|
This is the true story of a search for Burke and Collingwood ancestors based on a family letter. It is extraordinary for several reasons, not least of which is the wonderful variety of family members uncovered. Admirals, farmers, surgeons and priests; widows and émigrés; rebels and conservatives; Irish, English, New Zealander and American are all part of the rich Burke tapestry which is unfolded. It is also extraordinary in its disclosure of the wealth of records that are available to the family historian, and the value of persistence and imagination in their use. But perhaps most extraordinary is the eerie mix of coincidence and chance which assisted the search. The story focuses on the Burke family of Mayo and their extensive connections with Collingwood, Collis, Creagh, Mullay, Blake, Kirwan, Browne, O'Mahony and many others.
|
