Robert Nolan
Robert is a professional civil servant, community leader and martial arts instructor (Judo | Jeet Kun Do) and 4th generation native to the West Phoenix pan-Celtic and Japanese American community. While caring for his Grandmother in hospice she wanted me to investigate our heritage, which brought me to the ICLF as a member in 2018.
In Roberts analysis, a study of our Nuallain (Nolan) heritage mirrors the story of the Irish and other Celtic peoples collectively; fore the O’Nolans or those descendant of the Nuallain (The Great Shouter) draw on a rare and rich tribal familia heritage dawning before the time of Christ and persisting to this day. W.B Yates once marked, ‘it may be well the elements have their children’ and likened the spirit of most Irish to that of its lakes and sea; indomitable and tranquil in adversity. ‘If we knew the fire worshipers better we might find that their centuries of pious observance have been rewarded, and that the fire has given them a little of its nature..’ In Yates thinking, we Nolan are the children of fire — Indigenous to the site of the eternal flame with an intimate connection to the land and plains from the barrow and slaney rivers, and between the Blackstairs and Wicklow mountains once known as the domain of the Fotharta. After immigration to the United States some 200 years ago we lived as Rocky Mountain Highlanders and subsistence farmers and founded the township of Genoa Colorado before coming to Phoenix.
Robert is among the first generation of his family to attend and graduate college. I studied abroad at the Kodokan (Judo University), have academic degrees in indigenous American studies, Intelligence studies and International letters and cultures. I speak semi fluent Japanese, and adore my Chow Chows and life partner Frederick.