Raven Hair and Emerald Eyes

For some of us March 17th is not just a day to wear a little of the green, buy a pot of shamrocks or dance a jig...

To me it is an opportunity to pay homage to my Irish ancestry. Pattison, Purdy, Rodgers... names deep in the roots of the Emerald Isle are abundant on my maternal side.

Some arrived early in this continent's history dating from the 1600's. Settling across the land, adapting their farming skills and spreading rich heritage as they went.

A group seeking refuge from the devastating disaster known as the Irish Potato Famine arrived later. From 1845 to 1852 over a million souls perished in their homeland and a million more emigrated to far off lands. Many poor and diseased, died at sea. So terrible were the horrors aboard ship they were referred to as the coffin ships.


Grosse-Ile at the mouth of the St. Lawrence is the final resting place of over 6,000 Irish people.The Celtic Cross erected in their memory reads "... to the sacred memory of thousands of Irish who, in order to preserve their faith, suffered famine and exile and victims of typhus, ended their sorrowful pilgrimage here comforted and strengthened by Canadian priests. Those who sow in tears reap in joy."

One such young lass who made the journey with her parents was still a babe in arms. Raven haired and emerald green eyes she was born December 25, 1845 in Cork County, Ireland.


Much to the pleasure of the young man seated beside her, Joseph took Mary Flynn to be his wife in 1869.

The picture shown is all that remains of Mary Flynn, except for the blood that flows through my veins...