The Paskill story
My name is Ashley, and I have Irish ancestry several generations back on my Mom’s side. While I am still working on finding out exactly where my family is from, my AncestryDNA says I have connections to Munster, specifically Counties Limerick and Cork. This ancestry is something I have carried with me, even when it was not at the forefront of my mind.
I remember, when I was a young child, watching Michael Flatley on PBS and listening to the Irish Tenors. One of my earliest St. Patrick’s Day memories was going to a local restaurant to see Irish step dancers, only to be disappointed that they were running very late and I had to go to get ready for school the next day, missing the dancers.
In elementary school, around St. Patrick’s Day, my music teacher choreographed a dance to “Rakes of Mallow.” This memory and song were etched into my memory, but I had no idea what the song was called. A few years ago, I was listening to Barleyjuice, and they sample “Rakes of Mallow’ in one of the songs I was listening to. I immediately emailed them to ask them the name of the song, and they were gracious enough to respond.
Middle school came and went, and I did not think too much about my Celtic heritage. However, in the summer between middle school and high school, my life changed. My grandmom was watching PBS in another room in the house. I was in my room, and she told me to turn the PBS channel on because “there was a cute blonde singing.” Intrigued, I turned it on and saw who I would later learn was Keith Harkin of Celtic Thunder. I kept watching and listening to their music, and I was immediately in love.
As I continued listening to the Celtic music they were singing, I craved to learn more about my own Irish heritage. Luckily, I started high school, and I found out my school had a Celtic Cultural Club. The club met one Monday a month to learn and discuss all aspects of Celtic culture. Each year, we went to a nearby Celtic festival and to an Irish pub to sample Irish cuisine. I never missed a meeting or event, and I was elected club president in my senior year.
Another huge moment in my senior year was seeing Celtic Thunder perform live. It was an absolute dream come true. I got to see “Heritage” before it was released on CD and on PBS, which felt awesome. I loved seeing songs from “It’s Entertainment” live as well.
Throughout college, I continued to learn about Celtic culture and embrace my Irish heritage. I continued being a Celtic Thunder fan, seeing several members perform solo. I got to see Paul Byrom’s PBS show taping, which is still so wild to me. I found Celtic Crossroads and got to see them each time they came to a local venue.
After college, I continued to want to learn. I started a Celtic Cultural Club at my library, but stopped it because people were not showing up. I started a blog called the Kilted Owl, which talks about all aspects of Celtic culture, from music and books to history and news. I got to see concerts, such as the Irish Tenors and various bagpipe bands.
I have also come full circle in terms of high school. Each year, my high school hosts their International Spring Festival, where people volunteer to represent a country and tell others about it. I, of course, chose Ireland, and have done it for a couple of years now.
Earlier in 2026, I decided that I wanted to do my Ancestry DNA to try to figure out my family’s story. While I am still working things out, I did find that I am definitely Irish. Part of Ancestry’s DNA results involves seeing what traits I have and where they come from. One thing that I am CONSTANTLY getting comments on is my thick hair, and it turns out that this trait is connected to my Irish ancestry. This made me so proud to find out.