Explore every episode of the podcast Ancestors Tavern™

In Ancestors Tavern, there's a portrait above the bar that no one can explain. A young girl with an unwavering gaze and no name left behind.

Tonight's story asks a simple question: who was she...and why does it feel like she's still wanting to be remembered?

Written and narrated by,

Heather Lynn Donovan

-Always by candlelight

In the first story told by candlelight inside Ancestors Tavern. Heather Lynn Donovan remembers a photograph from an old family album - a stern man in a tall hat whose steady gaze fascinated and unsettled her as a child.

His name was John Black, born in 1870. The stories of his life were lost with time, but the feeling of his presence remained.

Tonight, the tavern door opens for him once more, where memory and imagination meet...and an ancestor takes his seat at the table again.

Written and Narrated by,

-Heather Lynn Donovan

Before the stories begin, the lantern must be lit.

This short introduction welcomes listeners into Ancestors Tavern, a place built from memory, imagination, and the quiet presence of those who came before us. Inspired by old worlds, Irish shores, and the echoes of family history, the tavern stands as a gathering place for stories that refuse to fade.

Step inside.

The fire is warm, the chairs are waiting, and the doors are now open.

Heather Lynn Donovan

-Always by candlelight