About Me

My working life is that of a writer and social historian.  I hold three university degrees: B.A. Phil., B.A. English (Hons.), and M.A. in Literature and Performance Studies in English.  I am engaged in extensive study of, and ongoing work on, the history of Ireland, with a specialization in Early 20th Century Irish Conflict, specifically engagements during the Irish War of Independence.

With respect to family history, inspiration for this blog:

As the only Canadian born member of my Irish family, I often felt as though I lacked a history, that is until I decided to go looking for it.  'On a flesh and bone foundation': An Irish History tells the story of the search for my family across time, a search that has taken me across Ireland and into a history which includes my paternal grandmother, who risked her life as a member of Cumann na mBan (the women's branch of the IRA), her beloved brother, who was killed during the Irish War of Independence, my maternal grandmother who died when my mother was only five years old, and my maternal grandfather who defied church and state to keep his family together.  In my family tree I've discovered both the glorious and the ignoble, the joyous and the heartbreaking.

As a social historian, my goal is to integrate the history of the family with the history of Ireland.  Searching for and uncovering information about my own ancestors, learning about the kind of lives they led, and contextualizing those lives within the history of Ireland is absolutely thrilling for me.  I principally conduct research in person in Ireland, but I have sites listed on my research aids page which are helpful when conducting family history research away from Ireland's shores.