My grandparents owned a lot of Sligo. By the end of my grandfather’s life, he had given most of his land away, mostly in parcels to newlyweds. As a child, I remember listening and thinking it was kind of rude to ask for “a lot,” thinking the young couple was hitting him up for an undefined “lot” of money. Jack was also known to be hot-tempered, though, and had nightmares that sent him running from the house dead asleep, clutching a fully loaded rifle, with which he would rear back and shoot at the moon for all the town to hear.

Topsy had a way of making things grow. Her home as a bride was just a small cottage, but over the years it grew to a big two-story home, with a separate wing for visitors. Her business, The White Cottage, began as a one-room ice-cream shop with