Send Kiely a Real Postcard! .....Local Ireland
Sound version out soon!
JUST
AWARDED FOUR SHAMROCKS BY THE 
IRISH DIRECTORY.
Newsletter
. . . Subscribe below.
At least 100,000 Welcomes to you all.
Christmas Issue.
December 19th. 2000
Hi and welcome once again to all of you from in and around the County of Waterford, whether by birth, ancestry or adoption, who regularly tune in here, to read your interactive Waterford and County newsletter with a few of Kiely's comments thrown in just for good measure.
Sorry its been just over a month since we last met, but having had two floods in and out of my cottage during November and another one on the first of December, everything has had to be moved upstairs,has been a hassle to say the least, but God is good and always brings good from adversity even down here in the 'soggy' South East.
This issue will be a little shorter than usual, but hopefully
in the new year, things will all get back into overdrive once
again. 
I would like to wish all of you a Happy Christmas, during this season of goodwill to all.
As this first year of a brand new century draws to a close, did you think that Y2000 was an extra fast year a passin', or was it just Kiely's imagination playing tricks?
Perhaps the beginning of the year was so dragged out with Millennium celebrations it just made it seem that way!
Dont forget to check out Kiely's website where I will shortly be leaving a special message for all my regular readers.
http://kielyscomments.tripod.com or simply www.kielyscomments.com will also take you there.
Thanks to all of you who have signed my guestbook over the last few months or sent me real snail mail postcards and even a few dollars during the last 12 months.. All the best to you all for 2001.
But first...... Tracing your roots is always fun, especially if you get the chance to see proof of your ancestors. A bit like being a detective like Sherlock Holmes at times.
Recently Kiely met Sister Anne Walsh from the USA who had the thrill of seeing the original parish records of her great grandparents which were recorded just before the Great Famine when the family packed up and left for America.
RELIGIOUS ROOTS! ...... 
3x photos
At the end of last Saturday's 10am morning Mass, Canon Thomas Nugent welcomed Ursuline nun,Sr. Anne Walsh (67) from New York to Lismore, the home of her Great-Grandparents, William Walsh and Margaret Ahearne from Deerpark who had emigrated to the USA during the Great Famine.
Two of her Great Grandparent's three children, Maurice and John Walsh, were born and baptised in the original St. Carthage's Catholic Church in Chapel Street, a much simpler church in those days than the beautiful Lombardo- Romanesque cathedral designed by Cork Architect, Walter Doolan in 1860s which now stands on the same spot.
After the Mass, Canon Nugent invited Sr. Anne into the sacristy to examine one of the original parish record books which contained the baptism record of her grand-uncle Maurice Walsh who was baptised on November 15th. 1845.
'As the Canon showed me the hand-written record of the baptism of Maurice, whose God parents were, Abina Donnell and John Corbett from Lismore, it made me feel very emotional,'said Sr.Anne who first entered religious life as a nun in 1955.
'During my research into my family tree I came across Maurice's grave in the USA and found out that he had entered a Baltimore seminary to study for the priesthood quite young but came out and died at only 25 years of age,' Sister added.
' My grandfather William, (Maurice's brother) was born in Honesdale, Pennsylvania, he married Bridget Martin also from the USA , and they had five children. 3 sons, and 2 daughters.
'Two of their sons Francis W. and Joseph,were priests in New
York and their third son John Walsh was my father. 
'Their two daughters married, and became Mrs Corcoran and Mrs Dwyer. (my aunts)'
'Mrs Corcoran had five children.(my first cousins) Two entered religious life, her son, Father Jack who became a Maryknoll missionary and Anne her daughter who became a Marymount Sister.'
'My father John Walsh married Margaret O'Hanley from Nova Scotia and they had eleven children of which I am the youngest.'remarked Anne.
'The oldest, my brother, Fr. John who became a Jesuit priest, died suddenly last April and I still very sad over his death,' added Sr.Walsh, who still has two brothers and two sisters living and loads of nieces nephews, and grandnieces and grandnephews.
On this, her first visit to Lismore, Sister Walsh stayed at
the Power's Guest House in 
Deerpark which must have
added to her nostalgia for the place of her ancestors who left
here so many years ago in search of a new life.
Sr. Walsh who returns to the States in mid December would like to pass on her thanks to all those who helped her trace her relatives in Lismore, including Rev. Canon Thomas Nugent , and the ex-curate of the parish, Fr.Michael Walsh.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Hi to Tom McGrath in New York......
(Photo: Tom at work.)
Hi to Tom McGrath over in New York who recently gave Kiely's
website a mention on his 'Tipperary Irish Show' even if he did
get the URL a little mixed up. 
I always thought the Guinness over in the USA was not as strong as ours here, even if they do color it green for St Pat's day, so perhaps Tom had a very late night before his early Sunday morning radio show!!
Still, Tom did play a song about Dungarvan and at least that's in the right county! You can listen to him on www.irishradio.com
A web-site well worth checking if you have Waterford roots is www.wlrfm.com which is growing rapidly in popularity by the day.
One of Kiely's regular Readers, Betty Prendergast over in Sudbury, Mass, USA, took Kiely's advice a few weeks back and signed the station's guestbook competition winning herself a prize of some Waterford Crystal, and a mention and her photo in my newspaper column, called Kiely's Comments, published weekly in the Dungarvan Observer. -------------------------------------------------------
E. and Fe-MAILS!
Due to the chaos after my house floods, the section about Emails is once again carried forward to next time. Thanks to all who wrote etc..Replies will be sent soon. I have tried to email as many of you as possible privately in answer to your letters, keep em coming!
So finally,finally, finally.....
Thanks once again to all who subscribed, signed the guestbook, sent real postcards or emailed or left voice messages..and as they say down this way.. Thanks a million!
See 'ya all next year. God bless, Pat.
If you send your feedback to kiely@quios.com my mobile phone will remind me when it arrives.. I always find your feedback most encouraging....
Sound version of this newsletter out soon.
Archives.......
COMMENTS ISSUE 64......COMMENTS ISSUE 65.....COMMENTS ISSUE 66. COMMENTS ISSUE 67 COMMENTS ISSUE 68....ISSUE 69
Sound version of issue 66 on Real Player
See 'ya all next week. God bless, Pat.
.All material and images (copyright) Pat Kiely Lismore, Ireland 1999-2000