Not quite a walk in the snow (Canadians of a certain age will understand this) - but after the snow had ended

I awoke this morning - rather late as it happened - and upon pulling open the curtains to look out on the pretty tree with white blossoms (I am such a botanist!) got a bit of a shock. Between me and the tree, big fat snowflakes were falling. Not quite believing it I went all the way into the kitchen - about 30 feet max - and found my view of the hills also spotted with the white flakes. Arrrggghhh! Unlike at home, it was not accumulating but melting upon impact. On the distant hill - Gibbet's Hill is the name of it - the snow did stay around. Accumulation must have been close to a centimetre to make it still visible. Snow in the distance - OK, I'll take that any day.

Once showered and dressed I decided to step outside to check how cold it was - and it wasn't. Well, not for a Canuck. I understand that it was actually warmer by a few degrees in Halifax if not elsewhere as well. I returned to my loft (that's got a nice ring to it) and got the camera, put on the hiking boots and a jacket and made a little tour of the garden. Everything blooming yesterday was still blooming today. I especially love the primroses which seemed not to mind the chill at all. The daffodils are sprouting about 6" out of the soil. Yay! The Gilsenan's garden is beautiful even without leaves on most of the trees and is immaculately cared for. It recalls my favourite children's book, The Secret Garden. The door to the garden has a lovely pointed arch and gate, but its location is anything but secret.

Once back inside I had breakfast - er, brunch - and figured it was time to join the library and see what they have to offer by way of helpful volumes on local history.

I took a few photos - posted to Facebook for those following there - and that reminded me that I need to set up a link to put pictures for anyone interested.

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/r0oizl5czwfqkrq/AABpNaaHjP-4pNfHpxwmUnKla?dl=0

that link should take anyone interested to the photos I've taken so far. I will be naming them as I go along but there will always be a lag. If the link doesn't work, please let me know.

not sure if the above link allows you to see the cottage interior. Here is that link
https://www.dropbox.com/sh/6r8mkxcimiu6qoe/AAC4gkugcvVhmOpKp-BJc6yWa?dl=0

From this point on it's pretty much genealogy related for my own purposes of keeping track. It may not be of general interest.

I have not been leaving the genealogy alone completely but it's time to get serious about it. Which family should I investigate? I fear I have reached nearly the end of the line with the Byrnes but remain hopeful. The Fennells are the next major line to check and of course the Whelans, who are also from Laois (Queen's county in the old times). Annie Fennell was my gg grandmother, married to Patrick Fitzpatrick. Now there's a guy who's a lost cause, but I digress.

Annie's parents were Mick Fennell and Bridget Whelan. They lived in the townland of Monebrock in Co Queens (now Laois) near the border of Co Kildare. Annie's family left around the time of the famine and settled in Brockville, Ontario, but most of the extended Fennell family remained in Ireland and I don't know if any Whelans left at all. There is a line of Fennells in Monebrock and a nearby townland called Barrowhouse, right up to 1911 - after which I have uncovered no records at this time. However, there are still Fennells in that area and I'm on the investigative trail. Dare I hope to find living relatives as Dad and I did with the Byrnes? Fingers crossed.

The others of whom I'm in hot pursuit, are the Kehoes. Arthur Byrne married Eliza Kehoe. They have remained elusive as no marriage record exists for Art and Eliza. Their church, St Brigid's in Clonegal, started keeping records in 1833. From those records I have the baptisms of their 4 youngest children and the names of their sponsors. Among them - two Kehoes, Martin and Owen. Griffiths Valuation puts them in the area of Clonegal and there are still Kehoes in that area today. Hmmm - could I be lucky a second and even a third time? Owen and Martin are likely to have been Eliza's brothers.

Well - I was hoping the Bunclody library might have something. I walked to the library this afternoon and after a brief chat with a librarian, was issued a library card. Can't beat the Irish for trusting a stranger. I love libraries and was welcomed heartily.

They have a collection of CDs which are interviews with locals, recorded about 8-10 years ago, and their recollections of times past. Most of the stories are of times since my own ancestors left, but a couple seemed very interesting so I borrowed two CDs and will have them to listen to this evening. There are only about 7 TV stations that I can get so entertainment options are limited. Once I've heard the news and weather there isn't much else to grab my attention, aside from Mrs Brown's Boys. They are a season behind with the North American shows here just as we were a season behind with Downton Abbey.

The library catalogue provided info on several reference books that piqued my curiosity. Sadly only a few reside in Bunclody. The others are part of the country-wide library system and most are reference books. So - some possible day trips in my future. The Wexford library in Wexford town probably offers the most. Wicklow town will be the same. More day trips ahead.

I did find a few books from which I photographed maps. Almost every day I find maps to be incredibly more useful than the day before, in visualizing places and distances experienced by the ancestors. They provide a good idea of just how far it would have been feasible for them to move.

Darkness was closing in and I had yet to buy my shampoo so I packed up, checked out the CDs and a book (fiction, for my own amusement) and headed back. I found the desired product in Macauley's, dropped the bottles in my pack along with the book and CDs and headed back up the street. UP being the operative word.

Let the fact-finding begin!