The People you meet on the Reek

This book is a celebration of the West of Ireland and its wonderful people. We can trace the paternal side of my family tree back to 1796 and the birth of my great great great grandfather. This remarkable man endured a life of endless struggle and is reported to have died age 110 living through Gorta Mor and dying in 1906.

Many of his descendants remain living in the West close to the House on the Hill that he lived in his entire life. Somehow across the centuries we have kept in touch and last year at a reunion of his family over 150 of his descendants returned to gather from all over Ireland, New York, Boston, Chicago, London and Manchester. We are connected by familial bonds but also because of the history of Ireland includes having to leave.

One of the costs of leaving is always wondering about where you belong