ROCHESTER, N.Y. — What started as an activity for Michael McBride during the pandemic has led him to shake the branches of his family tree.  

“I got the DNA kit and I thought, 'I'll monkey with this DNA and see if anything happens.' And wouldn't you know it? I struck it rich with my DNA ancestry, a pot of gold," said Michael.

McBride discovered his great uncle John Joseph McBride was an Irish freedom fighter and human rights crusader who was involved in numerous historical events across the nation.  

“Is it a person, place, thing, farming equipment? What, who? Where is Exile McBride? And then when I did a search on Exile McBride, 1,400 articles came up out of America, England, Canada and Ireland. So he was a rock star," Michael said.

John Joseph McBride took part in movements like Irish nationalism, leaving Ireland in 1862 to avoid persecution for his activism, hence the nickname Exile McBride.

“He published thousands of copies of the Declaration of Independence and sent them to oppressive governments that violated human rights," said Michael. "McBride has traveled at his own expense all over the United States and secured the signatures of the most prominent citizens of the country. No Irishmen, either in America or Ireland, has done more for the cause of Irish independence than Exile."

It is now Michael’s mission to put his great-uncle back on the map.

“It's the respect of an uncle," said Michael's friend Davis Stafford. "When I went to his house, you know, his table was filled with information. He dedicated his life. He's the same way. So the trait is there in their DNA, I want to push it ahead and I want to get this out there. It’s a great honor.”

Michael shares Exile’s story across the area creating pop-up exhibits and creates his own memorial to pay tribute.

“He deserves some kind of grave or memorial for what he had done," said Michael. "And before we discovered through DNA that he had no memorial, we made it a point to make sure he had a nice memorial that people would see for generations to come and respect his great dedication toward human rights, especially in Ireland.”

Despite Exile McBride’s passing more than 110 years ago, Michael continues to share the cause that he finds is still alive and relevant today.

“In this day and time we live in, human rights are still a major problem with many countries, and his message of universal rights for everybody is very relevant today," Michael said. "He should get a lot of recognition and closure and notoriety instead of losing him in time. So I feel very obligated as this great nephew to see to it that that happens.”