Page 20 - WDT MAGAZINE IRELAND ISSUE WINTER 2018
P. 20
About Discovering Ireland
ur recent adventure in Ireland was the result of begged the question: What happened to the farm and
converging events. the James family members who stayed in Ireland?
O My wife Mary and I had recently had DNA And where did the James family come from in the first
tests, and both of us had a bit of Irish in our results. place?
I dusted off the family tree and, with the help of my About this time two other events added momentum
family historian brother, traced the James family line for a visit the Emerald Isle. First, at a presentation by
directly to a farm on the outskirts of Derry or London- Tourism Ireland showcasing the beautiful Wild Atlantic
derry, depending upon your politics. We learned that Way, I mentioned my family’s ties there and a desire
our great-grandfather and one of his brother immigrat- to learn more. They said they would be glad to help in
ed to the United States in 1852 leaving his father and that quest if I traveled to Ireland. The icing on the cake
their oldest brother Rankin to run the farm. All of this was that our prefered cruise line, Celebrity, offered
20 WDT MAGAZINE WINTER 2018
