Irish America
Sweepstakes Winner Named

By Irish America Staff
April 6, 2018

On Thursday, April 5, the winner of the Irish America sweepstakes for a luxury vacation package to Ireland for two was announced. The luck of the draw went to Stephanie Sullivan of Chicago, Illinois.

Stephanie, who works in sales and marketing for mapping and location data company HERE Technologies, was overjoyed upon being contacted with the good news, and said, “It was like a miracle.” She told Irish America that she has already selected her sister, Rosemary, as a travel companion, and that the two are eager to reconnect with the land of their ancestors.

An avid genealogical researcher, Stephanie also told Irish America that her first known Irish ancestor arrived in the United States bearing the surname Hagan (one of the first families recorded in Chicago) in 1849. He was a stonecutter by trade – and went on to become no less than the president of the Stonecutter’s Association.

Another branch of Stephanie’s ancestors hail from Ballinasloe, Co. Galway – one particular unit of which produced a woman who grew up to become a Sister of Mercy, and, incredibly, one of the first women in Australia to cast a vote.

Stephanie and Rosemary plan to begin their travels coming September (the height of the oyster season in Ireland!). They will fly courtesy of Aer Lingus airlines, and the CIE “Taste of Ireland” tour will take them on the journey of a lifetime, filled to the brim with the sights, sounds, and tastes of the Emerald Isle! ♦

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