Tracing Roots...

 Thursday, August 24, 2023

A few years ago, Jim's brother got a message from a 4th cousin, discovered through a brother's "23 and me" DNA test.  Through emails and text conversations, they were able to connect the dots on Jim's grandmother who came to the states on a boat at age 16 with her younger sister.  Jim's family had traced the roots back to Ellis Island but couldn't find much about life in Ireland prior to their departure.  The 4th cousin, Valerie, (an Irishman now living in the US), supplied the missing Ireland background info, which she and her family had traced. But her side didn't have information about what happened after their ancestors left Ireland.  Through this connection, both families now have a more complete understanding about the relatives who started in Ireland and ended up in the US.  What a neat story!  

In April, we were able to meet Valerie in person and she gave us more details about how to find the area where Jim's family called home!  So today, our mission was to find it!  It was a bright and sunny day--the first day we've had to wear sunglasses.  We figured this was a sign from Jim's grandmother!

We found the church where Jim's great- grandfather was baptized in 1848--St. Joseph Church in Kilkerrin.  Although the church has been expanded and restored, the original tower was saved. 

 We walked 1 km to the Kilkerrin  cemetery.  Jim had previously checked and did not find relatives buried here, but we thought it would be interesting to see.  

We also found another cemetery which was the closest to where the family lived. Although we did not find the specific Connaugton name, we found several families from their area (Springlawn) buried here.

We travelled the roads as close to the family farm in West Screggs as we could get.  It is a remote area, still farmland, very few houses, but we were in the one mile area where his ancestors lived.

It's hard to imagine how long it took for people to get around back then.  Even with a car, it took time to navigate the roads.   Although the land is mostly still farmed, there were signs of lots sold, indicating housing will soon be coming to the area.  (I hope they widen the roads!)

To celebrate our successful day of tracing roots, we drove south to Kilkenny, where we traced the roots of Smithwick beer! 

 It started in 1710, taking over the abbey where the Franciscan monks had boiled the mineral water in the area to make it safe to drink, and accidentally discovered they could make beer.  The Smithwicks expanded the business and built the brand which was purchased by Guinness.  

The brewery was moved from Kilkenny to Dublin in 2013, but the company still provides free Smithwick beer to former employees every Thursday at a local pub in Kilkenny, as a thank you for their service!

After the Smithwick tour and tasting, we ate dinner at the Left Bank, a neat restaurant in an old bank, right in the heart of the city center.

We've been gone a week, and I'm already losing track of time!  I thought I'd share several observations about Ireland:

1. The people are very friendly and welcoming.

2. There are lots of sheep and lots of narrow roads, even sheep IN the roads, and lots of green and farmland.

3. There are also a lot of smokers!  Cigarette machines are in the bars and hotel lobbies!

4. The weather is strange...it can be sunny one minute, and a dark rain cloud shows up, it sprinkles and then it's sunny again.    Check out this untouched photo that shows the clouds today! (Also, the rain, breeze and humidity isn't the best for curly hair.)

5. Laundromats are in gas station parking lots!  We stopped to do laundry at an "eco-friendly" laundry.  It cost E26 to wash and dry two loads!

6. Tipping is not a practice in Ireland.  We asked for change at the hotel to leave a tip for breakfast, and the attendant said "NO", we don't do that here! 

7.  People say "lovely" a lot.

Feeling Regal at Ashford

 Wednesday, August 23, 2023

We slept like a king and queen in the plush bedding at Ashford Castle, and enjoyed the warm towels after a shower, compliments of the heated towel bar!  

We were treated to an elegant breakfast in the dining room, complete with fresh fruit, eggs benedict and smoked ham!  Michael, the breakfast sommelier, came by the table, and offered a mango smoothie.  Unbelievable coincidence that he was born in Indianapolis, (but left when he was 5.)  He married an Irish girl, so Ireland is his home.

We did more exploring of the castle--it was easy to

get lost!  There were all kinds of nooks and crannies, doors, stairs and beautiful spaces.

The staff was so friendly and accommodating, and made things very comfortable.

Notice Jim lounging in the lobby!

Have you ever wondered how they wash windows in a castle?  It takes a long, long pole and strong arms!  The windows were spotless!

We figured it would be a good idea to work off some of the sweets from last night, so we got on bicycles to explore the grounds. 

 Everything is well manicured.  There was a carpet garden, a walled garden, and I can't remember what other kind of garden.

But, the most exciting part of the day was going on a falcon walk with Pugot, the Harris Hawk.  (Pugot means pudding in Irish.) The Irish school of Falconry exists on the grounds of Ashford Castle. Our guide (from Spain) introduced us to several of the hawks in their care, and selected Pugot to go with us.  

She is 7 years old and one of the larger birds.  Pugot rode on Jim's gloved hand as we left the school area and walked toward the woods.  

When we got a distance away, the instructor gave a signal, and she flew to a nearby branch.  We went on a 1 1/2 hour walk through the woods and around the castle grounds, with Pugot sometimes flying behind us, sometimes riding on the gloved hand, but always keeping an eye on us, and would respond to the guide's calls and hand signals, and would get a "treat" when she returned.  

There were bells attached to her legs, so we could hear when she was flying toward us.

We learned a lot about these fascinating birds, and Pugot treated us to quite a show.   The guide agreed that she had been awesome, so gave her a full mouse as a treat when we ended.

As we left the castle, the staff had gathered, just as they did on Downton Abbey!

It really wasn't for us, but sure made us feel good!  We left feeling fortunate that we were able to enjoy such a wonderful experience, and we felt a little regal too!

Captivating Castles

 Tuesday, August 22, 2023

Today we set out to visit two well-known Irish castles.  The first was Kylemore Abby, built in 1868 by Margaret and Mitchell Henry at a cost of L29,000!  What a majestic sight!   The couple built this after visiting the area on their honeymoon, and you can see why they were drawn to the beauty of the area.  Margaret died of dysentery contracted while traveling to Egypt.  She was the mother of nine children who spent time in the castle and was only 45 years old when she died. The castle was sold to the Duke and Duchess of Manchester in 1903 for L63,000, and they ran into money problems, so eventually sold to the Benedictine nuns in 1913 for L45,000!  The nuns still occupy the castle, which became Kylemore Abbey when they took over.  The nuns continue their monastic life, and have kept the castle open for visitors to experience this magical and spiritual place.

We got to tour a small part of the castle, envisioning what life was like in the early days.  Dinner must really have been something in this dining room!

The other rooms were grand and luxurious.

We took a walk around the lake to the Grotto Church, built in memory of Margaret after she died.

And then, we visited the walled garden which was stunning!  It is six acres of flowers, herbs, vegetables and trees, and a fernery. (never heard of that before!)   They include only plant varieties from the Victorian era.  It is quite a gardener's showplace, surrounded by high stone walls!

 

It looked like they were getting ready for a big reception for fans of the big football game coming up in Dublin--Notre Dame vs Navy.

From Kylemore, we drove about an hour east to Ashford Castle where we had booked a one night stay.  OMG!  This estate was established in 1715 by the Ashford family as a hunting lodge.  The estate was later purchased in 1852 by the Guinness family, and then later by a private owner who has converted it into a 5-star hotel.  What an experience!  It was impressive just driving through the gates...

And then the castle  came into view!

Wow!  We were waiting for a Disney princess to walk out, (or maybe Lord Grantham from Downton Abbey.)

Instead, we were greeted by Joe, the doorman who took care of our luggage and directed us inside.

The stone Irish wolfhounds guarded the door, adding to the elegant entry.

The rooms were unbelievable...big, and ornate, with every little added bonus, including a personal silk robe and heated towel bar!

They also left a birthday cake for Jim and brought champagne and a card for our anniversary.

As if the champagne wasn't enough, we had booked an afternoon tea.   It was fancy and good!

We enjoyed Irish Whiskey hot tea with cream, strawberry tea, scones, sandwiches, and lots of sweets!

 

The desserts were sinfully delicious, but we couldn't finish them, so they boxed them up in a pretty "take away" box, and also scooped some teas for us to take home.  

We couldn't stay up late enough to enjoy the cinema in the castle (it started at 9:30 pm and we were sound asleep by then!)  We were certainly captivated by the castles today!