records the family in Chorly: > The head of the household a weaver, > The mother a mother, > One son a hand in a mill > And the other (aged 10) > A drawer of coal. > > The census of '61 > Records the family in Bolton: > The father a power-loom weaver, > The mother a mother, > One son a hand in a mill > The other a collier > And one daughter (aged 10) > A scholar. > > The census of '81 > Records the family in Wigan: > The head of the household 'blind,' > The mother a fishmonger, > One son a hand in a mill, > The other a collier > The daughter a frame tenter > And a grandson (aged 10) > A scholar: > The father of Mister O'Brien > Descendant of Brian Boru. > > I want to reply to his letter: > Keep your cash: > Clontarf hardly matters > To one whose genes survived > The pits and mills of Wigan, > Whose mother's days were woven > In the powerful looms of Bolton, > Whose childhood hours were spent > With the unsold herrings' stench. > > But instead I send an invoice > For ten pounds fifty pence > And enclose a coat of arms > To adorn his bedside shelf > > -- Excerpts, Cork's "Irish Roots" magazine > > > Check out the Ireland GenWeb website at: http://www.irelandgenweb.com/ > >

Aye, we don't always find what we want... Cliff. "May the best you've ever seen, Be the worst you'll ever see," >From A Scots Toast by Allan Ramsay -----Original Message----- From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Maisie Egger Sent: Thursday, October 28, 2010 2:20 PM To: [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected] Subject: [CoTyIre] Fw: [Irish Genealogy] "Search for Elusive Ancestors" (Dublin-born Ms. Eavan BOLAND -- and "Roots, " (Dr. Eilis Ni DHUIBHNE - 1984) With permission. Maisie From: <[email protected]> To: <[email protected]> Sent: Thursday, October 28, 2010 9:41 AM Subject: [Irish Genealogy] "Search for Elusive Ancestors" (Dublin-born Ms. Eavan BOLAND -- and "Roots, " (Dr. Eilis Ni DHUIBHNE - 1984) > "Names. Every art is inscribed with them. Every life depends on them. > I was to find out, as I searched for information about her, just how > wounding their absence can be." -- Quotation, Ms. Eavan BOLAND's prose > memoir, "Object Lessons." > > and from Dr. Eilis Ni Dhuibhne, National Library Ireland (1984) > > ROOTS > > Today a note from M. O'Brien > Arrived in my letter tray. > 'Can you trace my roots?' he asks. > 'What will I have to pay?' > > 'My forefather is Brian Boru, > I want you to link him to me > On a tree of yellow calfskin. > I'm prepared to pay a fee.' > > In his letter he encloses > Data on his elders and betters: > His father and mother, > Their fathers and mothers > And a couple of dozen sisters and brothers. > > The census of '51 > Records the family in Chorly: > The head of the household a weaver, > The mother a mother, > One son a hand in a mill > And the other (aged 10) > A drawer of coal. > > The census of '61 > Records the family in Bolton: > The father a power-loom weaver, > The mother a mother, > One son a hand in a mill > The other a collier > And one daughter (aged 10) > A scholar. > > The census of '81 > Records the family in Wigan: > The head of the household 'blind,' > The mother a fishmonger, > One son a hand in a mill, > The other a collier > The daughter a frame tenter > And a grandson (aged 10) > A scholar: > The father of Mister O'Brien > Descendant of Brian Boru. > > I want to reply to his letter: > Keep your cash: > Clontarf hardly matters > To one whose genes survived > The pits and mills of Wigan, > Whose mother's days were woven > In the powerful looms of Bolton, > Whose childhood hours were spent > With the unsold herrings' stench. > > But instead I send an invoice > For ten pounds fifty pence > And enclose a coat of arms > To adorn his bedside shelf > > -- Excerpts, Cork's "Irish Roots" magazine > > > Check out the Ireland GenWeb website at: > http://www.irelandgenweb.com/ > > ------------- Our community web-site: http://cotyroneireland.com/ ------------------------------- To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to [email protected] with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message