In middle school, we all did those family tree projects.  I was set as far as my Mom's side.  Grandma (I miss her so much!) and her cousins could fill in a lot of the family backstory.  A distant cousin had put together a nice tree and we even had the name of the village on the border of Russia and Poland where the family had lived before WWII.  We know occupations and have stories and even some fabulous old photos. 

My Dad's side was another story.  Grandpa isn't the old-time-storytellin' type.  We had a few names, but only as far back as great-grandparents.  We knew someone had to have come to Boston from Ireland.  That's it. 

Flash forward to a few weeks ago.  My Mom gets a call from my Dad's cousins in Massachusetts.  A distant cousin has been tracking the family tree and has connected us to it!  So now we know who the Doyle's are and where we came from!

John Doyle was born in Ireland.  He married Margaret Ganly.
Michael Doyle was their son.  He was born on August 15, 1867 in Kiltullagh, Ireland and died on April 15, 1936 in Boston, MA..  He married Cecilia Veronica Curley.
Edward F. Doyle was their son.  He was born in Boston and died in Chelsea, MA on April 8, 1965.  (I'm blanking on the name of his wife right now.)
They had two children, Margaret Doyle and Norman Doyle. Margaret married Daniel McGuillicuddy and had three children. 
Norman Doyle (who goes by Edward) married Ruth Mackin.  She passed away in 1990 in Fort Lauderdale, FL.  They had two boys, Michael and Edward.  Edward married Rosemary Campolo and they had two girls, Kelly and Kristen Doyle.
Michael is my Dad, he married Nancy Gillen and had Erin and Andrew Doyle. 
Andrew is the one boy!  The Doyle name goes on with him!
Uh oh.  Hehehe...kidding. 

Anyway, some cool facts...

Here's the website for the town of Kiltullagh!  My parents are actually going there next month.  I'm insanely jealous.  (The one thing I regret not doing during my stint in the UK is not getting to visit Ireland.)

Also, it turns out that my great-grandfather, Edward F. Doyle, was a hero fireman in Boston!  We have a copy of his obituary from 1965. 

He was awarded the Boston American's Diamond Medal for Valor "for his heroic rescues following the July 4, 1925 Pickwick Club disaster.  Doyle was attached to Ladder 8 in Fort Hill square early that morning the club collapsed.  He was credited with pulling four persons to safety, digging them out from under debris.  He collapsed from his own efforts and was hospitalized himself....Shortly before he retired in 1942, he pulled four fellow firemen to safety when the walls of a Maverick square, East Boston restaurant collapsed during a general alarm blaze.  For his heroic deeds at the Pickwick Club, Doyle was decorated by then Mayor James Michael Curley at ceremonies held on Parkman Bandstand on Boston Common before thousands....Doyle was appointed to the fire department in 1917.  During World War I he served with the Army where he fought in five major engagements with various divisions and was decorated for gallantry in action."

AWESOME!

DOYLEs RULE!!!