Austin O'Donovan.com

          As one member of the O'Donovan clan that made the trip to Boston from Ireland to celebrate the second gathering of our clan in over two thousand years. No one was more dissapointed than myself at the very poor attendance of clan members that showed up. I counted five that I knew who came from Skibbereen in County Cork. My wife Noreen and I were the only ones who travelled to Boston from Limerick City Ireland.

          Boston as everyone knows is the home of many Irish people in America. I suppose that's why it was chosen to host the second O'Donovan Clan Gathering in over 2000 years, that was a mistake in my opinion. As an Irish man myself from what I observed during the five day event made me realise that the only place to have our clan gathering is in Ireland. To hold it in any county in Ireland would be better that holding it any country outside Ireland.

          Most people that I spoke to only wanted to talk about Ireland and where their decendants came from in Ireland, often going two or three generations back. The questions I was asked led me to believe that Ireland should always be the place to hold our clan gatherings in the future. Preferrably in Munster as the clan originated there. Cork had it's turn to host the first one ever in 2000, and they did a great  job of it.

          Now Limerick should get a turn after all our clan originated in Bruree in County Limerick, and they lived there until the ninth-century.  Ireland would always be a more attractive setting to hold an Irish clan gathering than any other place I know in this world. I'm sure Clan members that I spoke to, would prefer to be in the locality where the O'Donovan clans lived for hundreds of years, rather than being in a strange country talking about it and where they came from.

          Ireland is a small country and most places that would be of interest to clan members are only a short distance from one another. Apart from enjoying the beautiful country side of Ireland and travelling the roads that our forefathers travelled before us. In my opinion there is nothing more exciting than being where it all began for our ansestors. What better place to do it in, than where it all happened in good old Ireland. 

For info on the last gathering log on:-www.donovansweb.com/~ewhistle

Jeremiah O'Donovan Rossa (1831-1915) founded the Phoenix Society, a literary group, in Skibbereen, Co. Cork in 1856. He also later worked as a business editor of "The Irish People" newspaper and in 1865 he was arrested because of his political activites. In 1871 he started a paper called "The United Irishman" in the United States. He died in America in 1915.

The stamp features a drawing of Jeemiah O'Donovan Rossa, based on a photograph by A.H. Poole, which is now in the National Library of Ireland.

William John Leech (1881- 1968 was born in Dublin and studied art at the Metropolitan School of Art and at the Royal Hibernian Academy, Dublin. He is considered one of Ireland's most original artists and the stamp features an oil painting by entitled "Railway Embankment".

The Irish Post Office issued two new postage stamps in two denominations - 15p and 30p-on Monday 31st August 1981. The 15pdenomination will commemorate the 150th anniversary of the birth of Jeremiah O'Donovan Rossa; the 30p denomination will be the 13th stamp in the Contemporary Irish Art series.