Building of Murdock, Minnesota – The featured photograph above is a view of the building of the second Sacred Heart Catholic Church, Murdock, Minnesota, circa 1920s. Men stand in their fine suits and hats on top of the new Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Murdock, Minnesota, during construction. The first church, wooden, was located directly behind, west, of the new brick church in Murdock. This photo is undated from the Swift County Historical Society, Benson, Minnesota. View a vertical version of historic image on a previous blog post. See below another view photo of construction and historic Murdock, Minnesota.
Audio from Swift County Historical Society talk posted
History and lunch – Jannet L. Walsh speaks about her family’s roots in Dublin Township in Swift County, Minnesota, and connections to Ireland. Photo used with permission by Tami Tagtow.
I’ve just published the next in a series of Dublin Diaries for July 15, 2022. This is an audio recording from the Brown Bag Lunch at the Swift County Historical Society in Benson, Minnesota, July 14, 2022. Topics of the talk include my Irish American family history in Minnesota, and roots in Ireland. Included also are tips for searching for your family roots.
Swift County Historical Society Brown Bag Lunch, July 14, 2022 – Learn more about museum and upcoming events.
Overview of talk
Opening remarks by Rev. Gary E. Mills, Th. D., Director – Rev. Mills, museum director, Swift County Historical Society, talks about the legacy of Archbishop John Ireland’s Catholic colonies in Swift County, Minnesota.
Irish genealogy search – Learn a few tips about how to gather family history.
Island of Ireland – Learn facts of invasion, famine, and emigration of the Irish people, including the Great Famine.
Archbishop John Ireland – Listen to my family’s story as pioneers in rural Minnesota as part of a mainly Irish colony started by the late Archbishop John Ireland in the late 1870s. Learn more about the colonies and Archbishop Ireland’s vision at my blog Father’s Day 2022, vintage 1953 Irish Kodachromes, also featured at IrishCentral. Read recent feature stories at IrishCentral.
Path from Ireland to North America– I share details about my family’s journey from Ireland, Canada, and eventually settling in rural Dublin Township, Swift County in Minnesota.
Double Cousins and more – Learn about my family’s double cousin legacy and more related to family history.
Forthcoming book – Learn details about forthcoming book on Irish family history. Read more at book page.
Historic photos of Murdock, Minnesota – View photos online at Swift County Historical Society website. More historic photos can be viewed online from Swift County, Minnesota.Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Murdock, Minnesota, during construction. The first church, right, wooden, was located directly behind, west, of the new brick church in Murdock. This photo was donated by C. L. Merryman, 1966, to the Swift County Historical Society, Benson, Minnesota. The date is unknown, circa 1920s.
Archbishop John Ireland, -1918, full-length portrait, seated, facing left. , ca. 1908. Photograph. Source: Library of Congress.
Dublin Diaries – I started the series a year ago, and paused the videos while working on my book. Dublin Diaries is about rural Dublin Township, Swift County, Minnesota, along with topics of searching for Irish American roots and more. The township is named in honor of early settlers from Ireland and the capital city of Dublin. You can learn about the series at the page for Dublin Diaries.
About the writer – Jannet L. Walsh, of Murdock, Minnesota, is a photographer, writer, and educator. She is the author of the forthcoming creative nonfiction quest narrative “Higgledy-Piggledy Stones: Family Stories from Ireland and Minnesota,” scheduled for publication in 2023 by Shanti Arts Publishing. She has compiled Irish Genealogy Toolkit, a list of resources for researching your Irish roots. You can follow Walsh on Facebook and Twitter, and her other social media channels.
Subscribe – Get updates on latest blogs and news from Jannet L. Walsh and her forthcoming book Higgledy-Piggledy Stones: Family Stories from Ireland and Minnesota, scheduled publication 2023, Shanti Arts Publishing.
I’ve just published the next in a series of videos called Dublin Diaries for July 10, 2022.
I started the series a year ago, and paused the videos while working on my book. Dublin Diaries is about rural Dublin Township, Swift County, Minnesota, along with topics of searching for Irish American roots and more. The township is named in honor of early settlers from Ireland and the capital city of Dublin. You can learn about the series at the page for Dublin Diaries.
About the writer – Jannet L. Walsh, of Murdock, Minnesota, is a photographer, writer, and educator. She is the author of the forthcoming creative nonfiction quest narrative “Higgledy-Piggledy Stones: Family Stories from Ireland and Minnesota,” scheduled for publication in 2023 by Shanti Arts Publishing. She has compiled Irish Genealogy Toolkit, a list of resources for researching your Irish roots. You can follow Walsh on Facebook and Twitter, and her other social media channels.
Subscribe – Get updates on latest blogs and news from Jannet L. Walsh and her forthcoming book Higgledy-Piggledy Stones: Family Stories from Ireland and Minnesota, scheduled publication 2023, Shanti Arts Publishing.
Jannet L. Walsh – Kerry Airport, near Killarney, County Kerry, Ireland, 2018
Upcoming Minnesota public event, July 14, 2022 – Speaking, in person, Swift County Historical Society, Benson, Minnesota – If you are in Minnesota, please join me at the Swift County Historical Society, Benson, Minnesota. I will be the guest speaker at the Brown Bag Lunch, Thursday, July 14, 2022, at noon to 1 p.m., admission free. Bring your own lunch if you desire, and enjoy the company of others in attendance.
I’ll be talking about my book, and Irish American roots in Dublin Township in Swift County, Minnesota. Please contact the Swift County Historical Museum for more details at their website. I’ve included a Google Map below.
Swift County Historical Society – 2135 Minnesota Ave, Benson, Minnesota
Building of second Sacred Heart Catholic Church, Murdock, Minnesota – Men stand in their fine suits and hats on top of the new Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Murdock, Minnesota, during construction. The first church, wooden, was located directly behind, west, of the new brick church in Murdock. This photo is undated, circa 1920s, from the Swift County Historical Society, Benson, Minnesota..
About the writer – Jannet L. Walsh, of Murdock, Minnesota, is a photographer, writer, and educator. She is the author of the forthcoming creative nonfiction quest narrative “Higgledy-Piggledy Stones: Family Stories from Ireland and Minnesota,” scheduled for publication in 2022 by Shanti Arts Publishing. She has compiled Irish Genealogy Toolkit, a list of resources for researching your Irish roots. You can follow Walsh on Facebook and Twitter, and her other social media channels.
Jannet L. Walsh Thursday, April 30, 2026 Murdock, Minnesota
You are cordially invited to attend the Authors Fair, posted by the Wadena City Library, Saturday, May 9, 2026, 10:30 am to 1:30 pm, 210 1st St SW, Wadena, Minnesota, 56482. See location and hours for Wadenda City Library branch website.
Subscribe – Get updates on latest news from Jannet L. Walsh and her forthcoming book Higgledy-Piggledy Stones: Family Stories from Ireland and Minnesota, scheduled publication 2023, Shanti Arts Publishing.
Grain elevator – The featured photograph above is a view of the Glacial Plains Cooperative grain elevator in Kerkhoven, Minnesota. The Kerkhoven Banner, a weekly newspaper in Kerkhoven, is located across the street from the grain elevator in rural Swift County, US Highway 12. The BNSF Railway runs the length of Kerkhoven, and next to the grain elevator.
“Local journalism exposes the soul of a community. How do people know who we are if we don’t tell the story?”
Theodore J. Almen, publisher and Editor, The Kerkhoven Banner
The weekly newspapers in rural towns across America are the storytellers of local communities. They are a source of news found in no other location, and might not be published online.
The Kerkhoven Banner, established in 1896, is a weekly print only publication serving the communities of Kerkhoven, Murdock, Sunburg, and Pennock, Minnesota. Their early staff wrote about the early settlers in Swift County in the late 1800s traveling by horse and cart to report the news. It’s been 126 years of continued serve in the rural central Minnesota agricultural region. Today you hold the newspaper printed with soy ink in your hands to read it.
About the writer – Jannet L. Walsh, of Murdock, Minnesota, is a photographer, writer, and educator. She is the author of the forthcoming creative nonfiction quest narrative “Higgledy-Piggledy Stones: Family Stories from Ireland and Minnesota,” scheduled for publication in 2023 by Shanti Arts Publishing. She has compiled Irish Genealogy Toolkit, a list of resources for researching your Irish roots. You can follow Walsh on Facebook and Twitter, and her other social media channels.
Subscribe – Get updates on latest blogs and news from Jannet L. Walsh and her forthcoming book Higgledy-Piggledy Stones: Family Stories from Ireland and Minnesota, scheduled publication 2023, Shanti Arts Publishing.
Vintage 1953 IrelandKodachrome slide, above – The featured photograph above was taken 1953 by the late Martin J. Walsh Jr. of Murdock, Minnesota. Details of the original Kodachrome slide include from my father: Friday May 15, 1953, tour of Liffey Valley and Blessington Lakes. Photo was taken near Curragh. The people are looking for shamrocks, County Kildare. My story about pointers for searching for Irish roots first appeared as a blog, and is now featured at IrishCentral. Learn more about the vintage 1953 Kodachrome slides at Father’s Day 2022 blog postat JannetWalsh.com, and the story at IrishCentral.
My top 10 tips for beginning your Irish genealogy search
Sweater Self Portrait – Jannet L. Walsh is wearing her moose sweater she stated knitting December 28 2021, at home during snow storm, finishing a month later. The knitting pattern is by designer Nazilia Zemdikhanova living on remote arctic island of Svalbard. The sweater design is called the Ural Moose. View photo at Instagram.
There were many resources I was not aware of when I really put my genealogy search into full swing about 2010. My story highlights 10 pointers to help jumpstart your family history story. Read story at IrishCentral.
About the writer – Jannet L. Walsh, of Murdock, Minnesota, is a photographer, writer, and educator. She is the author of the forthcoming creative nonfiction quest narrative “Higgledy-Piggledy Stones: Family Stories from Ireland and Minnesota,” scheduled for publication in 2022 by Shanti Arts Publishing. She has compiled Irish Genealogy Toolkit, a list of resources for researching your Irish roots. You can follow Walsh on Facebook and Twitter, and her other social media channels.
If you are searching for family Irish roots, it’s likely you’ll become part historian, storyteller, and mostly a detective of family antiquities. #Genealogy#Irishhttps://t.co/LGpCpEhVv0
Subscribe – Get updates on latest news from Jannet L. Walsh and her forthcoming book Higgledy-Piggledy Stones: Family Stories from Ireland and Minnesota, scheduled publication 2023, Shanti Arts Publishing.
Featured photo, Belfast, Northern Ireland, 1953 – Photograph by Martin J. Walsh Jr, of Murdock Minnesota, Kodachrome slide. Information written on slide – Belfast, Northern Ireland, outskirts of city, May 1953. Note: Slide heavily damages in the sky area. View blog about this vintage photograph.
I am sending out a summary of my blogs and other items related to my forthcoming book for the month of June 2022. If you missed something, here’s a few items below. Enjoy!
Upcoming Minnesota public event, July 14, 2022 – Speaking, in person, Swift County Historical Society, Benson, Minnesota – If you are in Minnesota, join me at the Swift County Historical Society, Benson, Minnesota. I will be the guest speaker at the Brown Bag Lunch, Thursday, July 14, 2022, at noon to 1 p.m., admission free. The custom is to bring your own lunch if you desire, and enjoy the company of others in attendance. I’ll be talking about my book, and Irish American roots in Dublin Township in Swift County, Minnesota. Please contact the Swift County Historical Museum for more details at their website.
Higgledy-Piggledy Stones book update – I am now working on a draft review of my creative nonfiction quest narrative book Higgledy-Piggledy Stones: Family Stories from Ireland and Minnesota. The publisher is Shanti Arts Publishing of Brunswick, Maine, with scheduled publication 2022. Learn more about my book at my website.
Irish Genealogy Toolkit – This month I curated a free list of resources called Irish Genealogy Toolkit, for seeking your Irish roots. You will find official websites from the government of Ireland, archives in United States, and numerous resources I used, or found of interest during my family history search. View at my website.
Blog, update on my father’s 1953 Kodachrome slides from Ireland, including Google Maps – View blog
Story, IrishCentral, Seeing Ireland through my father’s vintage Kodachrome images – View at IrishCentral
Blog, Father’s Day 2022, vintage 1953 Irish Kodachromes – View blog
Blog, Top 10 pointers to launch Irish genealogy search – View blog
Subscribe I invite you, if you haven’t already, to subscribe to my social media and website to receive notices when new blog posts are published. You can follow my blog posts at my website, please see my Social Media page.
About – Jannet L. Walsh, of Murdock, Minnesota, is a photographer, writer, and educator. She is the author of the forthcoming creative nonfiction quest narrative “Higgledy-Piggledy Stones: Family Stories from Ireland and Minnesota,” scheduled for publication in 2022 by Shanti Arts Publishing. She has compiled Irish Genealogy Toolkit, a list of resources for researching your Irish roots. You can follow Walsh on Facebook and Twitter, and her other social media channels.
Subscribe – Get updates on latest news from Jannet L. Walsh and her forthcoming book Higgledy-Piggledy Stones: Family Stories from Ireland and Minnesota, scheduled publication 2023, Shanti Arts Publishing.
Featured photo, Galway 1953, above – Photograph by Martin J. Walsh Jr, of Murdock Minnesota, Kodachrome slide. Information written on slide – A small village near Galway, May 14, 1953. Google Map details to photo above at Bohermore, Galway, Ireland are provided below.
My story about my late father Martin J. Walsh Jr., of Murdock, Minnesota, originally published on my blog on Father’s Day 2022. I shared his vintage 1953 Kodachrome images from his trip to Ireland. My story was featured on the Home, Roots, Irish American, and History pages of IrishCentral, June 27, 2022.
Update, June 28, 2022 – Since my story appeared on my blog and at Irish Central, I received messages from Luke Gerard Lanigan of Galway City, Ireland, Qualified Irish National Tour Guide with Destination Ireland Tours, specializing in tours related movie “The Quiet Man.” Lanigan wrote me noting he thought he knew the location of my father’s 1953 photo of the tour bus, main feature photo of story Seeing Ireland through my fathers vintage Kodachrome images.
Google Maps – Nearby location of Martin J. Walsh Jr.’s 1953 street and tour bus photographs in Ireland. Location is approximately 144 Bohermore, Galway, Ireland. View at Google Maps.
Today I have an exact, if not very good address where my late father Martin J. Walsh Jr. stood in 1953 to take the Kodachrome image with his 35mm camera. Lanigan suggests the nearby location is approximately 144 Bohermore, Galway, in County Galway, Ireland, the present-day location of Tonery’s Bar. Bohermore is an area of Galway, and it was the main road into the city from the east in medieval times.
As a side note, US President John F. Kennedy visited Galway, Ireland, June 29, 1963, ten years after my father. Learn more about Kennedy’s visit to Galway at Ireland Reaching Out website.
Vintage 1953 Kodachrome from Ireland – Photography by Martin J. Walsh Jr., of Murdock Minnesota, Information written on slide: Cong, Ireland, on Ashford Castle Grounds. Ruins of an old Abbey, May 14, 1953.
IrishCentral Contributor Jannet M. Walsh shares Kodachrome images from her father's 1953 trip to Ireland, which she says helps preserve her family's Irish heritage today.https://t.co/30iY8Nv14n
About the writer – Jannet L. Walsh, of Murdock, Minnesota, is a photographer, writer, and educator. She is the author of the forthcoming creative nonfiction quest narrative “Higgledy-Piggledy Stones: Family Stories from Ireland and Minnesota,” scheduled for publication in 2022 by Shanti Arts Publishing. She has compiled Irish Genealogy Toolkit, a list of resources for researching your Irish roots. You can follow Walsh on Facebook and Twitter, and her other social media channels.
Subscribe – Get updates on latest news from Jannet L. Walsh and her forthcoming book Higgledy-Piggledy Stones: Family Stories from Ireland and Minnesota, scheduled publication 2023, Shanti Arts Publishing.
Vintage 1953 IrelandKodachrome slide: The featured photograph above was taken in 1953 by the late Martin J. Walsh Jr. of Murdock, Minnesota. Details of the original Kodachrome slide include: Information written on slide: Friday May 15, 1953, tour of Liffey Valley and Blessington Lakes. Photo was taken near Curragh. The people are looking for shamrocks, County Kildare. Learn more about the vintage 1953 Kodachrome slides at Father’s Day 2022 blog postat JannetWalsh.com.
Collection of photos from the family of Jannet L. Walsh.
If you are searching for family Irish roots, it’s likely you’ll become part historian, storyteller, and mostly a detective of family antiquities.
My late father late Martin J. Walsh Jr. of Murdock, Minnesota, captured images with his 35mm camera and Kodachrome slide film of a group of tourists searching for shamrocks in County Kildare, Ireland in 1953, photo posted above. This collection of images is now part of my family’s heritage, and a way to connect to Irish culture. He was searching for hints of our family’s origins. There are incredible resources available today my father could never imagined available from the comfort of home and a computer in his hometown in rural Minnesota.
It doesn’t matter if have been searching for years for origins of your family, or just starting, there’s always room for a few new pointers. There were many resources I was not aware of when I really put my genealogy search into full swing about 2010. I curated a free listing of about 100 resources to help search called Irish Genealogy Toolkit found at my website as a result of my genealogy search.
Since the start of my quest to find Irish roots, many church documents from Ireland are now available for searching from your home free, along with a multitude of other resources. Below are ten pointers and resources to help launch a family history project today.
Galway 1953 – Photo by Martin J. Walsh Jr, of Murdock Minnesota, Kodachrome slide. Information written on slide: A small village near Galway. May 14, 1953.
1. Getting started with genealogy, church documents
It’s an overwhelming task to get started discovering family roots as you will become, without knowing, historian, storyteller, but most important, a detective searching for any artifacts ancestors left behind decades and hundreds of years ago.
Home and family, starting point – The best place to start is to inquire and gather any genealogy work that’s been done previously at home and with your family. You might be amazed, or disappointed, significant work has already been done. If you can’t find any previous work, you might be just the person your family needs, and is calling to become the storyteller for your clan.
Personal family search – Read an overview about how I launched my family Irish research at my website or at IrishCentral.
Video, National Archives, Ireland – Watch informative video at YouTube about Irish genealogy and documents from professional genealogist Nicola Morris at the National Archives, Dublin, Ireland. Hear it from a professional on starting an Irish genealogy search. If interested, view more videos YouTube channel of National Archives, Ireland.
Guide, workbook – The National Archives of Ireland created a website and workbook in 2016 geared towards school children to learn about family history. After reviewing the resources, I found many of the items apply to just about anyone with little to no knowledge of Ireland and genealogy, meaning most people starting a search for Irish roots. View the 2016 Family History website, and download a free workbook.
Irish Civil and Church documents: Roman Catholic, Church of Ireland, Presbyterian – Irish church and civil records from Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, Ireland, official Irish website, are available to search at no cost. As of March 1, 2022, more historic births, marriages, and deaths were added to the collection by the General Register Office, Ireland. There is no cost to use website resources. Read more on the additional records at IrishGenealogy.ie. Search for church documents at IrishGenealogy.ie.
Understand Irish Emigration, an overview – Read Irish Emigration History by Irial Glynn, 2012, posted at the University College Cork, Ireland, website.
2. Patience, and a lot of it
Trying to find pieces of history of your family might not happen overnight. Starting a genealogy search can be exciting and exhausting at the same time. I would find bits and pieces that would connect to other bits and pieces, and sometime not a connection at all. It’s a great task to undertake, but the results can be overwhelming.
I was propelled to find the origins of my family in Ireland the best I could, and achieved my goal, taking about 10 years. My real search started decades before when I was in college in the 1980s, typing term papers on an electric typewriter. Today you can sit at home and search for family records. We are living in an incredible time to connect the past with the present due to technology and the internet.
3. Start research at home, not Ireland
If you are thinking of flying to Ireland to start your family search, please think again. There are incredible resources to start searching now before going to the island of Ireland. Think of ways of putting together your story the best you can with names and dates of ancestors, cities, townlands, counties, and any details you can find before even packing your luggage, and selecting sturdy walking shoes.
If you need help with research, hiring a professional genealogist is always an option. There are many resources for genealogists, but look at qualifications with professional agencies, but there’s no guarantees. I’ve included several organizations to review for hiring a generalist, see heading of Professional genealogists, resources, code of ethics, at Irish Genealogy Toolkit.
A word to the wise, make sure you understand exactly what you are paying for before hiring a genealogist. Susan Riley, Ph.D., genealogist from Minnesota, notes it’s import to determine the genealogist’s credentials and experience; ask for work samples; insist on a written contract establishing goals, price of research, timetable; meet using video conferencing, such as Zoom, to clarify everything; and start a small, inexpensive project to see if the geologist is reliable.
4. Keep a notebook at hand
It’s important to keep a notebook dedicated to your search. Yes, a notebook! Write with a pen that’s archival quality and a notebook that sturdy and can be easily transported in your pocket, purse or backpack. Take notes of the people you meet, details of what you find. When your computer crashes, you will have notes to look at in the future, and will be something your descendants can use to uncover future details. I have several notebooks from search and travel, and access to family documents, such as letters, diaries, notebooks and more. Check to see what’s available within your family.
5. Genealogy guides, tools
There are numerous genealogy guides to search for online, but look for credible sources. If you must pay to read, move one. The National Archives in Washington, DC, has countless resources devoted to genealogy, including articles, finding aids, webinars, and other information. View Genealogy Resources and Reference Reports for Genealogy online at the National Archives.
6. Military, vital statistics, obituaries, graves, and cemeteries
Your dearly departed relatives, and their details, will point towards your goal of putting together a family history. It’s your task to find out what’s available. I’ve spent a lot of time visiting cemeteries looking for graves of my family in the United States and Ireland. I’ve accidentally found living relatives at cemeteries walking rows of graves searching for details on our family I didn’t know existed. Don’t be shy to spend hours walking in cemeteries, and visit with other people visiting cemeteries as you might be related, or learn something important.
Old newspapers are a great source to search for anything written about your family in the past. I found my family mentioned in numerous old newspapers stories when searching at my local historical society in Benson, Minnesota, Swift County Historical Society and Museum.
Go local – Consider inquiring at local city and county libraries and museums about available resources for genealogy, including old newspapers.
8. Subscription, non-subscription genealogy related search websites, social media Please check with local libraries, historical societies, and museums if they offer free access to Ancestry and other paid subscriptions for searching for genealogy. You might already have access in your city, county or state as part of public services and resources.
Ancestry, paid subscription, with free resources to read online
FamilySearch, paid subscription, with free resources
Search Facebook groups and other social media related to specific areas or counties in Ireland and topics. If your people are from County Kerry, a general themed Facebook group is Kerry is the best county in Ireland. There is an official Facebook page Ireland Family History, hosted by Tourism of Ireland, sharing tips and trivia to help find Irish family history.
9. Travel to Ireland
If you are ready to travel to Ireland, consider Ireland’s official tourism website, Ireland.com, with free resources related to maps, brochures, trip planning and more.
10. Nonprofit, Ireland Reaching Out (Ireland XO) There is a nonprofit organization helping welcome home Irish living in the Irish diaspora, people with ancestral roots to Ireland. I’ve not used this agency, but find their resources intriguing. Consider learning about Ireland Reaching Out (Ireland XO), a volunteer-based, non-profit initiative which builds vibrant, lasting links between the global Irish Diaspora and parishes of origin in Ireland. View a YouTube video about Ireland Reaching Out.
Video from Ireland Reaching Out – A Irish volunteer-based, non-profit initiative which builds vibrant, lasting links between the global Irish Diaspora and parishes of origin in Ireland. View video at YouTube.Crosstown Cottage, Killarney Ireland – Jannet L. Walsh, of Murdock, Minnesota, poses in front of Crosstown Cottage, near Killarney, County Kerry, Ireland, June 1, 2018, before heading to the railway station in Killarney. Walsh spent most of May 2018 living in the historic cottage researching and writing about her family’s Irish roots, connecting with local Irish culture and people. Photo by Olive Horgan.
Last bit of departing advice – Make time to get your genealogy detective work afoot. Best wishes in your searching to reconnect with your family roots! Jannet L. Walsh
About the author – Jannet L. Walsh, of Murdock, Minnesota, is a photographer, writer, and educator. She is the author of the forthcoming creative nonfiction quest narrative Higgledy-Piggledy Stones: Family Stories from Ireland and Minnesota, scheduled publication is 2023 by Shanti Arts Publishing. Follow Walsh on Facebook, Twitter, and her website.
Subscribe – Get updates on latest blogs and news from Jannet L. Walsh and her forthcoming book Higgledy-Piggledy Stones: Family Stories from Ireland and Minnesota, scheduled publication 2022, Shanti Arts Publishing.
1953 trip to Ireland by my father Martin J. Walsh Jr.
1953 IrelandKodachrome slide: The featured photograph above was taken in 1953 by the late Martin J. Walsh Jr. of Murdock, Minnesota. Details of the original Kodachrome slide include: Tour bus from Galway to Cong and return, at a small town stop, May 14, 1953. A photo gallery is included at the bottom of this post, along with notes from slides. See additional details also at bottom of story to the 1953 tour bus, along with Google maps.
1940s, Minnesota: Martin J. Walsh Jr.,(1924-2008), stands next to a Great Northern Railway caboose, circa 1940s.
Father’s Day is a time to honor our fathers, living and those no longer with us.
I wanted to share a little about my late father Martin J. Walsh Jr., (1924-2008), from Murdock, Minnesota, to honor him today on Father’s Day. My father spent his entire career working as a telegrapher and station manager for the Great Northern and Burlington Northern Railroad, 1943 to December 31, 1984. It was actually the same railroad, but the name was changed.
US Passport of Martin J. Walsh Jr., 1953.
When I was a little girl growing up in my hometown of Litchfield, Minnesota, my mother would drop me off at the train station when my father was working to make it easier for her to go grocery shopping and run other errands around town. I’d have a seat near the large window used by the station’s staff to watch the trains and other activity at the passenger station. In this late 1960s setting railroad and babysitting venue, I was drawing and making doodles on discarded train forms to keep me busy while my father was managing the railroad station, and me.
Glacier Park 1948 – My father posed for a photo in front of Glacier Park Lodge, East Glacier Park Village, Montana, as a young man in 1948. In 2016, tried to recreate a portrait similar to my father’s photos taken on Kodachrome slide film, mine with an iPhone. There is sunlight streaming down from the sky in my photo, but it’s nothing in comparison to my father’s photo in his dapper 1948 traveling clothing. Patricia McWilliams, a fellow Glacier Park Lodge guest from Texas, was very kind to take the photo of me with my iPhone. View photo posted at Instagram.
Glacier Park Lodge – Martin J. Walsh Jr. in at 1948, left, and daughter Jannet L. Walsh, 2016, standing near Glacier Park Lodge, East Glacier Park Village, Montana.
Photo Martin J. Walsh Jr, of Murdock Minnesota, Kodachrome, removed from mount for scanning: Information written on slide: Marty Walsh, Seaside, south of Belfast, May 1953. See more photos at online gallery.
First in family back to Ireland, 1953 Our family was part of a mainly Irish immigrant settlement in De Graff, located in rural Swift County, Minnesota, late 1800s. This was the first in a series of ten villages in five counties in western Minnesota established by the late Saint Paul Archbishop John Ireland, helping Irish Catholic families like mine escape from urban slums, and resettling in farmlands in rural Minnesota.
First home to Ireland – My father, Martin, nicknamed Marty to avoid confusion with his father, Martin J. Walsh Sr., made our family’s first known return trip home to Ireland in 1953, recording his adventures with Kodachrome color slides and his Clarus 35mm camera, leaving behind traces for me to follow in Ireland, England, and France.
My father would say when I was a child, and was telling stories of our family’s history and connection to the island of Ireland, “We are Archbishop John Ireland’s people.” It just happened to be the Archbishop’s last name was the same as the country my people left behind in the mid 1800s.
My family is one of the four thousand Catholic families Archbishop Ireland help resettle in west central and southwest Minnesota during the years of 1875-1885. Archbishop Ireland’s goals were to alleviate the perceived problems of nativist prejudice (anti immigrant), poverty, and loss of religion faced by urban Catholics (particularly Irish) on the east coast and poor Catholics still in Ireland by relocating them to low cost farmland in western Minnesota. Today I live just three miles from De Graff, in Murdock, Minnesota, in the same house my father was born in 1924. Learn more about the De Graff and the historic Church of St. Bridget at the United States Department of the Interior, National Park Service website. The Library of Congress in Washington, DC has a detailed presentation on Irish-Catholic Immigration to America to explore more details on immigration.
Dublin 1953 – Photo Martin J. Walsh Jr, of Murdock Minnesota, Kodachrome slide. Information written on slide: Dublin, Ireland. near Trinity College. Note the left hand drive. May 1953. Photo provided by Paul M. Walsh, see more at online gallery.
I imagine my father as a very proud young man with the incredible opportunity to see the homeland of his family in Ireland in 1953. He didn’t have a chance to locate the dirt farm roads I discovered in Townland Dromkerry, looking out at the Gap of Dunloe, the Lakes of Killarney, the MacGillycuddy’s Reeks and Purple Mountain ranges, some of the most beautiful views in all of Ireland.
Photos by Martin J. Walsh Jr., trip to Ireland, 1953
Photo Martin J. Walsh Jr, of Murdock Minnesota, Kodachrome slide. Information written on slide: Friday May 15, 1953. Tour of Liffey Valley, Blessing Lakes. Photo was taken near Curragh. The people are looking for Shamrocks, County Kildare.
Photo of Martin J. Walsh Jr., of Murdock, Minnesota, 1953. Information written on slide: Marty Walsh, Seaside, south of Belfast, May 1953.
Photo Martin J. Walsh Jr, of Murdock Minnesota, Kodachrome slide. Information written on slide: Belfast, Ireland, outskirts of city, May 1953. Note: Slide heavily damages in the sky area.
Photo Martin J. Walsh Jr, of Murdock Minnesota, Kodachrome slide. Information written on slide: Radio Train at Galway Ireland Station, May 14, 1953, damage due to being the first photo on the roll of film.
Photo Martin J. Walsh Jr, of Murdock Minnesota, Kodachrome slide. Information written on slide: A small village near Galway. May 14, 1953.
Photo Martin J. Walsh Jr, of Murdock Minnesota, Kodachrome slide. Information written on slide: Killarney Railway Station, May 19, 1953, Jaunting Cars getting ready to drive 3 miles through the park.
Photo Martin J. Walsh Jr, of Murdock Minnesota, Kodachrome slide. Information written on slide: Radio Train at Killarney. (Excursion Train) May 19, 1953.
Photo Martin J. Walsh Jr, of Murdock Minnesota, Kodachrome slide. Information written on slide: Limerick, Ireland, view from Railway Station, May 1, 1953.
Photo Martin J. Walsh Jr, of Murdock Minnesota, Kodachrome slide. Information written on slide: Tour Bus made a short stop here. A small village near Galway. May 14, 1953.
Photo Martin J. Walsh Jr, of Murdock Minnesota, Kodachrome slide. Information written on slide: Tour bus from Galway to Cong and return, at a small town stop, May 14, 1953.
Photo Martin J. Walsh Jr, of Murdock Minnesota, Kodachrome slide. Information written on slide: Dublin, Botanical Gardens. May 18, 1953.
Photo Martin J. Walsh Jr, of Murdock Minnesota, Kodachrome slide. Information written on slide: Killarney Lakes. May 19, 1953.
Photo Martin J. Walsh Jr, of Murdock Minnesota, Kodachrome slide. Information written on slide: Dublin. O’Connell Station. May 1953.
Photo Martin J. Walsh Jr, of Murdock Minnesota, Kodachrome slide. Information written on slide: View from Hotel window. Hotel Shelbourne, overlooking St. Stephens Green. May 1953.
Photo Martin J. Walsh Jr, of Murdock Minnesota, Kodachrome slide. Information written on slide: Marty Walsh, Taken in Saint Stephen’s Green, Dublin. It was taken after a rain. (my pockets full), May 16, 1953.
Photo Martin J. Walsh Jr, of Murdock Minnesota, Kodachrome slide. Information written on slide: Dublin, Ireland, near Trinity College. Note the left hand drive. May 1953.
Photo Martin J. Walsh Jr, of Murdock Minnesota, Kodachrome slide. Information written on slide: Motor Vehicles Not Allowed. Roadway through Killarney Lakes area. May 19, 1953. Note: This is the Gap of Dunloe, and the Black Valley region.
View more photos of Martin J. Walsh Jr., 1953, online gallery, Flickr.
It has been an honor to have had the opportunity to walk where my family walked and lived in Ireland, to catch any whispers of their voices from the difficult time in Ireland’s history, when people just survived day-by-day.
My father was one of the first to inspire me to learn of my family’s origins in Ireland, and our resettlement as immigrants to in rural Minnesota, first spending time in Canada. My curiosity eventually became a quest — to put together the pieces of my family’s history in Minnesota and Ireland. The result is my nonfiction book, Higgledy-Piggledy Stones: Family Stories from Ireland and Minnesota. It is scheduled for publication in 2022 by Shanti Arts Publishing.
Wishing everyone a wonderful Father’s Day in 2022!
Update, June 28, 2022 – Since this story appeared on my blog and Irish Central, I received messages from Luke Gerard Lanigan of Galway City, Ireland, Qualified Irish National Tour Guide with Destination Ireland Tours, specializing in tours related movie “The Quiet Man.” Lanigan, originally from Dublin, wrote me noting he thought he knew the location of my father’s 1953 photo of the tour bus, main feature photo of story Seeing Ireland through my fathers vintage Kodachrome images.
Google Maps – Nearby location of Martin J. Walsh Jr.’s 1953 street and tour bus photographs in Ireland. Location is approximately 144 Bohermore, Galway, Ireland. View at Google Maps.
Today I have an exact, if not very good address where my late father Martin J. Walsh Jr. stood in 1953 to take the Kodachrome images with his 35mm camera. Lanigan suggests the nearby location is approximately 144 Bohermore, Galway, in County Galway, Ireland, the present-day location of Tonery’s Bar. Bohermore is an area of Galway, and it was the main road into the city from the east in medieval times. View map below, or view at Google Maps in 360 degree views.
As a side note, US President John F. Kennedy visited Galway, Ireland, June 29, 1963, ten years after my father. Learn more about Kennedy’s visit to Galway at Ireland Reaching Out website.
About the writer – Jannet L. Walsh, of Murdock, Minnesota, is a photographer, writer, and educator. She is the author of forthcoming creative nonfiction quest narrative Higgledy-Piggledy Stones: Family Stories from Ireland and Minnesota, scheduled publication is 2023 by Shanti Arts Publishing. Follow Walsh on Facebook and Twitter.
Subscribe – Get updates on latest blogs and news from Jannet L. Walsh and her forthcoming book Higgledy-Piggledy Stones: Family Stories from Ireland and Minnesota, scheduled publication 2023, Shanti Arts Publishing.
I’m just back from the Good Place, or Minong, located in the middle of Lake Superior.
Just off the North Shore of Lake Superior near Grand Portage, Minnesota, not far from the Canadian border, there’s an island humans have been visiting for about the last 4,500 years. Minong, meaning the Good Place in the Ojibwa language, is an ancient name for Isle Royale, an archipelago, and part of the ancestral land of the Grand Portage Band of Lake Superior Chippewa, commonly known as the Grand Portage Anishinaabe, or Ojibwe.
Video – I’ve created a video to share my experience. I estimate I had about 10 to 12 encounters with moose, all cows and calves, no bulls, during my visit to Isle Royale. Learn more about Isle Royale National Park at the National Park Service website.
I was camping and hiking at Isle Royale National Park, Michigan, a wilderness island, Aug. 25-31, 2021. I took the Voyageur II ferry from Grand Portage, Minnesota, to Windigo, the nearest location of the island to Minnesota. I spent my days writing, photographing and exploring nature, especially enjoying visits with resident moose. As all good things must come to and end, I returned to the mainland glad to stand firmly on the shores of Lake Superior in Grand Portage.
About the writer – Jannet L. Walsh, of Murdock, Minnesota, is a photographer, writer, and educator. She is the author of forthcoming creative nonfiction quest narrative Higgledy-Piggledy Stones: Family Stories from Ireland and Minnesota, scheduled publication is 2023 by Shanti Arts Publishing. Follow Walsh on Facebook and Twitter.
Subscribe – Get updates on latest blogs and news from Jannet L. Walsh and her forthcoming book Higgledy-Piggledy Stones: Family Stories from Ireland and Minnesota, scheduled publication 2022, Shanti Arts Publishing.
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