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Podcasts
Interview With Irish Author Jonathan Smyth, The Cavan Diaspora and Insights Into Irish Heritage , Episode 124
March 7, 2026Estimates are that 10 to 15 percent of the American population have Irish Heritage. And, this percentage is much higher in cities like Boston and Chicago. Many people are exploring their Irish heritage through DNA testing and through travel.
Our guest today, Jonathan Smith, is the author of a book entitled Faith, Hope and Endurance, Tales of the Cavan Diaspora. This book is a collection of well researched articles about men and women who left their home in County Cavan Ireland (often under difficult circumstances) and went on to make their mark on the world. Jonathan shares several of these stories and we have a conversation about how to make your visit to Ireland meaningful in a more purely personal way.
https://www.cavanlibrary.ie/services/national-initiatives/creative-cavan/creative-cavan-archive/creative%20cavan%202023/faith-hard-work-and-endurance-jonathan-smyth/
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Interview with Alisha O”Dell, Wild Hearts, Home Fires and Boykin Spaniels Episode 123
February 6, 2026
An Interview With Alex Wyss, Executive Director, The Tennessee State Parks Conservancy, David Crockett Birthplace Campaign, The “Go Ahead Fund”, Episode 122
December 12, 2025
Threats to the Social Security System, Interview with Attorney William Benjamin ( Eposode 118)
April 29, 2025
Celebrating 50 years of Parks and Recreation in Gatlinburg, Interview with Marty Nicely and Laurence Evans (Episode 119)
April 28, 2025
Interview with April Johnson, Assistant Director, Recreation Services, TN Dept Environment and Conservation (Episode 116)
February 28, 2025About Mark
Mark Thomas Fraley is a lawyer (now retired) in Nashville, Tennessee (USA). Prior to starting law practice in 1987, Mark was active in the field of Parks and Recreation. He was the first Parks and Recreation Director for the cities of Gatlinburg and Sevierville Tennessee. He was the founding program administrator for the Parks and Recreation Technical Advisory Service (PARTAS) and served as Assistant Commissioner of Conservation and Director or Parks and Recreation for the State of Tennessee. In 1987 Mark was designated a “Fellow” of the Tennessee Recreation and Parks Association.
Mark practiced law in Nashville Tennessee from 1987 until retirement in 2017. He had a general practice with an emphasis on Social Security Disability claims. He was a faculty member of the Nashville School of Law ( 1997-2009) teaching the course on Social Security Law.
Education
University of Cincinnati, 1974, Bachelor of Arts (Philosophy)
Nashville School of Law, 1983, Doctor of Jurisprudence
Licensure
License to Practice Law, Tennessee Supreme Court (1983) BPR# 10448
Admitted to Practice, U.S. Court for the Middle District of Tennessee (1987)
Admitted to Practice, U.S. Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals, (1994)
Pictured with his wife Helen E. (Beth) Tanner.
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