I must say, however, the word “diaspora” in the preface of his book sent me scrambling for the meaning. The word was contained in the sentence, “This genealogy and family history exemplifies the Irish diaspora of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.”

I found that the online dictionary (www.dictionary.com) defines “diaspora” as: “A dispersion of a people from their original homeland.. . . A dispersion of an originally homogeneous entity, such as a language or culture: the diaspora of English into several mutually incomprehensible languages.’ (Randolph Quirk).” (Wonder if Randolph Quirk is any relation to Terry Quirke?)

Dr. Quirke’s extensive research, culminating in his most scholarly family history book, should be an inspiration to all genealogists.

Joan Hollingsworth