Departure

It was from here in Cobh, on the southern coast of Ireland, that the last 123 passengers of the Titanic walked these planks on April 12, 1912, setting off on their fateful trip across the Atlantic. Bound for New York, most never arrived. But you know that story. Now decayed and known as “Heartbreak Pier,”

The Forge

This charming, thatched-roof house in the tiny crossroads hamlet of Churchtown South, County Cork, is where my great-grandmother Ellen Ivers was born in 1874. She was married in the church behind the house and emigrated to Rhode Island in 1906 with her husband, Daniel O’Keefe, and her two baby boys. Other Ivers and O’Keefes preceded

Big Mike & Small Mike

This was Pete Morrison’s place in Churchtown South, East Cork. It’s the barn behind his house. I’m sorry to have never met Pete because he was the keeper of the local history. Covid postponed my trip to my ancestral homeland by three years, and in that time unfortunately, Pete passed away. There was much to learn

The Round Tower

Lighting struck the Round Tower of Cloyne, in East Cork, on the night of January 10, 1749, cracking and breaking its pointed peak. The soaring 11th-century structure lost six feet of height, but still stands today, high above the humble town. The tower, now closed, is seven stories — each with a window facing in

Long Wharf

Boston’s Long Wharf used to be longer and its history goes way back. It was built in the 1710s and, looking at old maps, one can see that it extended for a half mile — from where I stood to the Custom House Tower (the pointed building a few blocks away) on State Street. Over

Olneyville

Olneyville is a neighborhood of Providence, Rhode Island, which holds many remnants of an industrial boom long gone. Big and small brick buildings line the tangled streets in differing conditions of preservation or decay. It’s a poor area, but rich now with Hispanic culture. A hundred years ago, my immigrant ancestor Mary Ivers from rural

Highway Lost

In 1903, Johanna (Cashman) Ivers lived here after her husband Patrick died. The house on Printery Street in Providence, Rhode Island, is gone now. So is John and Nora Ivers’ house which was down the street. Actually, the whole neighborhood is gone. Behind those trees now is Route 95, the main thoroughfare connecting the entire

Janitoress

The Rhode Island State House sits like a beached white whale on a hill overlooking downtown Providence. It is massive and relates to none of its surroundings on Smith Hill. Completed in 1904, the magnificent marble building makes a big impact from every angle. Its dome is the fourth largest of its kind, behind Michelangelo’s

A Certain Age

My great grandmother, Ellen (Ivers) O’Keefe lived in the first floor apartment of this house in Providence with her family in 1935. She was the only immigrant ancestor I ever met. Ellen came from Ireland in 1901 at the age of 21, and only because she lived to be over a hundred years old, did