Happy Saint Patrick's Day!

I'm being lazy and wanted to share a post I wrote a year ago for this holiday. Please check it out HERE and then come back and read the rest:




I believe in angels. And we met one on our Honeymoon in 2004. Her name was Bridget Keating and she was hand-picked by the BIG GUY himself to help us in our quest to locate family in Ireland.

We had been traveling in the area we thought was where Dan's family lived before they took the voyage over to America. We had information from Dan's dad from his visit in the 1950's and some family history; but what we didn't have was solid addresses or names. Who knew in that amount of time if any of them were still there; or for that matter, living?

We stopped at a cemetary near the small town of Cross in County Clare. The name "Cross" rang a bell with Dan so we figured we'd stop and take a look. We turned up no McGuire headstones and began getting discouraged and headed for the car. A lady was also in the cemetary and asked us if we needed any help. Help? That was an interesting question. We told her our names and who we were searching for. I still get goosebumps when I remember her answer:

"Ahhh.....yes...the McGuire's. I know of them. Yes. Mrs. Johanna McGuire Keane's son still lives in the area....come with me and we'll give them a call!" (Johanna would have been Dan's great aunt...which makes her son Dan's second cousin.)



Huh??? Is this really happening? Did we just meet a stranger in Ireland who knows Dan's family?



Our Angel takes us TO HER HOME and calls up the Keane residence. Mrs. Eithne Keane answers. Bridget explains that she thinks Sean Keane's relatives from American are visiting. I hear a gasp and a yell to her husband, under her breath saying "Oh, he'll curse the family tree for interrupting his yard work." LOL! Sean gets on the phone and he and Dan confirm the relationship. Sean is Dan's cousin! And we make plans to meet the next day! We could not believe our encounter with this generous stranger. She wants to make sure we know how to get to our meeting place for the following day and takes us to the Loop Head area pub, The Lighthouse Inn. We have a drink and snacks with her and her granddaughter, Evytte. She tells everyone in the pub we're relations to Sean Keane. People congratulate us and smile. Like we're really not just tourists...but REAL Irish people! Ha!



Our meeting with Sean and the rest of the family was just as amazing as how we came to know them. We really know what they mean when they say "The Luck of the Irish!"

Dan, Bridget, Evytte, and myself outside the LightHouse Pub.