Research focus

My research focuses on how Mohill and other small rural towns developed in the aftermath of the Famine.

I am especially interested in ordinary people, their work, income, way of life. I am also interested in the impact of emigration and the role of diaspora remittances in sustaining rural communities.

Historian

I am a regular speaker at academic conferences and local history societies and use a range of approaches to engage people in history, from film-making to guided trails, to digital storymapping. I also speak at family events to provide context for their emigrant story.

In my heritage consulting work, I work with families to tell their story, going beyond genealogy and family trees to provide contextual, personalised stories that bring the past to life >>>.

This website, the various articles and the books are labours of love. All have emerged from research conducted over decades. I do try to maintain the website, but please excuse any errors or out-of-date links.

Please feel free to contact me. And if you'd like to read more than the articles here, please do buy the book.