Episode 2.2 (Kenneth R. Callahan): Hold The Line: An Irish Soldier in the American Civil War

In season two of the "Finding Home" podcast series, Irish American Archives Society Executive Director Margaret Lynch interviews an array of Clevelanders with specialized knowledge and stories about the history of the Irish in Cleveland. Episode 2 features an interview with Kenneth R. Callahan. James K. O'Reilly, the 2x great grandfather of IAAS Board member Kenneth R. Callahan, was an Irish immigrant from County Longford, a Civil War veteran, a stone monument carver, one of Cleveland's first Irish-born City Council representatives, secretary of the St. Edward Parish Council, and head of a veteran's contingent marking the passage of President Abraham Lincoln's funeral cortege through Cleveland. A Past-President of the Cleveland Civil War Roundtable, Ken Callahan shares his hunt to uncover sources that would illuminate his ancestor's Civil War service and life in Cleveland. Note: In the episode, James K. O'Reilly is mistakenly identified as the great-grandfather of Ken Callahan, but he is actually Callahan's 2x great-grandfather.   Also note:  The Ohio 8th Infantry Regiment, which O'Reilly served in during the Civil War, was part of the Army of the Potomac's famed "Gibraltar Brigade," known for their steadfast, unyielding dependability in the midst of battle.