CEMETERY TOUR - Saturday, September 24 at 10 am

Our annual tour of the St Patrick Cemetery will be on September 24 at 10 am.  As has been past practice we begin with the AOH dedication of stones of forgotten Irish immigrants as part of their Mercy Drive program.  Donna Reedy and the AOH have taken on the task of remembering forgotten Irish who are interred in the cemetery in this yearly memorial.  The tour starts immediately after and takes about an hour to 90 minutes.  This year we will be honoring some of the Irish Civil War veterans and visit some new stones that you may have passed before.  The story of the Irish during the CW is fascinating.  Blog readers know we have been doing research to remember these soldiers and honor them in this 150th anniversary year.  We will also place a stone taken from Hugh Cummiskey's homestead into his burial site.  Hugh will rest in a bit of earth of County Tyrone. 

I started giving tours 16 years ago.  I was but a young lad at the time.  I was thinner, had more hair, and more energy.  Catherine and John Goodwin used to join in.  Some folks come out yearly and could probably give the tour themselves.  For those who have asked, the AOH has reprinted the cemetery book onto a CD.  All proceeds will go to helping restore the stones.  All rights have been handed over to them, so that we can start restoration.  By the way the tour goes out rain or shine so maybe I will have a chance to show off my Wellies!  Please pass on the cemetery tour info.  Every year we get calls and emails weeks after the tour asking when it will take place.  We send out plenty of notices and pay the Sun for advertising, but it just seems to pass folks by.  So, spread the word.

Don't forget the Lowell Cemetery is also giving their tours in September.  If you haven't been go.  What a great way to cover the history of early Lowell. 

Walter and I are becoming consumes with the search for the Cummiskeys.  We just spent a wonderful day in the Boston Public Library looking at faded microfilm of old newspapers.  Walter gave up his day off in search of Hugh2.  yes, I did say Hugh2.  Turns out there were Hughs 3 and 4 and maybe more.  Like my own family, they had no imagination in naming their children.  They had a few names and stuck with them through the century. 

There was a great article in the Globe.  Thanks to Dave Raddigan for his interest.  Follow the link: http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2011/09/08/students_digging_in_lowell_ireland_for_connections_to_history/