Eileen Forrestal is retracing the footsteps of her paternal grandfather, John Forrestal, (Sean MacCaoilte) who traveled across America between March and May of 1922, trying to encourage Irish Americans to accept the Anglo-Irish Treaty.

American Irish organizations like the Friends of Irish Freedom were already riven by the battle between de Valera and Judge Cohalan after Dev's trip in 1920. Sean's remit was a diplomatic one - under orders from Michael Collins, he spoke in 20 cities across 13 states, desperately trying to avert a Civil War at home, by encouraging Irish Americans to advocate for the Treaty.

But tragedy struck at home; two of his young children died of TB which was rampant in Ireland at the time. Michael Collins was shot in August. Civil War broke out and Sean himself succumbed to the disease in October, aged 37, worn out, bereaved and broken hearted.

This talk will be presented by his grand-daughter Eileen Forrestal, who will take us through the letters he wrote home from America; the poem he published in An Saorstat, the Free State newspaper, on Collins’ death; and the influence that her grandfather had on her life, even though they never met, as he died when her father was only a baby.