Irish Lives Remembered Issue 58 (Autumn/Winter 23)

What is inside?

1. In this issue, we remember the original musical peace activist, Patrick Sarsfield Gilmore - a Galway man who emigrated to America and organized what were then the largest concerts in history, with the ambitious goal of musically achieving world peace. Jarlath MacNamara, curator of the Gilmore collection of memorabilia, helps us restore this forgotten superstar to his rightful place in the diaspora.
2. Mary Lou McDonald is the current leader of Sinn Féin; a party once regarded as controversial for its paramilitary connections. Fiona Fitzsimons takes a look at her family tree, to better understand how she got to where she is.
3. We have not one, but two articles for you by folklore expert and legend in his own right, Ned Kelly, who traces the ancient pagan roots of Irish traditions of the midsummer solstice, from the goddess Áine to St. John the Baptist.
4. Meanwhile, Brigit McCone researches the history of the Irish in the Far East and turn up some fascinating characters.
5. For those of you who enjoyed Robert Flanagan Stieglitz's quest to trace his Irish great-great-grandfathers' Y chromosomes last issue, he returns with the story of uncovering and commemorating great-great-grandfather Patrick Branegan's service in the American Civil War.
6. After, our genetic genealogy expert Dr. Maurice Gleeson lets you know how you can help to identify and commemorate Irish veterans of World War One using DNA testing and online family trees.
7. Nathan Mannion remembers the fascinating life of Wicklow woman Elizabeth leBlond, pioneering female mountaineer and  filmmaker.
8. Dr. Katharine Simms, author of Medieval Gaelic sources, introduces us to the medieval bardic poetry of the Gaelic aristocracy as a genealogical source.
9. Can photo detective Jayne Shrimpton's skills date our reader's Ayrshire ancestors?
10. Our new Heritage Highlight feature spotlights local institutions and lesser-known attractions of Ireland and the potential interest their archives hold for family history researchers. This issue, we look at the Michael Davitt Museum in Straide, County Mayo.
11. Jessie O’Hara reviews the latest Irish records on Findmypast, including a new TreeSearch feature that helps you to connect your family tree to millions of others!
12. Two readers' dilemmas are answered in our Dear Genie column,
13. An excerpt from a Genealogical Publishing Company resource that reveals the deep Derry roots of fiery feminist journalist Nell McCafferty.
14. Finally, our Four Courts Press excerpt delves into the history of St. James's Hospital, Ireland's largest teaching hospital, and its past as an overwhelmed workhouse weathering the crisis of Ireland's Great Famine.