Famous Names

I often find myself referencing Jonny Cash in my classroom and students are confused because a musical reference does not follow. My parents did not realize that by naming my little brother Jonathan Cash he would forever face people shortening his first name. As a loving older sister, I often tell stories of the antics of Jonny Cash to explain what not to do as a student. FYI sticking paper clips in a chemistry electric socket does give a shock and does major damage to the system.

Having a famous musician name would be awesome to some, but I find historical names even better. After watching a recent episode of Downton Abbey I realized I know very little about the Irish War for Independence and the Irish Civil War. So after doing some digging I found that my father in law was a leader in both conflicts. Of course the timeline does not work, but Richard James Mulcahy was an instrumental figure in developing the military forces for Irish independence in the early 20th Century. He helped establish the original IRA and survived to old age, which was uncommon for Irish revolutionaries. Even though my father in law did not lead a movement against a major world power he did help raise six amazing boys. Many consider the latter to be just as difficult of an accomplishment.