Debbie (Bowman) Shea is a retired teacher who spent 26 years educating the youth of Butte.

She also spent 11 years in the Montana Legislature, working to make lives better for the people of the Mining City and the State of Montana.

There, she got to work with great Butte statesmen like Fritz Daily, Bob Pavlovich, Joe Quilici and J.D. Lynch.

The fact that Debbie is retired, however, does not mean she gave up her work to impact the next generations. She is an author who has been a part of releasing four books.

Like her previous work, her latest book focuses on history. This one, “Walking With an Irish Immigrant,” is a book about the grandmother she never knew. It is a tribute to her grandmother.

Abigail “Bina” Harrington Healy moved to Butte from Ireland and lived an exceptional, but relatively short life. She passed away before Debbie was born. She lived through the Irish Revolution and the Great Depression. She was even briefly part of a bootlegging operation in Butte, and that is all in the book.

Debbie asked questions about her grandmother, but it wasn’t until recent years that she really dove into researching her for the latest project.

The book can be found The Corner Bookstore (1877 Harrison Ave.) and on Amazon. It is also likely available at other Butte bookstores.

Now a resident of Boise, Idaho, where she can be closer to her grandchildren, Debbie is still — and always will be — a Butte girl.

She grew up in Muckerville, living in her family home on the corner of Montana and Woolman until she was what is now considered middle school age. She attended St. Mary’s Grade School and has always embraced her Irish heritage. Later this spring, she will make her 10th visit to “The Emerald Isle.”

This morning, I met with Debbie over Zoom for a fun conversation. Listen in as she talks about her grandmother and why she was so fascinated with her story. Listen as she talks about the Butte neighborhoods and why preserving that history is so important.

This episode is also available on YouTube.