The weather has been glorious - not quite warm but sunny and bright and perfect for touring.
Thursday was a nice contrast to Wednesday, with lots of sunny breaks and just the odd bit of rain on the windshield. It was time to go in search of Cabragh. The final outcome was not quite what I'd hoped as far as family history is concerned, but in so many ways it was perfect.
I set my phone app to Holycross Abbey, just south of the city of Thurles, in Tipperary. It's not such a long way. Of course it was necessary to change the route here and there - one gets tired of wide roads after a while. I had taken a look at the map before turning myself over to the voice telling me where to go. Somewhere near the city of Kilkenny the little voice was telling me to turn left. The signpost ahead of me, however, said that Thurles was to the right. OK then - let the sign take over.
A little defiance of the "voice in the box" can be a good thing. The road was pretty nice and the views were lovely. Out of nowhere I came upon a ruin which looked interesting - it was the Kilrush Corn Mill, now completely abandoned. Once I'd taken a couple of photos I turned my attention across the road. There was a rainbow, over the pasture where sheep were grazing. That was my fourth rainbow in three days and worthy of another picture - which I duly posted on Facebook.
Thurles loomed into view but little did I know until a few minutes later, that it was jammed with traffic. There didn't seem to be any particular reason but I felt like I'd been guided there. On the right was a huge beautiful church so to escape the lineup of cars, I wheeled into the parking lot. I'd parked in front of the parish church at Thurles - the very parish of my Loughnane ancestors. A visit to the interior was in order and a lovely church it was.
Coming out again I decided to leave the car where it was and to wander a little. Within a hundred yards I'd found the public library which happens to have a fantastic genealogy library, and two very helpful librarians. I told them what I knew of the Loughnanes - mostly just their names, their townland which also happened to be only about a 20 minute walk from the library as it is now part of the town, and approximate dates. I added all the places I'd looked for information. As it happens I've pretty much exhausted the possible resources but they brought out the Hearth Money Rolls from the late 1600s. Unlikely they even had a hearth so maybe not even listed. The only problem was I had their location for the time around 1800. The gap of 140 years was too large to leap over, to reach conclusions. An old religious census was similarly unhelpful. They were not listed in the local cemeteries - but then, they would probably not have had headstones. Ah well, I tried. I'll review again the parish records online and hope that somehow I'd missed them before.
I had a lovely lunch in the cafe attached to the library and arts centre. Thus fortified, I once again headed to Holycross Abbey. It did not disappoint - a huge ruin of former greatness surrounds what is still a working parish church, one of the oldest still in use. What was even better was the friendly conversation with the parish priest and receptionist in the church office. Sadly not further information turned up.
But then it was back to the pub, the Abbey Inn, where the publican had pointed out the parish office. I went back to the pub and a friendly guy offered to show me the townland of Cabragh where my Loughnanes had once lived. It is now mostly wetland, in fact a fairly well known wetland, and wildlife preserve resides there. This area is flattish and of course low-lying, and there were quite a few horses in pastures. Then there was the light industrial area, adjacent to Thurles, that once housed one of the four sugar mills in Ireland. It processed sugar beets and was a great contributor to the local economy. Once again a thriving industry was killed off in favour of importing cane sugar from abroad.
From there I more or less retraced my route - adding only one short stretch on a local road - and found that it's not only NOT a long way to Tipperary (from Bunclody) it's about the same distance back. What a surprise!
Friday dawned sunny and bright but by this time I was pretty fed up with my haircut which had not grown out nicely. It needed repairs so I called Betsy and got an appointment for 2:30. That pretty much defined how far I could ramble.
Decision made - Ballycarney, Ferns and wherever after that. On the road through Ballycarney is a lovely multi-arched stone bridge. I found a place to leave the car and walked across a ploughed field - kind of like walking in soft sand, and was able to take a few good pics. If you are a FB friend you have seen a couple. Just down the road less than one kilometre, is the house of my dreams. It is a beautiful stone structure with an amazing intricate thatched roof. Also posted to FB but here it is again.
On to Ferns to investigate the castle. Sadly the interpretive centre was closed so guided tours were not available. Happily the gate was open and admission was free. More of the castle remains than I had thought from previous drive-bys. Although interesting now, I don't think I would have cared much for life in a chilly castle, especially with enemy forces trying to get in. Those lovely cross-shaped slits of windows were not for letting in a sliver of light.
Bridge - check! Thatched house - check! Ferns castle - check! Now where? OK - down the road in the opposite direction to where I usually go when heading for Ashford. Before long I was back at the N11, the major road north and south along the east coast. Drat! I'd turned right towards Enniscorthy but figured that since I'd just been there I should have gone the other way, towards Gorey. So, at the next roundabout I simply drove all the way around, and back the way I'd come.
I knew I didn't want to drive through Gorey. It's not a big place but the traffic patterns make navigating Ottawa downtown with the current construction projects, look like a straight road, I knew I didn't want to go there. The solution - set the GPS for Moss Cottage and then turn it on when I'd passed the major roads. Voila - another cross-country adventure.
Wexford is hilly and beautiful. I'm not sure how many more beautiful vistas I can see without my brain exploding. I stopped a couple of times along the little roads. When I turned off the N11 - a wonderful wide highway, it was onto L50711. The more numbers, the smaller the road. I don't think there are any 6 digit roads. This was the other end of the driving spectrum.
I twisted and turned my way along and eventually came back to Bunclody just in time to grab a bit of lunch and then get my hair repaired. That didn't take too long and repairs have been satisfactory. I no longer have to have all photos taken of the back of my head.
Wandering into the local art gallery I had a nice conversation with the owner and artist, John. Then a couple of ladies came in and the conversation included the four of us. This would just never happen in Canada - at least not in the city. The paintings I saw that I liked were too large and too expensive to consider purchasing. I'll go back and see Kathy Doyle's neighbour who paints the local area and find a small souvenir. Maybe today!
Saturday dawned even brighter than Friday and I'd heard from my fellow wanderer and human Energizer Bunny, Marg. Local touring was the order of the day. I did the laundry in the morning and at noon set out for Marg's.
We headed out into the wilds of Monaseed and from there up farther into the hills. We drove and walked and enjoyed the day, stopping here and there to talk to folks as Marg knows everyone. The builder of the Monaseed bug hotel was busy clearing up a little area along the road. Here and there in the area are tiny little "parks". There are a few places with strategically placed picnic tables. My favourite was by the one-arch stone bridge at the Monaseed church.
We walked up a hillside - can't remember the name - and saw the great wall of Wexford. It separates two townlands - Connahill where we were walking, and Annaghill. Well named I must say. There isn't a flat spot to be found. Coming down was easier, faster and one could actually enjoy the views much better.
None of the photos or little videos come close to doing justice to the beauty of this area. The green fields, the hedgerows, rock walls, and flowing hills defy description and depiction.
Marg phoned her friend Martin Whelan and he took us on a tour of the Rosminoge cemetery on his property. It is very old - dating back to the 18th century and possible earlier. The end wall of a small church is still standing and covered with vines. Early histories speak of the church in the 800s.
The headstones vary from being quite grand and intact, to being small and unreadable. Included also are "love stones". Families who could not afford a formal headstone would place a rock on the grave to mark its location. There is no record of burials other than what's on the headstones so we will never know who lies under these love stones.
A brief stop at Craanford Mill completed the day's wanderings and we stopped at the Rock Tavern to visit the Byrnes. I had fun with baby Kate who is a strong little thing and I think she has concrete in her legs. She was all smiles.
As the Carnew Drama Festival got underway on Friday, we took the opportunity to attend Saturday night's production of Juno and the Paycock. It is set in a poor part of Dublin in the early 1920s. I had a bit of a struggle with the accents from time to time, but thoroughly enjoyed the production. It was as good as any professional stage play I've seen. Monday I'll go see Hedda Gabler by Ibsen.
The clocks sprung forward overnight and we shall have later sunsets and more daylight hours to enjoy. Although a bit sleep deprived I will shortly set out for a wander around Altamont Gardens and maybe take a little trip to Rathwood if I can find the right road - but really who cares. Everything is beautiful in its own way...
Downloading and uploading photos takes a long time. I'm going to wimp out and simply put in links to the last two days of photos and you can bore yourself to sleep or skip them entirely.
Trip to Tipperary
https://www.dropbox.com/sc/p5br4y2iya5bexy/AABnvwcIhMCFP65WqqAkDtMIa
Ballycarney, Ferns and backroads
https://www.dropbox.com/sc/qj35f5dd27ju6ke/AAA2cO7eIpww8j_lwbxggVHya
Saturday's Wexford ramblings
https://www.dropbox.com/sc/jev1digsfh9j0w7/AABlpwc4XhY6uBJNk6yNmk-2a
That's all folks!
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