19th century Ireland was a
poor place and very few people, when they died, had any
kind of a permanent memorial in a graveyard to celebrate
their life and mark their passing. Most families were of
very modest means and headstones, being expensive, were
not considered.
Often, your ancestor’s last resting place would have
been marked only by a small rock onto which was scratched
his or her name. The wind and rain soon carried the name
away. They lived on for a while in the memory of those
who knew and loved them but once they too passed on, the
memory died with them. Many of us have spent years
first tracking down our ancestors and then learning more
about them, where and when they were born and how they
lived and died. You will understand when I say, that
where once we only had names on a page, these names have
now become very real people again. We want their names
and their story to live on for future generations.
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