Weather warning

Today I did not set foot outside. There was a little bit of snow and there were snow 'showers' on and off all day. Accumulation was only a centimeter or two. It did look pretty. 

this was the scene this morning and it looked pretty much the same all day

and then this evening there was a burst of snow activity, since stopped

I did have the tv on for much of the day and the big news is the awful weather coming tomorrow afternoon and overnight. Still no plans to venture outdoors. I have a warm winter jacket, a toque and mittens. However, my running shoes just won't cut it for wandering about. Today Brian brought over a pair of removable grippers that I can put over my shoes, but they won't keep my feet warm. It is to go below freezing tonight and not get exactly warm tomorrow. 

I was thinking this would be no big deal, however, watching what England has been experiencing makes me start to take it more seriously. This is the latest - red indicates my comments:

WEATHER FORECAST UPDATE
(ESSENTIAL TRAVEL ONLY NEXT 72HRS)
TONIGHT WED 28TH FEB
The coldest night in a number of years. Average overnight temps of -3c to -10c possibly lower over snow covered areas. 
Further heavy fractured snow showers in many areas of Leinster, Munster, Connacht and Ulster. Like all showers by nature accumulations will vary from place to place. Keep an eye on radar at met.ie orraintoday.co.uk
Accumulations of 2cm to 20cm in places added to your current accumulations.
Winds increasing overnight with strengthening gales, gusts of 50kmh to 80kmh expected. The Isle of Anglesey shadow will possibly reduce any snow accumulations in parts of Wicklow and Wexford overnight. (we can only hope)
Latest model output this evening reloads cold weather for next week. Details will follow at the weekend. 
THURSDAY 1ST MARCH(SEVERE) (in like a lion it seems)
We have been forecasting weather for over 7 years and this is probably the most extreme 48 hour period of weather we have forecast in terms of severity and the risk factor to the public. SAY WHAT?
Winds will increase to strong gale force tomorrow with gusts of 120kmh possible along exposed coasts as the snow storm makes landfall. Timing is not exact but we expect heavy snowfalls to occur from early to mid afternoon with white out conditions and blizzards risks increasing. WHERE AM I?
We urge all the public to cease driving by lunchtime or early afternoon. How about by yesterday? These blizzard conditions will last overnight into Friday morning with accumulations of 25cm to 50cm+ across the country. Worst effected areas will be Leinster and Munster. Lucky I'm in Leinster! Wait ... I'm in Leinster.
Temps ranging from -3c to 2c with a windchill factor during the day of -10c to -15c. White out conditions expected from late afternoon with zero visibility on ALL road networks. 
Power outages possible overnight into Friday.  NOOOOOOOO
FRIDAY 2ND MARCH
Further blizzard conditions will continue in areas of Leinster and Munster with moderate snowfalls elsewhere. At this stage upland rural villages in Leinster and Munster will be cut off as roads will be impassable at first light. Geez - is Bunclody an upland rural village?
SATURDAY 3RD MARCH
A slight increase in temps expected with a wintry mix in Munster and further snowfalls on Saturday evening and night in Leinster, Connacht and Ulster. The fun just doesn't end!
NOTE: This forecast and current warnings from Met Eireann are subject to change at short notice. See www.met.ie for ALL advisories. It better change - please and thank you.

Did you get all that? Tomorrow's blog post could be on the wild side after all. 

I think I will do a little bit of cooking in the morning in case the power goes out and cooked food isn't an option later in the day. I have lots of food, but it all needs cooking. Well, I do have brown bread, almond butter and some yoghurt. More importantly there is a nice unopened bottle of Malbec just waiting for me to set it free. 

Genealogy alert - you need read no farther.

With an email from the McGrath connection, including a family tree that goes back 4 generations, I did quite a bit of research to see how much farther back I could go. I managed one more generation and found a surname for "Margaret".

The goal was to find a common ancestor. Well, I fell short of that. The names are the same in my line and the one I was tracing. Then again, the list of first names used in the 19th century was very short. I'd give anything for a Darby or Bartholomew or even Susan, so I'd know I had the right people. 

The McGraths I was studying come from the same area, possibly the same townland(s) as my bunch. However, I was unable to make a connection. With no civil records earlier than 1864, and church records being hard to read and not going back far enough, the challenge remains. Their farthest ancestor named Michael, would be roughly the same age as my elusive William. Are they brothers? Cousins? Merely a coincidence? I'll keep plugging away but this might be my Rubik's cube, something I've never solved.

Sunny, cloudy, snowing and research

I wasn't sure what to expect when I looked out the window this morning. The build up to a coming nasty weather event has been quite amazing. Imagine - expecting temperatures below 0C with up to 4 cm of snow! I have a toque, mitts and a warm jacket but no boots. I do own a pair of heavy duty wellies but they are at the farm at Coolross. True, England has been experiencing some nasty amounts of snow, resulting in traffic tie ups and accidents. I think they're taking the brunt of the Siberian inflow of cold air, colliding with a warmer air mass coming north from, well, wherever it's coming from.

The buildup to armageddon continues but so far it's been all talk here. There were bright skies when I peered out the window. As far as weather goes I suppose I wasted the morning. As far as research goes, I made some progress on the McGrath line. Now awaiting confirmation to the extent possible, from my McGrath DNA connection that I found the right people.

This afternoon I drove to Carlow for my 2 pm appointment with the genealogist at the library. Turns out she has access to all the same databases that I have myself. The difference was in the speed of her internet connection, compared to mine as a library member. We were seeking more information on my Walsh and McDonald lines.

To back up a little, driving to Carlow town is a no brainer. Just follow Hwy N80 all the way, negotiating the right exits on the roundabouts as you go. They are well marked and my Autoaddress app was chattering away nicely telling me which way to go. Once in the town, life becomes somewhat more complex. The streets are narrow, are mostly two way, and allow parking on both sides of the street, leaving the traffic to find a way to fit vehicles going in opposite directions, into less than needed space.

I had neglected to ask about parking for library patrons. There is none as it turned out. After only a couple of wrong turns, despite the directions, it's not that straightforward, I found myself on the street in front of the library. I turned up the side street - mercifully a one-way - and drove 20 feet past the entrance to a parking lot. Drat. OK, up to the corner, make a left turn and go around the block. Hah! There are no regular blocks.

When I got to what I thought was "around the block" more or less, I found I had just passed yet another parking lot. Just as well this time as I hadn't the foggiest notion how to get to the library on foot from there. On I went, up, down and around corners. Finally I came to the public parking lot smack in the middle of town. What a relief - this was the very starting point for my previous failed attempts to get out of town. Ah well, I parked the car, pushed my coins into the "pay and display" machine, took the printed receipt and put it on the dashboard.

A friendly, well bundled up, citizen gave me the directions needed. Turns out I wasn't far from the library and I had two hours paid parking time. The walk to the library was pretty quick and I was a bit early. What I needed to login to the library wifi was my Bunclody library card. It was back in the cottage. However, the librarian found it online, found it had expired so she renewed it, asked for my pin code (mercifully the same one as at home) and I got connected - more or less. Actually, it was less. The connection was there but it just didn't work very fast.

Once that was sorted out I met with the genealogist. Not a single new record was found but we did discuss the fact that the women whose marriages I was looking for, might have lived in bordering parishes where the marriages would have taken place. Most of those parishes do have records in the right time frame, and only some of them have strategically timed gaps in those records. We only got as far as talking about it. I've now spent a good part of the evening straining my eyes while browsing the online non-indexed images. There are a LOT of surrounding parishes. So far no luck, but once my vision returns I'll have another go.

We also looked at a few printed resources but they are general in nature. They do make interesting background for the social history of the life and times of Irish citizens. The genealogist said she would continue to look through records and books in her spare time to see if she comes upon a little nugget of information for me and will email her findings.

Time was quickly expiring on my parking so I hustled back to the lot. I chose Moss Cottage as my destination on the GPS, pointed the car into traffic and hoped. Now, I don't know if I just never saw them on any of my many previous visits to Carlow, but there are some very clear signs pointing the way to the N80. Success! I experienced no problems at all finding my way to the route home.

As I drove I passed a sign reminding me that February is snowdrop month at Altamont Gardens. It was now bright and sunny. Altamont is on the route home. Definitely should stop and take some pictures of the dainty white flowers. As I drove on through the sunshine I noticed clouds ahead. Dark clouds. Snow clouds. Ah well, they were far ahead.

Nope! They were not far ahead. I went from brilliant sunshine to cloudy with snowflakes, to pounding snow pellets that were almost causing whiteout conditions. I thought I was on the I81 going through Pennsylvania where weather changes in a second. So much for the snowdrops. It was whirling snow flakes that were my concern.

Almost as soon as I'd adjusted to the conditions, the snow stopped. Views over the hills were quite lovely with squares of white fields among the green. I guess the colour of white vs green was determined by the type of vegetation. There was no place to safely pull over to take photos so I drove on home. By the time I got back to Moss Cottage there was a bit of snow on the ground. There's been a wee bit more since but some has melted or evaporated.

Weather reports this evening sound like a warning of the second coming. As long as the power stays on I'll be quite snug here. I can't help but think it is much ado about very little. Tomorrow I'll find out and so will you.

Provisioning

The weather forecast, if it was what one would hear in Ottawa, seems rather benign for this time of year. In England, Scotland and Ireland, it's considered frightening. So, since there wasn't enough food in the fridge to last the week, I figured I'd better go shopping. That's what everyone else was doing.

Getting dressed for the outing I put on a long sleeved t-shirt, a blouse and a fleece jacket and out I went. I was quite warm enough thank you. After parking at Aldi, the first person I saw was wearing a full length fur coat! What will she wear when it does get cold?

Ah well - I'm here so it's provisioning time. My supply of veggies has been replenished and sufficient protein was also added to the basket along with a loaf of brown (soda) bread. I can't eat it fast enough to avoid it going mouldy but the fridge is tiny so the loaf has been stashed in the bread box.

As promised, here are some photos from the past few days.

With Margaret at the entrance to the 'not so dark' hedges at Maynooth University

Padraig Pearse's school and now museum in Dublin

At the K Club, as close as I'll get to teeing off

Marg and Michelle at Castletown

the Burnell sisters in the Courtyard at Carton House

after snooping through the halls and reception rooms at Carton House

At the entrance to the main passage tomb at Loughcrew Cairns - after a long climb

a smaller passage tomb at Loughcrew

a kissing gate at Loughcrew

start of the ascent or the final downward steps, actually both

near Loughcrew cairns - some restored thatched cottages, now a cafe and museum

Fore Abbey - in Westmeath

the Cloister at Fore Abbey

Margaret Stephens at Fore Abbey

Genealogy alert - you can stop reading now

Today after shopping I prepared for a visit from John McKenna who is a DNA cousin. Having exchanged a few emails we determined that our match must be on his and my maternal McGrath lines. We had a great visit and if the weather cooperates, I'll get a little tour of the McGrath pubs and other haunts in Kilkenny city next week. John has since this afternoon, been in touch with a few people who may have done enough research to connect all the pieces. Fingers crossed.

What is amazing and proves the smallness of our world, his uncle Dick was married to a woman I know in Ottawa. In fact, I've known her slightly for a very long time. She's another Margaret. I really must make an effort to find friends with a different name. Conversations are getting mixed up.

Tomorrow is forecast to be chilly, with some possible snow. I'm hoping that doesn't materialize as I'll be on the road to Carlow. Actually, it's not far away but is a most puzzling place to drive around. I've seen most of the streets but in every case, did not plan to see so many. I'll have to get an address for the library and be sure to leave extra early. I'm meeting a genealogist there at 2 pm for a free consultation, hopefully followed by a landslide of information on my Walsh and McDonald folks. Subsequently I hope to visit the townlands where they lived before emigrating.

Now it's pretty late so I'll call it a day. I will make a greater effort at literary proficiency tomorrow.

Not much further, no really, but it's all uphill ...

With a somewhat later start than Saturday, and well-fortified with an Irish breakfast and a cup of Turmeric Tea, Margaret #2 took us on the adventure-filled day that we'd been trying to fit in during my last couple of visits. Today was finally the day. It was bright and sunny with not a cloud in the sky. And, just like Ottawa in winter, that meant cold. No problem!

I might have known when Margaret suggested borrowing a pair of hiking boots, that the walk ahead would be somewhat of a challenge. Silly me, I just took her word for the fact that the ground might be a bit slippery. To be fair, she did say it was an uphill walk - on a slope. But I was also assured that the parking lot was half way up. Half way? Starting from where? Sea level? And it was a slippery slope.

At the top of the destination hill, were many Loughcrew cairns. There is one major one, probably the deluxe version of a 5000 year old crypt. I get to tick off another sight in Ireland's Ancient East! Now that I'm safely home I will possibly put three tick marks beside it in the book. However, there is a certain sense of accomplishment in conquering what, on first glance, made me start humming The Impossible Dream.

We stopped for coffee at a wee cafe just below the parking lot. It's in a small compound of three thatched cottages. The lattes were lovely. After watching a video about the cottages and cairns, in the damp cottage, I bought a DVD to watch when I get home - where it's warm.

From there we went to see the ruins of the church of St Oliver Plunkett. Should you wish to learn more about this former bishop of Armagh, check out: http://www.saintoliverplunkett.com/literature.html. The cemetery is very overgrown and in a bad state of disrepair - rather like the ruins of the church. The most recent burial was only a few decades ago and the earliest a few centuries ago.

Then it was on to Fore Abbey. Nope, no golfers around. This was another very old monastic site. We did a lot of walking here too and it was all flat! yay!! From the abbey grounds we walked a short distance to the Abbey Cafe. Well, the soup was tasty and hot, but it came with a slice of beige bread, straight out of a plastic bag. In all my trips to Ireland, this is the only time that soup was served without a slice of brown soda bread. Talk about disappointed ... Well actually the entire cafe was rather a disappointment. Our soup and Margaret's sandwich took forever to materialize. Eventually we had a nice chat with the lady running it, and she's from just around the corner from my cottage in Bunclody!

The abbey was built by, wait for it, St Fechin. The 'ch' has a 'ck' sound. My new favourite saint's name. This place is known for 7 wonders, but I have no idea what the first means. Anchorite is a stone; Water which will not boil; Monastery built on a bog; Mill without a mill race; Water which flows uphill; a tree which will not burn; and a stone lintel raised by St Fechin's prayers. 

We made no attempt to boil water (maybe that's what took so long for the soup), nor did we try to burn any trees. Some of the trees, planted on top of springs, have articles tied onto them as a way of asking for a wish to be granted. Does attaching a key chain mean you want a car or a house? Does attaching a bib mean you're hungry? Does attaching a teddy bear .... well, you get the idea. Some items are merely strips of cloth or plastic. It's quite unsightly actually but a tradition remains - with one of these trees somewhat less accessible now because it seems to be in a spot which is particularly sodden and one could get into a lot of difficulty. St Fechin is not around to do rescues on the spot.

Our travels were not yet over, as we drove to see the abbey at Multyfarnham. This one is quite magnificent and has been beautifully restored. There was a service in progress so we were able to visit only part of the interior.

From there it was time to head back - so we did. It was a short journey to the motorway which took us back to the Chester Beatty Inn in Ashford where we enjoyed a lovely dinner and a glass of wine. The food was so plentiful that I shall have the same dinner again tomorrow evening. The wine was not so generously poured so there was no doggy bag for that.

Back to Margaret's home we went for a cup of coffee to fortify me for the drive back to Bunclody. I know that route very well indeed and shall probably travel it more than once again before heading home.

The cottage is still chilly, as I turned off the heat when I left. Mary turned it back on before my return and my pajamas are now warming up on the radiator. Hopefully by morning, it will be warm and toasty once again. And so to bed. Photos to follow.

Walking did you say? How far?

Saturday started out cloudy as far as weather was concerned, but it did get much better.

No genealogy was even attempted over the weekend. Imagine, two full days of food, fun and friends was not interrupted by searching for records. It was glorious and for a non-genealogist probably easy to imagine.

A very early start on Saturday (06:30) was a bit of a challenge. The overnight bag was packed and loaded into the trunk of my trusty rented Ford Focus. The GPS was at hand if needed. House keys and some cash were stuffed into my handbag and after a bite of a granola bar, I was off to Craanford to meet Margaret #1.

Once Margaret was safely stowed in the passenger seat, I pointed the car in the direction of Gorey and off we went. Life is always an adventure with Marg, who never runs out of good ideas and instructions. Sometimes we pay attention to her and when we do, good things happen. Her original idea was that we would take the scenic route, and I'm usually all for that, but had we spurned the motorway we might still be en route to Maynooth.

So, we took the road more traveled, and got to Maynooth in good time. Finally breakfast! We stopped at her sister Michelle's place, parked our vehicle in Michelle's spot and turned ourselves over to her capable driving skills.

First stop was The Coffee Mill for a tasty brekkie and COFFEE!. From there we drove and then walked around the campus of Maynooth University - well, around some of it. It's a very old university with beautiful stone buildings and enough places to walk to keep you going for a month. We narrowed the possibilities and walked around the Church (no admission to outsiders), seminary (where we did sneak in for a wander through a couple of corridors), and the cemetery. The best part of the cemetery was the arched trees forming a wonderful canopy that would rival The Dark Hedges of Northern Ireland, leading up to it. There was even a sprinkling of snow drops (the flowers, not flakes) along the sides of the path. Apparently we will have an opportunity to enjoy (???) snow FLAKES later this week on more than one occasion.

From there it was off to Rathfarnham to visit the Padraig Pearse museum. Quite the teacher and patriot was he. The building is furnished, if not with original desks, beds (it was a boarding school), and other furniture, then replicas or similar items were used. The description of the uniforms for the boys of this school was interesting. One of the words to describe them was 'hygienic'. The boys wore brown kilts. Hygienic? Well maybe. Airy for sure.

Leaving behind the world of academia, we headed to the world of the rich and famous. The storied K club, where for a mere 379 Euro we could have played a round of golf. There were players on the course. Conditions were, in my humble opinion, a bit short of ideal - the temperature was 5C. My lower limit is 10C. It was also windy. With a green fee of 379 Euro, I would expect to be fed, wined, dined and have a score below par. So, we decided to just have coffee and a scone instead.  Oh yes, I did a wee bit of shopping in the pro shop. No, there were no bargains, but I met a vest I couldn't resist. With this week's forecast I might start wearing it right away.

My golfing dreams, well a photo op, satisfied, we headed out in another direction to Castletown. The grounds were open for walking and of course the cafe was open, but the building itself is closed until March 16. This was, and is, the largest estate home in Ireland. Built back in the day when no building could exceed Buckingham Palace in the number of windows, the owners were forced to brick up one window so that it had fewer than the Palace.

Not to be outdone by either of the preceding two stops of the day, we proceeded to Carton House - another golf resort which offers much more - a hotel, spa, training facility, reception rooms and a pro shop that was (mercifully) closed. Folks were playing golf there too. By this time it was quite sunny but still very chilly. From what I could gather online, you could play a round of golf there for just over 10% of the cost at the K club. We declined the availability of afternoon tea, and golf, and just ogled several of the reception rooms. It must have been a slow weekend - they were all vacant and available for exploring. Well, nobody stopped us anyway. One room had a wall of pipes for a pipe organ but there was no sign of an organ.

At this point we had walked miles and were a bit weary, so adjourned to Michelle's where we ordered Chinese take-out for supper. Then Margaret and I got back into the Ford and headed towards Ashford. There I left Marg in the capable hands of her son who was going to drive her home, and stay the night visiting his parents.

I drove a mile down the road to Rossanna Farm, the home of Margaret #2, where I'd spend the night. I got a warm welcome from Margaret and Eugene, a cup of herbal tea and simply could not resist a bite of dessert. And then to bed, where I slept soundly and woke up ready for another adventure.

I will add a post with photos later.

Thursday and Friday - a write-off?

Thursday was spent sneezing, blowing my nose and searching high and low (slowly) for some energy. Alas it was not to be found on the premises. I didn't even get to the Storytelling evening, partly out of consideration for the others who might attend and would not be too interested in sharing my cold. The other reason was that I went to bed early and slept for 10 hours. That was the right move.

Friday dawned and a couple of hours later I emerged from the cocoon of my duvet and rejoined the living, moving and not-sneezing part of the population.

A cup of coffee would have been just the thing to propel me into activity and productivity. Not so fast! The milk had gone off and curdled in my cup. Arrggghhh. Herbal tea just didn't cut it but it was hot.

The weather was not wonderful so aside from a brief shopping trip to Aldi, for milk, I can't point to any accomplishments. Well, aside from the milk I did add to the supplies for the chocolate decadence event planned for shortly after my return home. If you don't know about this event, my apologies but you'll never find out. If you do know about it, everything is on track.

Non-genealogists need not bother reading today

Today after I got up, I went to the computer to check email and got a message that set the tone and activities for the rest of the day. There was a message from the genealogist at Carlow library. She had replied to my query about assistance with local searches, with examples of the specific names I was looking for.

Surprise! it was Bernie from Back to our Past - the conference in Belfast. She works at the Carlow and Gorey genealogy centres. We had spoken at some length last weekend. I now have an appointment for a consultation next Tuesday and this is why...

Bernie sent me transcriptions from Dunleckney parish records with the baptisms of most of the Mcdonald offspring that I've been seeking. Some of the names were new to me (yay!) and others confirmed what I'd already found (yay again). Of course, since some of the offspring had baptism records and were not found in Canada two decades later, I still have to find what became of Bridget and John.

So far the parents marriages are elusive but they might be found in another parish where the wife lived before the marriage. So, what parish might that be? One is obvious as it is adjacent. The townlands are just a few miles apart. Some discoveries were made and possibly I now have the names  of one more generation back. At this point, in my excitement, I had to remind myself that matching names in nearby areas does not necessarily mean you've found the right family members. But, it's a start.

This information dealt with, after corroboration of some of it on ancestry.com, I let my fingers wander to open my Facebook page. Ta-da - a post on a genealogy page from someone with a surname matching an in-law family, who was from the same townland as my Byrnes. More correspondence was exchanged. I was able to share some records and point to others. Now we both have fingers and toes crossed for more progress.

Still waiting to hear again from my local DNA match.

This evening I decided I simply had to go out, so I went to a local drama group's production at a nearby school auditorium. The play was a Neil Simon farce, Rumours. It was well done and was a great way to spend the evening. I didn't see anyone there that I knew at all.

Tomorrow, if the rain don't fall and the crick don't rise, I'll do a bit of driving around. Actually, I will likely go only as far as Altamont Gardens and hope that the carpet of snowdrops of all varieties are still showing off. That was snow DROPS not flakes. Flowers not frost. The camera and my legs are in need of a workout.

In the evening the storytelling session starts at 7 pm in the local library. For reasons unknown to me, it was moved up in time from 8 to 7 pm and to a different location than usual. But it's bound to be just as entertaining as ever.

Today I was the stationary genealogist

Not having slept much last night, I wasn't exactly raring to go today. It was a shame really - the sun was bright, there were very few clouds and the chill in the air was quite bracing.

I managed a load of laundry which got hung on the clothesline for some freshening, and a walk into town for a haircut. The proof of whether the latter was successful will come tomorrow when I wash my hair again. That darn hill isn't getting any easier to climb to come home.

There was also a trip to Aldi for a few protein selections to sit on the dinner plate beside the veggies which are already on hand. I'm quite looking forward to the organic salmon, the duck breast stuffed pancakes (well, more like tortillas), the trout and the salmon cakes. Hmmm - I see a fishy trend.

Not to be totally focused on the healthy options, I decided to begin purchasing the selections for a chocolate decadence experience with close friends when I get home. Yes, Flowers, that means you! There is a remarkable selection and not being able to decide I chose the three different chocolate bars that are marked as suitable for pairing with wine - notably Riesling, Malbec and Penusco. The last one is new to me. I added a small box of Rose Creams and Violet Creams. Never having eaten roses or violets I'm not sure we'll be able to tell if the flavours are authentic. But how bad could they be? For good measure I purchased duplicates. It's possible the Sirens might have to help out in this endeavour. Start fasting now ladies.

This evening as I enjoyed the comfort of the sofa, there were a couple of back to back tv shows about places in Ireland I'd never been. Some I'd never heard of. Historical context was included and they were quite compelling. Perhaps they will lead to a couple of new destinations on the GPS at some future date. I definitely want to go to Castletown and in fact it might just be on the agenda for Saturday.

From having no plans at noon and wondering where to go for little adventures, I now have a quite full social calendar. Note to self - make sure Monday has no engagements. Friday evening will be spent visiting with family at Coolross. I drove there and back last night with not the slightest hesitation about directions. This is a possible first.

Saturday will have an early start. Off to Craanford by 8 am to collect Margaret G., then off to Maynooth to meet with her sister who will take over as tour guide. Apparently we're going to take the 'long way' not the main roads to get there. With me at the wheel that probably means the 'wrong' way. Once there, we're off to explore the environs and I believe Castletown is quite close. I hope it's not too late a night.

Sunday morning I'm to be in Ashford at Rossanna Farm by 10:30 and then off to Co Meath with the other Margaret, to step waaaaay back in time at Loughcrew. Depending on how fatigued I am by the end of the day, I might just bring an overnight bag in case I have to impose on the Stephens' hospitality.

Now - to genealogy land. You have been warned.

I did a bit of re-research this afternoon, to look over some records I'd previously found. My Walsh (2), McMahon and Mcdonald ancestors are from the parish of Dunleckney, in Co Carlow. I'm not sure if they were from the townland of that same name, but I believe so. It's very nearby so I'll go exploring in the morning. More sun in the forecast. One must remain optimistic, that in a local pub at the destination, there just might be someone who is well versed in family history of the area and knows if any descendants still live thereabouts. From what I've read, there is a cemetery that is just begging me to look for those names on the headstones too.

Also today I exchanged some correspondence with another cousin, alerted by a DNA match on Ancestry. He was able to verify and add to the line on which we are connected. He lives in Florida and the family in question once lived in NY - Brooklyn I think.

So, in winding down the day, I'm hoping for a good and long sleep to prepare me for the tomorrow's exploring.

Sunday in the rain and Monday in the sun

Leaving Belfast it seemed only right to take the coastal route to see the Mountains of Mourne. Apparently on a day with sun, or at least no rain, one actually sees some very impressive mountains. We, however, did not. There were signposts guiding the journey so the GPS was a mere added extra. One sign pointed to an upper loop higher up on the mountain side. It was shrouded in fog. Having been in fog on other precarious routes, we opted not to bother. Photo-ops would have totalled zero. As it was they totalled almost zero. The one exception was the photo I posted on Facebook of a sign that said: A balanced diet consists in having a glass of wine in each hand. Hardly worth posting here as it's on FB.

Now the longest part of the journey, Belfast to near Dublin airport, was good, if you don't count the endless rain and inability to see any scenery beyond a couple of hundred yards. The real excitement began when trying to get to John's hotel near the airport - the Clayton. I've stayed there in the past and knew it was on the "other" side of the motorway from the airport. If you have been on the motorway near Dublin airport you'll know of the lovely roundabouts, multiple choice exits and heavy traffic. The combination was, well, daunting. We saw a few of the roundabouts several times, experimenting with various exits. We ended up south of the airport, north of the airport and seemingly stuck in a time warp on the airport side of the motorway. Frustrating - not half! And the GPS was chatting madly about all directions.

Eventually we found the hotel, and leaving the car in a taxi zone, with me waiting inside in case of "approach of the Garda", John checked in. Then it was off to arrange a few details of the car rental with Hertz.

Having circled the airport a few times already it seemed like a straightforward and short trip back some of the ways we had come. Well, it was shorter but not without a couple of wrong turns once more. Eventually we got to Hertz and settled the details.

There was no further need for a second driver which was pretty easy to sort out. However, I was not happy with the car. It was a Renault, Capital - sort of an SUV that felt much bigger than it measured. I sat quite low despite being told it was higher than a sedan. Besides, you can't find stuff in a Renault. I'm sure there was a clock on the dash someplace but after a week we had still not located it. I'd come to loathe the vehicle and wanted something with a smaller feel, but still automatic.

I was offered an Audi - an upgrade but offered because the VW Golf I wanted was unavailable. The transaction was almost complete when the Hertz man said, by the way it takes petrol not diesel. Diesel is cheaper and gets better mileage. Oops. Then he offered me a Ford Focus and brought the smile back to my face.

Now I have a nice vehicle, with a clock, with easily found accessories like lights and wipers, and it's a diesel. Life is good.

After dropping John back at the hotel I had a moment of doubt that the GPS would get me through the maze of the "near the airport" traffic obstacles, but it was unwarranted. I managed to follow directions completely and was back at Moss Cottage in about 90 minutes. It was still raining.

This morning however, after a reasonable night's sleep, was sunny and mild - in a word, glorious. I'd guess it came close to 10C today. I did a couple of loads of laundry and if the clothes dry overnight, I'll be all set to face the world in clean clothing once again. I chatted for a bit with Brian who showed me some of the flowers in his fantastic garden. I'd be more than happy to identify them should I ever remember to ask him again what they are called. One is a double and the other is not - both are lovely. And it's FEBRUARY!!

The old building is the Fever Hospital after which this street is named - Hospital Hill. Can only see it when the leaves are scarce on the trees.

Later I walked into town and briefly stopped in the tourist office. I never did that last year. As it happens, there is a play on Tues-Wed and Thur nights at the local high school. It's a production by the drama group that won the All-Ireland competition last year so you can be sure I'll go to one of the shows Tues or Wed. On Thursday it's story-telling night, relocated to the library this time. I believe I'll drive as it's a bit far to walk home at night. Usually it's at St Aiden's hall about 300 yds from my door.

And that, dear readers, brings you up to the minute except for a genealogy alert. Should you have no interest in my family line, do stop now.

While in Belfast at the conference I did speak with a few people who offered some suggestions on my Northern Ireland connection. One variation on a surname has not led to any new discoveries. However, a passing thought over the past couple of years, has led me to start pursuing someone who is possibly the brother of a three times great grandfather and from that maybe, just maybe, I will find more of the guy I'm really looking for.

Today, checking my latest DNA results at ancestry.com, I found a connection to the Sewards. Yay! They were in NY, Brooklyn area, and I've found very little about them. Fingers crossed that my message brings a reply.

Sometime before Christmas I'd made a DNA connection on a maternal line - likely McGrath but maybe Maher. The person I'm related to lives in Enniscorthy, about 15 miles away. We've corresponded but I obviously forgot to mention that I'd be in Belfast on the weekend. He stopped by the cottage. Now it seems the phone number he provided probably has a digit switched, so I sent off another email. Fingers crossed.

Also potentially a route to cover in the next two weeks, is the trail of a Walsh gg grandparent, and maybe a Mcdonald. Both come from an area about 15 miles in another direction near Bagnelstown. I'll have to make a few notes before heading madly off in that direction to see if there might be any evidence to be found there.

Where do I begin after 3 days away

Well Friday was spent mostly in the car. Given the distance from Bunclody to Belfast one might guess that trip took longer than the drive from Titanic Belfast, where the Conference took place, to the hotel which was only a couple of miles away. I suppose the long drive took more actual time, but it was totally uneventful and without a single episode of getting lost.

Not so the short journey from Titanic Belfast to the Radisson Blu hotel. Bear in mind that it was 5 pm, that the entire population of the city was in cars, on our route. Remember also that the road system in Belfast was devised either by a sick mind or someone whose hobby was designing mazes and got all of that experience from arranging street layouts.

We had a GPS and it was very bossy. However, turns were sometimes not very evident and so close together that there was not sufficient time for warning of the change in direction. I was not actually watching the time but my best guess of how long the 2-3 mile drive took was almost an hour. Of course it was dark by the time we arrived, and for much of the drive, so I'm unable to describe what we passed by way of landmarks. I believe we passed some of them multiple times. In fact, we were practically on top of the hotel but the sign is on the roof of the building and we were on the ground and didn't see it at the end of a dead end street. I think it was on our second 'visit' to the area that we happened upon the destination. Alleluia!

Anyway, the conference sessions were very good and my knowledge of DNA in genealogy has been expanded greatly. It was a gathering of so many great minds I was humbled by the company. Saturday's sessions were equally as good.

The assembled group included: Maurice Gleeson, Debbie Kennett, Katherine Borges, John Cleary, Brad Larkin, Michelle Leonard and to the others go my apologies for a poor memory.

Both days, fortified by substantial breakfasts, we sailed past lunch with only a chance to snatch a morsel from the table offerings of the exhibitors. There was no scheduled lunch break and we didn't want to miss any sessions.

Dinner on Saturday was a great time, at McHugh's pub, not far from the conference site. We drove and after a certain amount of circling city blocks, none of them square, we found a place to abandon the car, facing the wrong way. Parking that way is very common. You see a spot, you go for it no matter which way you were driving. Substantial revenue would be generated in Canada by fining that sort of parking.

The history of this bar is fascinating. It's the oldest standing building in Belfast, dating to the early 18th century. If you click the link, scroll down the page to read the history. I think we were in the Lucan room.

Shortly after our group of about 20 trickled in, we discovered, without moving, that there was a third floor and the occupants were engaged in Irish dancing. For a moment it felt like them might suddenly join us! There was music in the background but we were so busily engaged in conversation that for the most part we took little notice. Food was excellent and I must say the Guinness was up to scratch.

Being in the land of Game of Thrones, there were tours and adventures the days before and after the conference itself. Alas, having watched not a single episode, we declined to participate. Some wore GOT costumes and were most impressive. None of the speakers was paid, nor did they have expenses covered. This is one dedicated group of DNA genealogists. There was a general genealogy stream but I'm unable to comment, having not attended any of those sessions.

When on a staircase, when you are half way up you are neither up nor down. This is the reproduction of the grand staircase on the Titanic. Fortunately this one is on land with little danger of sinking. No icebergs have been noted in the vicinity of Belfast. Sadly, we were unable to capitalize on being at that site and did not explore it - not even the gift shop! I have been there before although didn't have time to do it justice.

Off to Kilkenny City, but a cave got in our way

Sunny! OK - touring is on the schedule. Where to? Why, the medieval city of Kilkenny of course. I never tire of wandering and touring in this wonderful place. Driving there, however, is not something I particularly love, on the narrow twisting two-way streets. I always meet a bus or huge truck coming at me.

Not to be deterred by those thoughts, the car was pointed in the direction of Kilkenny and it was smooth sailing most of the way. Suddenly it got cloudy and started raining. Well, having done a little homework on what was in the area, a visit to the Dunmore Cave seemed like a good place to get out of the rain. So, we took the third exit from the roundabout instead of the first and soon found ourselves at the visitor centre.

Beginning with a nice educational video, having obtained senior rate tickets without even asking (should we have been offended or just grateful?), we paid little notice to the verbal notification that there were in excess of 700 steps. Well, that's going and coming back. Guess which way meant climbing up. Yep!

So down we went into the largest cave in Ireland and were met by Eamer, who for a lack of crowds, essentially became our private guide. There is something to be said for winter visits to Ireland and the lack of crowds.

I can't begin to remember every detail so numbers might be a bit off. It seems that in 978 there might have been a massacre. Bodies of women and children were found in one part of the cave. Were they trying to hide from the Vikings? Were they kidnapped and housed there? How about DNA examination of the bones? Well it seems the bones made a trip to Dublin and one way or another, got lost. They are probably around but mixed in with other similar 'artifacts' and it is not on anyone's radar to make figuring it out a priority.

We saw one lone bat flying around. The cave is home to roughly 1000 bats during the winter. Fortunately they prefer an area that's quite remote and hard to access and they mostly stay there just hanging around upside down. When an interior passage was pointed out, I wondered what skinny two year old was put through and told to go exploring and count bats. I was told that the passage is bigger than it looks, but simply requires crawling for a forgotten number of yards (50?) on hands and knees. Gee, sure wish that had been me. NOT.

Eventually we successfully made the exit climb and I swear my halo was glowing from the accomplishment. So, where to next? It was equidistant to Castlecomer where I remembered a nice cafe from last year, and Kilkenny and those narrow streets.

OK - Wicklow Gap it is, via Castlecomer, after a nice lunch at The Coffee House Cafe. I have been over the Wicklow Gap and the Sally Gap - its neighbour - and in my experience, once at the top, it was a lovely drive down the other side to Glendalough, another favourite destination. So, we set the Google Maps GPS for Wicklow Gap. Bad decision.

The drive took us over a lovely winding road, a long bridge and then on to some lovely twisting boreens. Those are roads so narrow and little used that grass grows in the middle. Nice! Fortunately we encountered only one car going the other way. In the middle of nowhere the GPS app told us we had arrived at our destination. What? No road intersecting the one from Sally Gap? No sign pointing to Glendalough? We had done a loop which eventually took us back to the town of Blessington, which we'd passed through and from where we made the turn off to the gap.

I'm not sure where I lodge a complaint that there should only be one Wicklow Gap. We did see an evergreen with Christmas decorations, as I had seen last year at Sally Gap. Who goes there with shiny coloured decorations and hangs them on a tree that only lost tourists will ever see? Never mind - it did look kind of festive and cute. We didn't stop - road was too narrow and someone could have been headed our way.

From Blessington we followed instructions and took the N81. With a slight side trip that took us off and then back on the N81, for reasons not apparent, we drove through Tullow and back to the N80 which goes right through Bunclody. Now home and enjoying a cup of tea, we're in for the evening.

Tomorrow there will be an early start as we want to be in Belfast for noon. Somewhere en route I want to exchange my old English pounds, which were perfectly good in Sheffield last year, for new English pounds which is all that is accepted now. I found out at Heathrow that I was in possession of antique bills and change. Luckily when I paid for lunch I did have among the paper and coins, enough that was acceptable. Northern Ireland uses pounds not euros, so somewhere along the way once we've crossed the border, a bank will have to be visited.

It's unlikely there will be a post until Monday night. I'm not taking the laptop along and the thought of typing on my phone or tablet is not appealing.

So I shall dig up a couple of pictures from today and sign off until next week.

Meeting "Saint" Patrick

Today dawned sunny and bright apparently. By the time I woke up for the third and last time it was still sunny and bright, and nearing 11 am. It was long past time to get on the road so I made haste and got ready.

Off we went in our Renault Megane with me at the wheel. As we were headed southeast the drive was almost entirely into the sun. Now it's hard to complain about a nice day, but driving "into the light" with a lot of dappled shade between the road and those stone walls and thick hedges, turned into somewhat more of an adventure than anticipated. Using an app we had directions which took us past some truly beautiful views, most of which I did not really enjoy as the journey was mostly on L roads - the ones so narrow there is no point in painting a white line. My eyes had only one mission - watch the road.

Drawing close to our destination, just after rounding a bend, I hit a water-filled pothole. As luck would have it this was a tire-munching pothole. Within a few yards the "Stop" light on the dash was dinging and flashing, so I pulled off the road. Fortunately there was a place to do so at the foot of a very steep lane. Also luckily, the flat tire was on the left so changing it would not endanger life and limb from oncoming vehicles.

With roadside assistance available from Hertz, the phone was pressed into service. Help was to be dispatched as soon as possible. Just then, a tractor drove down the lane that stopped where our lame vehicle was now parked. The farmer jumped down and offered assistance. His name was Patrick, and silently I added "Saint" to his name. Hertz was called again and informed that help had arrived by local means.

It didn't take Saint Patrick long to exchange the damaged tire for the (Oh happy day!!) full size tire in the trunk. As the tire happened to have sustained damage to the sidewall, later in the day I had the pleasure of purchasing a replacement, a Bridgestone - the priciest tire, er tyre, in stock at Top Tyre. Ah well, it had to be done. Hertz requires replacements to be the same as the original.

Back to the lighthouse. (Saint) Patrick suggested we stop at the Templar Inn just down the road, for lunch. I invited him to be our guest but he declined. Said anyone would have helped. Well I suppose any Irishman would have, in my experience. We stopped to have lunch there but the Templars must have been out on a crusade, and the place was closed.


On we went and in a couple more kilometres we arrived at Hook Head. There was a lovely cafe where bowls of seafood chowder and fresh home made brown bread provided the perfect remedy for our hunger. Sitting at a counter facing the window, we had a lovely sea view of crashing waves to enjoy while dining.

Noel was our guide for the private lighthouse tour and it was much more interesting that I'd have thought. This is the oldest original lighthouse in the world at about 800 years. It was originally built as a little monastery, with 12 foot thick walls. There are 115 steps to the gallery, where visitors can go outside and enjoy the view. Fortunately, there were a couple of landings on that staircase, where the original dwelling area of the monks once existed. There are huge fireplaces and even a pizza oven. I don't suppose it was used for pizza at the time. There were also two original, um toilets, large holes placed more or less vertically in the walls. The 'drop zone' was within the walls. Hmmm. I didn't ask how one might actually make use of these.

The spiral staircase to the top was also built within the walls, fortunately not in firing range of the toilets. This staircase winds upwards counter-clockwise, making it easier to carry a bag of coal up to the top, over the right shoulder. As this was not built as a castle and no sword fighting was anticipated, the stairs did not have to wind clockwise for right-handed swordsmen. The entire structure is an architectural wonder. When it became a lighthouse, the keeper, his family, his assistant and his family, lived in the two areas once used by the monks. Tight quarters indeed.

The view was worth the climb and spectacular in every direction. The inlet next to the lighthouse is the entrance to several ports including Waterford and New Ross. When leaving Ireland for Canada in 1847,  Arthur Byrne and family would have sailed passed the Hook Head Lighthouse, possibly the last part of Ireland they would ever see.

From there, on the recommendation of Noel, we navigated those narrow little L roads, to Tintern Abbey. No, not that one, but named for its famous Welsh predecessor. There are lovely walks to be had and a walled garden to enjoy. Our stop was short. We had a mission to fulfill.

Our mission, and we chose to accept it, was to get to the Hertz outlet in Wexford to deal with the tyre issue, and to (fingers crossed) get a somewhat smaller vehicle. I really wanted a VW Golf. We got a replacement vehicle, another Renault, that is somewhat smaller, but almost tall enough to be a little SUV. It has fewer bells and whistles, but I'm hoping it's narrower for navigation purposes. I was able to relax and enjoy the drive home from the left passenger seat.

Supper was referred to as pancakes, but more delicious crepes would be hard to find. My compliments to the chef, who even did the dishes.

The weather forecast for tomorrow is appallingly short of delightful. It sounds miserable and wet but somewhat milder at 10C, so grocery shopping is likely to be the adventure du jour.

I have not yet contacted any relatives but will probably make a phone call or two shortly to touch base.

Thus ends day one of Annie's adventures in Ireland, Episode 11 if I haven't mis-counted.

Your homework is to find the relationship between Hook Head and the expression 'by Hook or by Crook". Suggested source: https://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/by-hook-or-by-crook.html
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Another chapter for my "Book of Irish Adventures" begins tomorrow evening

Today we celebrated the life of my sister Maureen, who left us with memories of her bright smile, cheerful personality and determination in spite of the odds and obstacles she faced. The stories left by her friends will help the family get through the coming days.

For my part, I'm escaping the miserable Ottawa Winter, to renew my spirit at Moss Cottage in Bunclody, Co Wexford. I will be distracted by the flowers now starting to bloom and hopefully enticed to make some progress writing the family stories. As a bonus, there are some possible meetings with people who have matched me in DNA tests and I am hopeful of pulling back the veil of mystery surrounding some of my ancestral lines.

This trip will be via London, Heathrow and such a huge airport will put my miserable navigation skills to the test. I fear that my GPS will not be enough to guide me through the vast halls, so I have my fingers crossed that signage is adequate to get me from the arrival gate to the departure gate for the last leg to Dublin.

Stay tuned in the coming days as I pursue the distant past and try to take the hard edges off the past few months.