I love my work

I think you know how much you love your work when your car breaks down and you can't get to the meeting and you come home and start searching online databases for long lost families!
This is me today.
My car is at the garage and I am sitting at my computer answering queries on behalf of  Ireland Reaching Out
The past few months have been a whirlwind as I have been getting to know the highways and byways of West Limerick, it's townlands and civil parishes, it's church parishes and it's people.


I have lovely memories.
(Most of them in family kitchens)
The day we helped Ann to find her father's people
The day Sean (who was new to computers) opened up the internet link and helped Eamonn find a map of the family farm
The day Michael found a whole parcel of children that the enquirer didn't know existed
The day Sharon began to manage a Facebook page for the first time
The day Mary answered her first query on  Ireland Reaching Out
The day another Mary found her family on the 1901 Census
The day I gave my first formal genealogy talk, Create Your Family Tree, and no-one noticed that an hour and a half had gone by!
And these memories are just a few of the many happy times I have spent with the volunteers in West Limerick.


I have had frustrating times too.
I'm thinking especially of Liz, Joan and Paul. I am so disappointed that we hit the famous brick wall after such a promising start. But all I can say is that the details are in my family tree book and you aren't forgotten.


My world is so much bigger now than it used to be.
It is so much richer too!
And I want to thank each and every one of you (including those whose names I have not mentioned) for welcoming me into your kitchens, village halls and local pubs.
And my smallie says thank you for the swirly buns too!

photo credit: PhilPankov.com via photopin cc