A Customer Journey: Peggy Kirwin Visits Her Gram's Irish Homeland

Peggy Kirwin tells the story of visiting her Grandmother’s hometown of Twomileborris in Ireland. She remember the wonderful and welcoming family she met there, and the visit she made to our jewelry store in Dublin city

In 2007, Irish-American Peggy Kirwin joined her mother, sister and sister-in-law on the trip of a lifetime to their ancestral home. The four women traveled around Ireland, meeting distant relatives, seeing the sights and doing a bit of shopping, including at College House Jewellers, our former store. Here, in her own words, Peggy shares her memories of Ireland and tells us about the cherished Celtic ring that she bought while there.

Prior to our trip, my mom submitted an ad to a newspaper for the tiny village of Twomileborris [in County Tipperary], where my grandmother – her mother, Peggy Nolan – grew up. She explained we would be travelling to Ireland and hoping to meet our relatives. Through this ad, my mom was contacted by her cousin, one of my grandmother’s nephews.

When we arrived in Twomileborris, John gave us, absolute strangers, a personal tour, where we saw the one-room schoolhouse my grandmother attended and the house that she grew up in. My cousin and his lovely wife Anne invited us into their lovely home, and also arranged for us to meet friends and family of my grandmother at the Horse & Jockey Hotel. There were so many people there, from as far away as England, all related to gram in some special way. It was a lovely afternoon, and very difficult to say goodbye.

We made our way north to Dublin, our last stop before flying back to the U.S., exploring other charming villages along the way. We love to shop, so after leaving Trinity College and marveling at the Book of Kells, we came upon this sparkling gem of a jewelry store, College House Jewellers. I remember it being very bright and cheerful inside, and the staff genuinely warm, friendly and welcoming. We spent the better part of an hour looking at all the beautiful jewelry, but something very special drew me in.

My sister, mom and I purchased the exact piece – a very unique Celtic Warrior ring. Ten years later, I’ve worn it every day.

To me, it symbolizes how brave my grandma was to leave Ireland, everyone and everything she knew, at 17 years old, for an unknown land and an unknown future. This ring captures my grandma’s spirit and channels her strength and courage. It’s my most treasured possession.

This was indeed the trip of a lifetime, and a very emotional experience for me. The last time gram went home to Twomileborris was 1975. Visiting her homeland and meeting her family was a dream come true, and an experience that has grounded me like no other; she was with me on that journey. I have a connection to my loving and gracious extended family because of Peggy Nolan. My inner self has remained in Ireland all these years, and I hope to get back someday, if not forever, at least to refill my heart and soul.