Richard B. Finnegan is Professor and Chair of Political Science and Director of The International and Irish Studies Programs at Stonehill College. He served as the Interim Dean of Faculty in 2002. A Graduate of Stonehill College he also holds masters degrees from Boston College and Harvard University and his doctorate from Florida State University. A Senior Fulbright Specialist, he has been a Visiting Professor at Boston University and University College Dublin, a Visiting Scholar at Harvard University and currently teaches Irish Politics at Harvard. Finnegan was selected Stonehill Distinguished Faculty Scholar for 2001-02 and the Irish American Cultural Institute Visiting Research Scholar at the National University of Ireland Galway in 2003. He is the author or co-author of numerous scholarly articles, book chapters, and six books on the political and economic development of modern Ireland. The most recent is Women and Public Policy in Ireland: A Documentary History 1922-1997 published by Irish Academic Press in 2005. His current research interest is the development of democracy in Ireland and the development of education policy in Ireland in the twentieth century. He has served on the Board of Directors of the Irish Cultural Centre, founded a charitable organization and High School scholarship fund, and served on local Library Boards, Human Rights and School Councils. Finnegan was awarded the Silver Key by the Irish Charitable Society of Boston in 2004.

Walter Hickey is well known to the genealogical community and has been a friend of TIARA for many years. He has been with NARA since 1990, serving in both the Waltham and Pittsfield facilities. Previously he taught social studies before becoming a local history and genealogy librarian.

For over 25 years, Paul has devoted himself to genealogy and Loyalist studies. Self educated, he later took credited classes from Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah, greatly improving his skills and knowledge in the field. Accomplishments are wide; awarded the Accreditation and Fellowship at the American College of Genealogists of Illinois, and certified and registered lineage member of The United Empire Loyalist Association of Canada, and The Hereditary Order of Descendants of The Loyalist and Patriots of The American Revolution. He has held past and present memberships in over 60 genealogical and writing organizations around the world, including life long memberships and chairman positions. He is also certified with the International Ghost Hunters Society in Paranormal Investigation, and also as Ghost Hunter. He is also a registered BYU blood donor on their genealogical DNA study. Membership with The Metis of New England; and Corporation of Metis du Quebec, President of the Violette Family Association; And a registered card member of the Sou' Nova Metis Band of Nova Scotia, Canada. His speaking engagements have been in New Jersey, New York, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Maine, Connecticut and New Brunswick, including TV interviews on Cape Cod, Mass. and Saint John, New Brunswick stations. In 1989, His Royal Highness, The Prince Philip of Wales (England), Duke of Edinburgh, accepted his book, "Thunder Over New England, Benjamin Bonnell, The Loyalist," at Buckingham Palace. He was also presented with the famous "Loyalist Pin" from the past Mayor, Elsie Wayne of Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada (The Loyalist City). Paul has also produced several Internet articles on genealogy, including Black Loyalist, and Bonnell/Bunnell Loyalists. And let's not forget the "Loyalist Ghost of Benjamin Bonnell." Publications are many; Thunder Over New England; The New Loyalist Index's 1,2,3; American Migrations & Documents Guide; The House of Robinson of Rhode Island & Baltimore, Maryland; Life of a Haunted House, The Barnstable House; Cemetery Inscriptions of The Town of Barnstable, Mass; Acadian & Cajun Cooking & Home remedies; Research Guide to Loyalist Ancestors; Tumbleweed, The Nellie Markham Letters; Evacuee Loyalists of Boston, Mass. March 1776; and Loyalists of Exeter, New Hampshire and Area; many others in progress. Paul enjoys traveling around lecturing or selling books at his Vendor table at conventions. He also does Loyalist research for others out of his very large home library. Latest book (At the publisher now) is: French & North American Indian Marriages 1600-1800. Now Paul has produced the only Loyalist Newsletter in the USA; "The Loyalist Quarterly." In March of 2005, Paul successfully assisted in helping solve a Loyalist search problem for the popular TV program, History Detectives, produced by Lion Television in New York. The Loyalist family finally settled in Ontario. This very active genealogist has started a new program starting in 2006. The States Genealogical & Historical Vendor & Attendee Conference series will start off at Nashua, New Hampshire 4 March 2006; Connecticut May 2006; Maine July 2006; Vermont Sept. 2006; Rhode Island Nov. 2006; Massachusetts Jan. 2007. Contact Paul for details and your participation as a vendor or attendee.

Professor Kenny's principal area of research and teaching is the history of American immigration and labor, with an emphasis on Irish transatlantic migration and popular protest in the Atlantic world since 1700. His first book, Making Sense of the Molly Maguires (1998), examines how traditions of agrarian protest in nineteenth-century Ireland were translated into an American industrial setting. His second book, The American Irish: A History (2000), examines the Irish migration to North America from 1700 to the present, including the Irish preconditions to mass emigration and questions of labor, social mobility, religion, race, gender, politics, and nationalism among the Irish in the United States. He is also editor of Ireland and the British Empire: The Oxford History of the British Empire Companion Series (2004). His current research focuses on popular protest in the eighteenth-century Atlantic world. He earned his Ph.D. at Columbia Univeristy in May 1994.

Barbara Minnehan has been a friend of TIARA for many years. She has worked extensively with the restoration at Old St. Mary's Cemetery in Milford, MA. She talked to us on the restoration work done at Old St. Mary's Cemetery in Milford, MA and also regarding the work yet to be done.

Marcia Melnyk Overcoming Brick Walls

Marcia Melnyk is a professional genealogist, lecturer, and author of four genealogy books. She is President and a founding member of the Italian Genealogical Society of America, a member of the Association of Professional Genealogists, and a former executive board member of the New England Regional Genealogical Conference.

Mary Ellen Grogan is the Outreach Coordinator for TIARA. She was instrumental in developing the Irish tracks at the FGS conference held this past year in Boston. She is also an experienced researcher in the United States Ireland and England. She is also the organizer of the TIARA research trip to Ireland.