With ancestry in Tipperary, Roscommon and Monaghan, Mary Anne Murray had lots to uncover.
We first met back in January 2022 when we chatted over Facetime about creating an IrelandXO account, from there she connected with the fantastic volunteer Mary D'Estelle-Roe living locally in Templemore, County Tipperary. With surnames like Russell and Bergin the research began straight away. Mary Anne first arrived in Ireland in May of 2022 from Iowa. she was looking to find relatives of Patrick Russell born March 16th 1825. Patrick was Mary Ann's GG maternal grandfather. She had a good bit of her research done already. Patrick came to America in 1839 with his father Edward Russell (1786 - 1865) settling in Iowa where Mary Ann still lives. His mother, Janna J Bergin tragically died in childbirth.
Local IrelandXO volunteer Mary D'Estelle Roe was on hand to welcome Mary Ann back to her ancestral hometown and even connected her with a third cousin who collected her from the airport on her second trip!.
Following the meet and greet Mary Ann wrote to us to say
'I am just the luckiest lady in Ireland! Mary and her husband CJ had done an incredible amount of work re my kin in Templemore. CJ saw to it I met Joseph and Johnnie (brothers in stocking cap) large sheep farmers, kin of mine. I thought I was in heaven! We went to graves and old properties of my kin too. An absolute dream come through'
Following her second trip in 2024 Mary Anne wrote;
My cousin,Peter Beatty from Roscommon picked me up in Dublin and I stayed @ their lovely homey in the country near Lanesboro. I was included in family activities celebrating an 80th Birthday Dinner Party and dancing and meeting more lovely people in Ireland! I went to Templemore to see Mary and CJ. Of Course, Mary was in her rare form and as welcoming as ever! CJ had tea and tart,Of Course! when she took me to their welcoming home. Mary found Ronan to research more of my Russell family.. He was able to figure out exactly where they would have lived and the church they were Baptized in. How lucky is this? I also was able to meet Margaret Hensey,( you got Margaret and I together in 2022 and she instructed me about the 2022 census,which I was included in!!!) Well, we finally met in person with Mary and we went to the Loughmore Cottage for tea and lunch!!!
Mary Ann is already planning her next trip to explore her great-great Madden Grandmother in County Mayo.