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This work is a labor of love by writer Mary Thorpe as a tribute to her much loved Granny O'Rourke (nee Nolan) in an attempt to place the stories she heard and was told into a true and historical context. As a social worker who came across many cases of social deprivation in modern times, Mary had the dawning realization regarding what her own grandmother had been through in even harder times in the late part of the nineteenth century and early part of the twentieth century in Ireland. Mary felt the driving need to record her much-loved grandmother's story as recognition of Bridget's harsh life and also as a tribute to her and the millions of others like her who made the best of things while still retaining a sense of pride, of the worth of education as a ticket out of poverty, and of the importance of retaining one's dignity and commitment to family through good and bad times.
The Gentleman Dancing-Master: Mr Isaac and the English Royal Court from Charles II to Queen Anne considers the life and times of the dancer known as Mr Isaac, performer, teacher and creator of prestigious dances for performance at the royal court. Includes facsimiles and discussion of his surviving dances and their context.
Thats Just How It Was is a moving family tale through which much can be gleaned about life during the push for Irish independence This is a satisfying, emotionally involving read.- Clarion Review Authors of family memoirs often overload their narratives with minutiae that puts nonfamily members to sleep. There are no such encumbrances in Mary Thorpes biography of her remarkable grandmother, Bridget ORourke. Thorpecarefully blends Bridgets story with the events of her day, some of the most pivotal events in Irelands history.- Blueink Review
Joyce Ann Burke had a family like all others. She found herself at age seven suddenly without any family. Her parents separated in 1942 and divorced (rare for that era). Her mother had custody and left the children alone (abandoned). Joyce Ann was awarded to the court, and they in turn incorporated her into the Hendricks County, Indiana Welfare system. She was a welfare child, no parents, no love and no home. She was a textbook waif. She was placed in the country farm home of a sixty one year old widow lady who owned a 110 acre working dairy farm. You see the picture. She was tiny for seven with snow white blond hair and blue eyes. A total stranger she called Grandma would be her new mother,...