I am your host, Thomas L. McKevitt, called Tom, and this announcement marks the inauguration of The McKevitt Family web site. I am retired. Retired, that is, except for a Japanese language class I teach at Emory University, in Atlanta, GA (an old skill dusted off). Retired, but for a weekly column that I write for the local newspaper. My wife Rebecca (that's Becky) and I built a house on 22 acres, atop a mountain ridge of 1,850' elev., in Fannin County, GA. See on a TV weather map where Tennessee and North Carolina touch, drop down about 3 miles, and go about 2 clicks left windage.

          My father grew up in Chelsea, Mass., and I in the Roslindale/West Roxbury section of Boston.  My grandfather grew up in a place called the North Commons, between the medieval town of Carlingford, and the townland of Omeath, in County Louth, Ireland. For some reason, rather than walk a mile Sundays and holy days to St. Michael's Catholic Church in Carlingford, he preferred walking about 3 miles to St. Laurence Catholic Church, in Omeath. Carlingford is at an inlet on the Cooley Peninsula, and looks out across Carlingford Lough at Rostrevor, Warrenpoint, and the Mourne Mountains of County Down. Carlingford, a village of some 500 citizens, is about 65 miles north of Dublin.  For many years fascinated with learning the history, not alone of my family but of all associated with the McKevitt/McDevitt Sept of the O'Doherty Clan, I have, researched deeply into family history, and I have acquired a reasonable store of knowledge, which I am pleased to share with any person descended from bearers of the names shown above, or any relevant name of which I am not yet aware.

          The sharing of knowledge will be an important aspect of your efforts and mine, should you wish to record the lore of your family. To do so you should e-mail to me a story of perhaps 200 words. I may propose editorial changes, and when we're in agreement your story will appear on the page titled "My Family" for at least a month. Be encouraged to prioritize information, giving the most important parts early in your story, and holding less and least important parts for the ending. Or you may wish simply to register, for which I have set aside a page titled Register. In registering, you may wish to provide information as to, say, grandparents or great grandparents, along with their place of origin in Ireland.  People cannot give what they don't have, and therefore providing such family information is decidedly not a condition to receiving information other than what is presented for all who view this web site.  Rather, it is hoped that you may wish to share such information.  Indeed, every family has a story, and if you'd like to tell that of your family, then you are certainly invited to do so. Note: Whatever you wish to share with me will be held in absolute confidence, upon your request. Please be invited to write me today at [email protected].