Our Speakers

George Edmond Ferriter
George Edmond Ferriter

Margaret Ferriter Campbell
Margaret Ferriter Campbell

Perry Marshall
Perry Marshall

Piaras Ferriter
Piaras Ferriter

Isabel Bennett
Isabel Bennett

2015 Ferriter Gathering Schedule

June 19-22, 2015 | Dingle, Ireland

Friday, June 19

Registration

6/19/2015 | 2:00-5:00 pm | Venue: Louis Mulcahy Pottery

Come between 2 and 5 pm on Friday, June 19th and enjoy tea for two and a scone. Light meals are available as are desserts and scones. (Save some room for the great dinner later this night.) Here you can meet the other attendees and also purchase your dinner Friday nite and your lunches at the Blasket Center for Sat and Sunday.  You can also sign up for the walks to the castle (free-- guided walks are essential --no unguided trips to the castle please) and trips to the Blasket, etc.   If you cannot make it-- but plan to come to some of the events anyway, just message Margaret Ellen Ferriter Campbell on Facebook and we will accommodate you. You will be welcome if you just show up for events, but we will be better prepared if you register.  Come and join us! Drop in, register, and leave --or come and stay a while and visit.

Dinner and Art

6/19/2015 | 7:00 pm | Venue: Tig Áine Cafe

Donegal artist, Morgan Ferriter, will have some of his  'Wild Atlantic Way' art on display.  Morgan's family moved north to Donegal a few generations ago, but their family roots are in Ballyferriter. Morgan is dedicated not only to his art, but to his lovely family and also to the tradition of passing along family history and genealogy. He is also a talented musician. Come and meet Morgan and some other special guests as we enjoy a buffet meal and dessert. Áine Creed and her chefs are quite excellent, so the meal promises to be delicious. Seats for this event are to be purchased at registration. Beverages / wine/ alcohol are to be purchased separately. There will be space for 40 to have a wonderful meal, music, art, and company, while gazing at one of the most breathtaking panoramic views in the entire world.

Saturday, June 20

The Full Cedar Chest

6/20/2015 | 11:15 am | Venue: The Blasket Centre

This talk--in two parts--is designed to give people a list of essential resources they should have at hand in order to become knowledgable about the Ferriter family history including both the legends and the historical facts. This includes a demonstration of essential books, documents, and ephemera one ought to own as well as a list of experiences one ought to have.  While not exhaustive, it provides a good foundation. Margaret will cover the essentials in the first half of her talk.   Beyond the essentials, there will be a list of additional items worthy of collecting or experiencing for those who wish to have a 'Full Cedar Chest' of Ferriter memorabilia and resources. These 'extras' will be covered in the second half of her talk at 11:30 this am.

Presented by: Margaret Ferriter Campbell

Saturday, June 20

Heraldry and the Ferriters

6/20/2015 | 9:30 am | Venue: The Blasket Centre

A number of people believe they have a version of the Ferriter family Coat of Arms hanging on their walls. Yet, when one looks at the symbols, they are all different.  When going to a commercial Heraldry store, one may be sold a colorfully decorated piece of paper with symbols that are actually associated with families who are not Ferriters.  What's going on with the Ferriter Family Heraldry?  An overview of terminology and also current procedures related to the official recognition of Coats of Arms will be reviewed. This review will lay a foundation for understanding the situation with regards to heraldry as it exists for the Ferriters. Options will then be presented for either accepting or changing the current Ferriter Heraldry status.

Presented by: George Edmond Ferriter

Setting the Scene: Early Medieval Sites as they appeared on the Arrival of the Normans to Dingle

6/20/2015 | 10:45 AM | Venue: The Blasket Centre

People have been living on the Dingle Peninsula for at least the last 6000 years and we have evidence of this with sites dating from all periods of Irish prehistory. By the time the Normans came to the area, the people then living on the peninsula had experience many centuries of life as Christians, and have left behind many remains of their settlements, their monasteries and churches. They may certainly have been the victim of Viking raids, so the arrival of the Normans would have been only another wave of newcomers to the area. This illustrated talk will show and explain many of these early medieval sites.

Presented by: Isabel Bennett

Saturday, June 20

The Full Cedar Chest - Continued

6/20/2015 | 11:15 am | Venue: The Blasket Centre

This is the second half of the talk about necessary resources a Ferriter family researcher ought to have --with a focus on the 'extras' during this segment.

Presented by: Margaret Ferriter Campbell

Panel Discussion: Where Do We Go From Here?

6/20/2015 | 1:00 PM | Venue: The Blasket Centre

Speakers: George Ferriter, Jessica Clarkson, Padraig Ferriter and others. Topic:  Where Do We Go From Here: Transferring Knowledge of Family History and Genealogy to Future Generations in an age when Storytellers and Family Bible Records are Being Replaced by Technology and DNA Tests.

Presented by: George Edmond Ferriter

Saturday, June 20

Dinner and Pub night

6/20/2015 | 7:00 PM - 9:00 PM |

Have dinner with a smaller group of attendees at the event along with an Irish guest or two who can share their knowledge of the Ferriter Legacy and the History of the area.  Go to several pubs afterwards.

Sunday, June 21

Surprised by Ireland: Thin Places and Pilgrimage in the Dingle Peninsula

6/21/2015 | 9:00 am | Venue: Dunurlin Cemetery

In 2013 I traveled from Chicago with a group of friends on “a contemplative retreat to the thin places of Ireland.” I went ‘cuz my wife said “GO” and when we got to Dingle I barely even knew where we were. But when we arrived at the cliffs at Dun Chaoin a spiritual experience began, one that I had to build a whole new grid for. It transformed my conception of nature itself.

I discovered this is a common experience in Ireland and especially in County Kerry. For many, the Blaskets, Skelligs and Brandon are a place of pilgrimage. I’ll tell my story and explore the unique Celtic spiritual experience that so many have written about since the days of St. Brendan.

Presented by: Perry Marshall

Sunday, June 21

Ferriters and the American Civil War

6/21/2015 | 10:45 AM | Venue: The Blasket Centre

The American Civil War was a traumatic event that reverberates in the United States still today. The conflict began at the end of the first great wave of immigration to the United States from Ireland, and the documentary record provides the names of members of the Ferriter family who served on one side or the other during the war. These men were among the many tens of thousands of Irishmen who fought in this conflict. This talk will showcase these individuals, as placed in the context of their battle units and engagements, drawing a picture of the role the Irish played in this bloody war.

Presented by: George Edmond Ferriter

Sunday, June 21

Poems and Laments of Piaras Feiritear

6/21/2015 | 1:00 PM | Venue: The Blasket Centre

This talk by Piaras Ferriter, will be about the life and poetry of our famous forebear and the namesake of the speaker, Piaras FeiritËir.  Piaras' career as a soldier who fought bravely and died for his people will be reviewed. Piaras will recite in Gaelic and explain in English two of the well known poems of Piaras FeiritËir - a lament entitled  'Chuala sgËal do chËas ar lÚ mË ' and a love poem called 'Leig dot airm, a mhacaomh mhn‡'. The lament, 'Chuala sgËal do chËas ar lÚ mË', has been set to music and Piaras will sing this, accompanied on guitar by his son, Morgan.

Presented by: Piaras Ferriter