This book is a personal monologue written about the times and characters of those who make up my genealogy. It is also an autobiography or, more precisely, a personal memoir. While the genealogy is as complete as I could make it, the autobiographical memoirs are not. Apart from my involvement in Irish affairs, I have limited myself largely to my childhood and very early manhood. The family and personal anecdotes will be found to be variously delightful, sad, humorous or interesting. The book's more serious undercurrent traces the reluctance of my ancestral line to embrace any identification...