“I Feel Fortunate” Irish Man Adopted by US parents Recalls Luck With Circumstances

I was just shy of one and half years old when I was issued my Irish passport 70 years ago in 1955. My Irish passport started me on a unique journey from Ireland, the country of my birth, to America, which would become my home.

I was born in Dublin to a single mother and was left in the care of the Irish Sisters of Charity at St. Patrick’s Infant Hospital Temple Hill in Blackrock, Dublin. Both of my birth parents had been born and raised in Wexford, and as a young adult my birth mother was working and living in Howth, Dublin. My Irish passport was issued in 1955 so my soon-to-be parents would be able to take me to the United States, where I was officially adopted the next year. I was happily raised in a large Irish-American Catholic family and received US citizenship. I feel fortunate because I am aware that others that came from similar circumstances did not receive the love and care that they should have.

My adopted parents have and always will be my mom and dad. My mom’s priority in life was being a mother and grandmother, and out of respect for her I did not pursue my birth identity until after mom and dad’s passing. Just prior to her passing my mom gave me documents, including my 1955 Irish passport, that started me on my journey of discovering my Irish heritage. My passport gave me the first clues, listing my birth name and date. From there my journey included Ancestry DNA, the Irish agency TUSLA, and the court in the US where I was adopted. Along the way I found welcoming Irish cousins and half-siblings.

In 2021, I applied for a new adult Irish passport in my adopted name, providing the documentation connecting my present name Daniel Doherty with my Irish birth name of Brian Burke. I also requested that my new Irish passport include both of my names. In 2022, I returned to the country of my birth and found a beautiful country with warm and beautiful people. Both my maternal and paternal Irish families provided me with amazing family history, documents and photos, and we visited family sites and resting places. I am blessed and thankful for the life I was given and the path I was set on so long ago. I am proud to be from Ireland and I value my Irish citizenship. It has been an amazing journey that started 70 years ago with a little green Irish passport.

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