IT was a golden wedding anniversary with a difference for a New York couple who embarked on a search to uncover their family roots in West Cork.
Chris and Judy Edwards, originally from the Big Apple and now living in Florida, found more than sunshine and seaside views on their week-long visit—including a few skeletons in the closet.
With the help from local people and genealogists, the Edwards family managed to trace back their Irish heritage from Manhattan Island to Dunmanway.

Chris (75), who grew up in the Irish stronghold of Rockaway, Queens, said the experience was all the more special because it happened in the week the pair got married 50 years ago, describing his wife as ‘a wonderful woman’.

‘There’s a few missing pieces with some of the New York relatives,’ said Chris who worked in holistic dentistry for 47 years. ‘There seems to be a bit of a dark side of the family but we don’t know what it is just yet.’ Judy, who also has Irish heritage, is an abstract artist and previously travelled the world with their daughter Mae, who also came along on the anniversary trip. The family enjoyed the West Cork sights and scenery, including Bantry, Ballydehob, Clonakilty and Heir Island. One place of special interest was Dunmanway where Chris’s grandfather Jeremiah Murphy would have lived.

‘Although we are still searching for the final proof of Jeremiah Murphy’s origins, West Cork has already given our family something just as valuable: a place where we feel at home,’ said Chris. What he knows about his granddad is that, before working as a building supervisor, Jeremiah was a chauffeur in New York in the 1920s for a wealthy lady who was involved with the show dog business. ‘He was a pool shark and a card shark who knew card tricks,’ he said.

Chris, who also researched at Skibbereen Heritage Centre in 2019, first came to Ireland in the 1990s. The first trip was inspired by his brother and film-maker, Tim, who fell in love with his Irish heritage and became friends with Tim O’Riordan and members of the band Natural Gas. What began as a chance meeting developed into a lasting friendship.

Chris, a vinyl collector, saxophone and tin whistle player, added: ‘During this year’s visit, we were delighted to see Tim performing once again at Casey’s Pub in Clonakilty. After more than 30 years, it felt as though our family’s Irish story had come full circle.’

Alongside Ardfield DNA genealogist Mark Grace, owner of Ballynoe House, the Edwards family also had help from Michelle O’Mahony from Dunmanway, of OM History Consultants. She managed to unearth a birth certificate for his grandfather, which Chris said was a special find and another missing piece found in the family history puzzle. Jeremiah emigrated as a young boy to New York and Chris has a prized photo of him holding his cousin Betsy on his arm on a New York street.

‘Michelle took us to the land that we believe our ancestors hailed from and we visited nearby Ballynacarriga Castle in Manch. We also visited the church and saw the baptismal font that my grandfather was most likely baptised in,’ he said.

Chris is looking forward to sharing the result of his West Cork trip with other members of his family who have also caught the genealogy bug. On September 23rd, the Edwards family is getting together for a reunion.