Home Is Where The Heart Is

Dan Stockman: They say everyone is a little bit Irish on St. Patrick's Day.

Then there's Caoimhe McNeil, who started the Irish Immersion Festival in Fort Wayne, now in its second year.

She'll tell you she's American but only by accident of birth: Her parents were on holiday from the Emerald Isle visiting relatives in Butte, Mont., when she arrived, giving her dual citizenship.

She'll tell you - in a heavy Irish brogue - that she's spent as much of her 40 years in Ireland as she has in America.

She'll tell you her real name is Caoimhe Leighna McNeil, but she sometimes uses Karie, because it's a wee bit easier for Americans to deal with. ("Caoimhe" is pronounced "Kee-va.")

She'll tell you home is Donegal, Ireland, but admits she has a bit of the traveler's blood in her.

And - this is important - she'll tell you she's a storyteller.