The Irish Connection

For posterity's sake, I thought it would be fun to record where our family's Irish roots come from (I didn't inherit these freckles and pale skin from nowhere!).

This is my Nana Dunham - born Eileen Veronica Gallagher on June 6, 1892 in Mullinaleck, Kinlough ("kin-lock"), County Leitrim ("lee-trim"), Ireland. She was the youngest daughter of thirteen children born to Terence and Catherine Gallagher. She was trained as a nurse and immigrated to America in 1928 along with her brother Liam. (This picture was taken about that time.) She married my great-grandfather Donald Dunham, and they had two daughters, my dad's mother and my grandmother, Edie, and her sister, Eileen.

So, there you have it. Legitimate ties to the Emerald Isle. To this day, we are blessed to have connections to my grandmother's aunt, uncle and cousins currently living in Ireland.


This is from when we got to meet Cousin Sheila in person during her trip to America a little less than two years ago. She's the one on the right of me. (tiny, I know - try this one)


During her visit, she also brought some souvenirs from Ireland for the boys.


Caleb wore his shirt again today to get into the spirit. Riley and Bren also sported their green to commemorate Riley's first St. Patrick's Day.


But ancestory aside, it was a fun day of festivities and faery folk.

The boys awoke to their room strewn about with yarn like a spider web, and their stuffed animals tied together (however Popcorn the Puffle wasn't even THAT lucky).


Their bike and scooter had been transplanted into the living room and all around there were things out of place and topsy turvy. Those mischievous leprechauns had had their way with the house. But, in an act of compassion, they left behind a new box of Lucky Charms, chocolate gold coins and shamrock clues under the cereal bowls that led the boys on a scavenger hunt for their very own pots of gold.



It was a lucky start to the day.

We topped it off with some Donegal Pie (named after County Donegal in Ireland).


It made for a tasty reminder of our Irish heritage to go with a wee bit o' fun.