Leitrim-Roscommon

The reunion committee researched endless possibilities for both a June or a fall 2008 Ireland reunion. Due to the current economy and the decreased value of our American dollar, with many of the costs based on the euro, it was impossible to arrange a program of value worthy of the trip. We have been forced to consider an alternate date in 2009. We are tentatively exploring the last week in June 2009 for the reunion in Ireland, but we are open to suggestions from members regarding the dates. It is our sincere hope that the economy will improve and allow us to plan the quality of trip we have in mind. Watch for the fall newsletter for the exciting details. If you have suggestions (speakers, topics, day trips, etc) and/or are interested in joining the planning committee for the 2009 Reunion in Ireland, please email ballykilcline@verizon.net or call Cassie Kilroy Thompson at 301-854-0864. We look forward to making this reunion worthy of the wait!

During the upcoming year, in addition to planning the Ireland Reunion, we have set a goal to organize and broaden our records aquisitions, in order to make these records more readily available to our members, especially those who are seeking information about their ancestors in the North Roscommon County/Kilglass Parish areas surrounding the Ballykilcline townland. We have begun the process of digitizing a Ballykilcline Family Tree by including the genealogy of our members who are willing to share that information with other members, in particular to look at the inter-marriages of the Ballykilcline evictees and their descendants in the US and else where. If you have suggestions for other records that we should look into, ideas about web page or database access for our records, or you have the talent to help us improve the accessibility of the information held by the Ballykilcline Society, please contact Cassie Kilroy Thompson at cassiekt@verizon.net or 301-854-0864. Any genealogy information that you would like to see included in the Ballykilcline Family Tree should also be sent to Cassie - GEDCOM format is preferred as that can be imported to any family tree software. If you need help getting your information from your family tree program into a GEDCOM format, please email Cassie at cassiekt@verizon.net. GEDCOM files or text files with your family tree information (as well as any photographs that you want attached to the family tree), can be emailed to ballykilcline @verizon.net or mailed to Cassie Kilroy Thompson, 13310 Wicklow Place, Clarksville, MD 21029.

see also www.ballykilcline.com for more information

The Ballykilcline Society is pleased to announce the dates of the 2009 Reunion to be held once again in Texas, Maryland. June 18 through June 21, 2009 have been reserved at the Holiday Inn (formerly Days Hotel) in Timonium (Texas), Maryland. The opportunity presented by the archaeology and history project at the village of Texas was the deciding factor in holding another reunion in Texas (the site of our 2007 reunion). Dr. Stephen Brighton, the lead archaeologist on the project, will provide opportunities for members of the Ballykilcline Society to work on the dig, and to tour the huge limestone and marble quarries where many of our ancestors may have worked. Cassie Kilroy Thompson, the Texas Maryland Project historian as well as the President of the Ballykilcline Society, is busy securing speakers, entertainment, and guests of honor for the reunion events (Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley has penciled us in!). Derek Warfield, the legendary Irish performer and founder of the Wolfe Tones, has graciously agreed to entertain us at the Reunion! (See more at http://www.derekwarfield.com/)

The reunion activities will be held in conjunction with The Friends of Texas Maryland, the Center for Heritage Resources at the University of Maryland, and the Historical Society of Baltimore County. A number of our members have published books related to Ballykilcline and surrounding areas, including Peter Duffy, author of “The Killing of Major Dennis Mahon”, who has agreed to speak on his book and the research process. Cassie Kilroy Thompson will present her research on the evictees (from Ballykilcline & nearby areas) who came to Baltimore County, Maryland, and the search for the remaining “Lost Children of Ballykilcline”. Dr. Brighton will present the plans and preliminary findings for the archaeology of Texas. A panel discussion on researching historical records and other primary sources has been proposed, along with a presentation on the state of the records held by the Ballykilcline Society, and planning for future projects. Day trips to the National Archives, the Mormon library, and other places of interest in the Washington, D.C. area have been suggested, and more ideas are certainly welcome. Other concurrent activities to be considered include a golf outing (this event would need a coordinator who actually golfs), and a trip to Six-Flags Adventure Park (for those family members who might not get as excited about family history as some of us do). The feedback of our members is important, so please let us know what other things would make this visit to the Baltimore Washington area worthwhile. As the plans for the events become finalized, members will be updated through the IRL-Ballykilcline listserv at rootsweb, the Leitrim-Roscommon bulletin board, and special mailings. Please contact Cassie Kilroy Thompson at ballykilcline@verizon.net with questions, suggestions, or to assist in event planning.