Aine McCormack

When Aine was growing up, there was no denying her Irish heritage. Even if her parents had named her Julie, Kim, or Jenny like the other girls in her South Minneapolis neighborhood, her dad would still have blared the Clancy Brothers from his stereo through the open windows on warm Saturday afternoons.

Not that she’s ever wanted to deny it; Aine is very proud of her Irish American background. When she began the blog The Irish in America just over three years ago, Aine wanted to explore the lives of her Irish immigrant ancestors and help others do the same. She loves to hear the stories about the diverse experiences Irish immigrants have had in the United States and the tremendous contributions they have made to the growth of the country. Aine is particularly interested in settlement West of the Mississippi in the years following the American Civil War.

Aine has traveled to Ireland eight times in the past twenty-five years. She loves many things about Ireland, but mostly the peas and the Guinness.

Regan McCormack

Regan is a graduate of Smith College in Northampton, Massachusetts, and holds a master’s degree in Art History from the University of Minnesota. After more than a decade of working in management, human resources and customer service in corporate, hospitality and non-profit settings, Regan is currently a partner in Archival Solutions, LLP, a boutique firm offering archival and research services.

When she was young, Regan loved to hear the old family stories and always wanted to know which relative in the old photographs she most resembled. These curiosities turned into a life-long passion for family history research.  Regan loves a good mystery, and doesn’t rest until she has exhausted all resources. Coupled with her familiarity with primary-source research, Regan is a thorough and imaginative researcher, on-line and on-site. Regan is excited to lend her talents and passion to The Irish In America.

Regan first visited Ireland in 1995. She and Aine didn’t have much of a plan – they just hopped in their rented red Ford Festiva and hit the road. Regan has returned to Ireland six times with family and friends.

Home is in the historic Cathedral Hill neighborhood of St. Paul, Minnesota, just a block from the birthplace of a fellow Irish American, writer F. Scott Fitzgerald. What does Regan miss most when she is away from Ireland? Chicken-on-top-of-stuffing-on-top-of-ham, with potatoes and plenty of veg.

Brenda Bader

Travel Specialist for The Irish in America Family History Tours

What is the best thing a client can say to Brenda Bader upon returning home? “That was truly the trip of a lifetime…thank you!”

With over 31 years experience as a travel consultant, manager and owner in domestic and foreign travel, Brenda has developed a specialty in  Foreign Independent Travel and customized itineraries for families and groups. Brenda strives to eliminate the stress and anxiety inherent to travel planning through planning exciting, fulfilling, and memorable experiences for her clients.

Over the years, Brenda has brought her passion for travel together with her love for family through several trips designed for her husband’s family to explore their Irish roots. Family members of all ages have made the journey back to Dungarvan, County Waterford. What began twelve years ago as “let’s see where Mom’s family came from,” has grown into regular visits “home” to visit Irish family, with whom real connections have been made and relationships forged.

Brenda has also escorted family groups to South Korea, Hong Kong and China, so they could explore family origins and cultural heritage.

It might be easier to list where Brenda has not traveled, but what’s the fun in that? Brenda has planned and escorted trips to: Ireland, Great Britain, Italy, Spain, France, Vatican City, Monaco, Liechtenstein, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Netherlands, Czech Republic, Hungary, Greece, Corsica, Sardinia, Sicily, Balearic Islands, Morocco, Azores, Canary Islands, Turkey, Egypt, Ghana, the Caribbean Islands, Mexico, the United States, Canada, and Iceland. Brenda has been on thirty-one cruises to Europe, the Caribbean, and Alaska, and just returned from a river cruise in Germany and Austria.

Brenda says that the love of travel makes every trip she plans for a client special and exciting and keeps her working hard to ensure that she provides clients with every opportunity to enjoy their destination. Brenda is excited to partner with The Irish in America to provide families and individuals with the chance to experience Ireland, not simply as tourists, but as family members returning home.

See PDF version of Brenda’s Bio here.

James McCormack

Bio coming soon for our genealogy research expert and self-described bon vivant. You can see him in the photo at the top of this page – he is the cute kid in the striped shirt in the lower right-hand corner.

 

Eileen McCormack

Eileen is the reason The Irish in America is here at all. Not only is she is the founder of Archival Solutions, LLP, of which The Irish in America is a division, but she is Aine and Regan’s mom.

Eileen established herself as an expert on Gilded Age railroad entrepreneur James J. Hill and his family while working for twenty years as the assistant curator of his vast archival collection at the James J. Hill Reference Library in Saint Paul, Minnesota. When the collection moved to the Minnesota Historical Society, Eileen struck out on her own. Eileen began with freelance historical research, writing, and archiving projects and in 2007 she joined forces with her daughter, Regan, to form Archival Solutions, LLP.

Eileen has traveled to Ireland many times over the past forty-some years. Her favorite place to stay? The Old Parochial House in Ballingarry, County Tipperary. One of her favorite activities in Ireland? Watching TV mysteries and drinking tea.