Originally from Tipperary, I lived in Ireland until my mid-twenties before leaving to travel around Australia. I stopped off in London on the way and it took a while to get any further. I did eventually make it to Australia, but London has remained my base ever since.
Always interested in Irish history, living away from Ireland gave me an interest in what happened to the Irish who left: where they went, what they did, and the traces they left behind.
That interest eventually turned into books.
The Irish Continent came out of a seven-month journey through South America, where I discovered the often-surprising Irish connections to the continent. In Searching for San Patricio, I follow the same trail further north, through the southern United States and Mexico, uncovering the often-overlooked history of the Irish in territories that once formed part of the Viceroyalty of New Spain.
IrishFootprint grew out of those journeys: a place to explore the stories, people and unexpected connections that make up the history of the Irish abroad.
There are Irish stories almost everywhere. This is my attempt to find some of them.