From Marian's Desk

The sun came out on the morning of September 3, 2004 in Bantry, County Cork. And the day was a beautiful late summer Saturday. It was as if the heavens were smiling down on the Crowleys.

Loren and I had driven from Kinsale the day before, and that drive had been dreary. The rain was steady, and the skies were dark. When we stopped to visit Timothy and Delores Crowley to see their wonderful Michael Collins Heritage Center near Clonakilty, Delores greeted us with, "Welcome. I can't say good morning!" The rain did stop when we reached Bantry, but I worried how Saturday's events would go if the day were like Friday. But it was a perfect day in so many ways. We had Crowleys from Canada, England, France, Ireland, United States, and Wales.

I was happy to meet many Crowleys whom I only knew by name before. The "Crowley Sisters" have described the weekend well. These Crowley sisters (there was at least one other set of Crowley sisters present) were Meg Kundalh, Ellen Crowley, Ann Ronco, and Mary Gutowski. Contributions of articles to the newsletter are always welcome. Thanks to the "Crowley Sisters" for their work.

This issue of the newsletter is a recap of the 2004 Crowley Clan Gathering. If you were there, may it bring back fond memories. If you weren't there, I hope it gives you a hint of what the weekend was like.

If you would like to get more of a sense of the gathering, check out the top of page 6. Professional photographer Todd Parker has put together over 300 photos on a CD. To order your copy, see the information on page 6.

Many people have asked me if I was surprised to be elected an Tanaiste of the clan. I definitely was surprised and very honored.

Brian Crowley, Member of European Parliament, is always an eloquent speaker. At the banquet he spoke of the need for vision in the future of our clan. To paraphrase, Brian said that if we have vision, the resources would come. But, if we didn't have the vision, the resources would be useless. Brian presents us with a challenge for the future of the Crowley Clan.

Slán, Marian

The Crowley Clan Newsletter is
compiled by Marian Crowley Chamberlain