I recently had a conversation with Mike Feerick, the founder of the Irish Diaspora website Ireland Reaching Out. An Irish-based charity, it has 120,000 members worldwide, and provides a free service helping the Irish Diaspora aboard to connect with their parishes/local communities of origin in Ireland. Mike (like myself) was born abroad, but grew up in Ireland with a fascination about the Irish who emigrated–and also a keen interest in those who fought in the American Civil War.
Mike and I discussed a project which I wanted to share with readers, and to canvass potential interest in being involved. Ireland Reaching Out is hoping to set up a team of volunteers that will seek to identify the parishes of Irish origin for Irish veterans of the Civil War. It is hoped that it will provide a means of highlighting their participation, as well as promoting awareness of what they did among their relatives and descendants in Ireland.
As Mike explains, by profiling Irish participants in the Civil War through the “Chronicles” section of the Ireland Reaching Out website, this free genealogical record can be built upon by volunteers in both America and Ireland – with the latter in a position to connect and profile veterans’ families and descendants on the island. For the full story to be told, the narrative from both countries has to be uncovered.
Ireland Reaching Out are proposing to create a steering committee for the project and are looking for volunteers. Ireland Reaching Out is an Irish government funded project with a full-time staff of five dedicated to developing programmes celebrating the lives of Irish people and those of Irish heritage abroad.If you think you might be interested in coming on board, please email info@irelandxo.com and they will be in contact.
I think this has the potential to be a really exciting project, and would be interested to hear reader’s thoughts. Please do contact Mike and his team if you think you would be interested in becoming involved– and feel free to share word of this far and wide!
Helen O'Brien DiPilato
July 26, 2019 6:58 pmI’m so excited to hear about this project. The only ancestor I have yet to find a county for in Ireland is my Civil War Veteran. I’ve been researching for 25 years yet Daniel Hurley remains a mystery. I know he is from Munster as my DNA points to Munster roots only. I suspect Waterford but Cork might be a possibility. I have his papers from NARA.
Daniel’s name is on the Civil War monument in Worcester,MA. Professor Linda Hixon of WSU had her students research the names on the monument. She was kind enough to gift me a copy of the book. Sadly I had more information than the student.
Daniel died in Harpers Ferry, VA in 1964. He fought with the 34th MA Infantry. Saddest of all, he left a wife and 4 children under the age of 7. The Hurley’s were by far the saddest of my Irish immigrant families.
I look forward to your new project, thanks for the time and effort this project will entail.
Best regards,
Helen O’Brien DiPilato
Joe Maghe
July 26, 2019 9:24 pmWhat a grand project this is. If I could be of any help from here in the States I would be very willing to lend a hand . There are countless numbers of Irish-born soldiers who fought here during our American Civil War that I have been unable to learn very much of their birthplace. I have had some successes but many more just general terms of being born in Ireland with no other information given.
Patty Giroult
July 27, 2019 2:39 amI would love to volunteer to help. I am in PA. Thanks so much. My great great grandfather and great great uncle, both from Ireland fought in the Civil War.
Chuck Real
July 27, 2019 5:27 pmHave sent off a note to Mike. I am also a member of Ireland Reaching Out. My family had two Irish brothers who served in the American Civil War with one killed at Shiloh.
Patricia Roth
August 5, 2019 3:52 pmBeen interested in this for a very long time. Have Irish ancestors living in Utica at the time and dying to know if one of them were involved.
Jo W.
August 18, 2019 8:42 pmThis is of great interest to me. I’m in England, UK and my mom is from Dublin. Her great great grandfather left for the USA in the early 1860s leaving behind an infant son and we have no further information about what happened to him. He didn’t return. His name was John Johnston and he came from Dun Laoghaire, then known as Kingstown. I’ve found records in the military that could possibly be him, but cannot be sure as they just list ‘Ireland’ as his place of birth. This site is fantastic, thank you.
irishacw
September 30, 2019 7:43 amHi Jo,
That is a fascinating story- not an unusual story unfortunately. Have you ever checked pension records to see if there are any matches?
irishacw
September 30, 2019 7:43 amHi Jo,
That is a fascinating story- not an unusual one unfortunately. Have you ever checked pension records to see if there are any matches?
Mick MacNamara
August 23, 2019 10:31 amMy great grandfather peter Cavanagh, of Cappincur, Tullamore served in the US army from August 1860 to 1 July 1867 when he was discharged in Vancouver WA. He made his way home and married Margaret Tiernan from Rahugh, Kilbeggan. He had 2 daughters and died in 1871 from TB. He was an artillery man and fought in MO, TN, MS, AL, GA, LA to his final battle at Nashville. He started his was at Camp Jackson St Louis on 10 May 1861 and ended at Nashville. Then went, via Central American to San Francisco and later Vancouver WA. He was close, for much of the war, to General Tom Sweeny, the Fenian and Corkman, and he had originally came south to St Louis with Sweeny. Widow lived to 1930 and had a pension from 1890. His gravestone is in the old cemetery in Cappincur.