|
As I write this email I'm based in Chicago. I'll be here
for another few
months before taking up a new assignment in Burma. On and off
during the past few months I've gone to the Ballinacree website to see
if there is anything new around home, or even just to check to see if
any of the neighbours died in recent weeks. The website takes on a new
significance when you are living on the shores of Lake Michigan rather
than near Lough Sheelin. And I suppose that is what makes me write this note. There are so many of us who grew up in
Ballinacree and the surrounding areas who are now scattered all over
Ireland and the world. I have never again heard of some of the people who emigrated while I was going to school in Ballinacree.
And there are many more who went later on, or whose families moved away
from the area and they just 'disappeared.' Modern
technology has given us an incredible new possibility to meet each other
again. It is good to see that some people have taken advantage of
that. It would be great to see a lot more do it. We could start
off by saying who we are, when we left, where we are now and mentioning
some of the things that are different in the place where we are compared
to home. It would also be nice to see some of those who have gone away, and those who now live in other parts of
Ireland share some stories or memories from the past. I'd love to see
that kind of section added to the website. Finally I'd like to
thank Anne Briody for keeping the website 'in the air' for all of us.
Alo Connaughton
December 2003
 
|
