Irish Secrets Read Online Free PDF Page B

Ryan O'Neill here. I need your help. Private matter, not work."
    "Go on. Might be more interesting than the sampling survey I've been doing for the last three days."
    He picked up Kara's piece of paper. "Baby girl, born April 2nd, 1959, Ballykane, Tipperary. Mother probably not married."
    "No names?"
    "No, the baby was adopted."
    "Okay, I'll take a look."
    "Thanks, and—" He glanced again at the paper with Kara's phone number. "Call me if you find anything, will you?"
    * * * * *
    During the next four days, Kara was fully occupied with Mist Na Mara's annual Film Festival. This year, they were featuring the career of Alice Vernon, a legendary English actress who now lived in Connemara. Each day, two of her movies were shown, and people travelled from as far afield as Galway and Westport to the event.
    The highlight of the festival was the showing of Alice's first film, Now and Forever , on Sunday evening. It had been filmed in Connemara, and over a hundred people crammed the main meeting room in the modern extension behind the original Victorian house. Alice herself, now in her nineties, had agreed to take part in a question and answer session after the showing.
    Kara stood at the side of the room with the other Mist Na Mara staff, fascinated by the actress's recollections of the local area in the 1940s, until her phone's loud rendering of the Star Wars theme rang out.
    Alice stopped mid-sentence and turned in her direction, while she fumbled in her pocket, mortified that she'd forgotten to turn the sound off.
    "Hadn't you better answer your phone?" Alice said. "It might be something important."
    Blushing furiously, she muttered, "I'm so sorry. Excuse me," and rushed out of the room.
    She didn't recognise the number, but pressed her screen. "Hello?"
    "Hi, Kara. Ryan Brady here."
    Her heart, already beating frantically, jerked in her chest, and she struggled to keep her voice neutral. "Oh, hi, Ryan."
    "I've heard back from my researcher friend, and there are six female births in Ballykane in the second quarter of 1959 where the mother's maiden name is the same as the child's surname. Declan says that may indicate an illegitimate birth."
    She drew in a deep breath in an effort to focus her mind. "Is there any way of finding out which one might be the right one?"
    "He can apply to the General Register Office for the birth certificates. They will show the date of birth, the child's name, the mother's full name, and the father's, too, unless that's left blank."
    "And one of them would be my mother's? That would be amazing."
    "Okay, I'll ask Dec to apply for them."
    And let me know the cost, so I can reimburse him."
    "Will do. He says they usually take between seven and ten days to arrive, but in the meantime – well, I don't know when you have another day off, but if you'd like to go to Ballykane one day this coming week, I'll be happy to take you there."
    Now her heart went into triple beat. "Oh! Thank you so much. My days off are Tuesday and Wednesday."
    "Wednesday will be grand. I checked, by the way, and the mother and baby home was demolished in the 1970s, apart from the chapel, which is now a community centre, so at least you'll be able to see that. Will I pick you up at Mist Na Mara?"
    Kara hesitated. "Could I meet you at the bus stop on Market Street instead?"
    "Fer sure. About nine-thirty?"
    "Perfect. Thanks, Ryan. See you on Wednesday."
    After clicking off her phone, she stood in the corridor for a few moments, unable to keep the grin from her face. Only two more days, and then she would see him again, and at least he had accepted her request to meet in the town. Perhaps he guessed she didn't want anyone at Mist Na Mara to know about her search.
    Least of all Guy, who might mention it to his mother, her father's sister. At this stage, she didn't want any hint getting back to her parents of what she hoped to find. Not until she had some conclusive evidence about her mother's birth.

 
    Chapter 4
    Reluctant to disturb