The Reynolds Home — Walshtown, Kiltormer, Ballinasloe, County Galway

I never really knew my maternal grandfather, William Bresnahan. He was a WWII veteran who battled what we now call PTSD. He turned to alcohol and left the family when my mom was young. They were estranged, but in 1977—when I was 10—she took my sister and me to see him in hospice. I barely remember it. Maybe it was closure. Maybe just a final chance to meet the man. Decades later, I got curious about who he really was. A little digging on Ancestry.com revealed he was born in Ripon, Wisconsin, in 1910. His father, Martin, was the son of Irish immigrant William Bresnahan and Catherine Callahan - she died when Martin was just five. Martin would later marry Delia Reynolds in 1900 — my great-grandmother, who turned out to be a bit of a mystery. Then, thanks to a AncestryDNA match, I connected with Mary Reynolds in Ireland. That led to rich correspondence with her cousin Margaret. After a year of swapping stories and photos, Margaret invited our family to Ireland for a “Reynolds Family Reunion” in July 2024. There in Ballinasloe, I met Mary, Margaret, and her brother Jarlath—my second cousins once removed. They brought us to the old Reynolds home, first settled by my third great-grandparents, Michael Reynolds and Delia Murray, some 200 years ago. In this video, Margaret shares the story of the Reynolds family—humble sheep farmers who went from tenants to landowners. They endured famine, disease, and hardship. But they lived with grit, grace, and music. They helped their neighbors, raised their families, and celebrated life with song and laughter.