I call all of my relatives cousins in Ireland it’s to complicated to identify first cousins, second cousins and then the removing bit…….we all have the same great grandparents however to a couple they were grandparents. This is the house my grandfather grew up in, there were 11 children in a good Protestant family. The house is no longer in the family someone bought restored and modernized it the sky lights in the roof are new. The moat was dug out on the lower level, some windows had been covered because property taxes were assessed by the number of windows in a house. The house is probably 300 years old and was originally an abbey. We just walked around the outside, a young family lives there now we were invited in but I didn’t want to ruin my memories of when I was there in 1981.
This is the only family photo of them all together probably the last time they were all together, my grandfather came to America a short time after the photo was taken, he is standing between my great-grandparents. They were all dressed up for the occasion the dresses and shoes the girls are wearing are beautiful. I met seven of the eleven siblings many years ago. Two of grandpas brothers, Harry and Robert, (second row left and right) came to America a few years later they also farmed. A sister, Jess, (sitting on left) came to America she worked in office jobs and was actually a roommate with my grandmother which is how she met my grandfather. That great aunt also worked as a nanny in South America it’s rumored that she sent cheerful letters home keeping the higher ups abreast of Americas preparations to enter WWII. We will never know for sure. My great aunt Elsie ( standing on bottom step) is the one responsible for my love of wool. She came to America for a visit in the mid 1960’s and knit a sweater for me I’m sure I wore it to school every other day. The youngest boy, my great uncle Sandy, came to America in 1968 and stayed for almost a year he visited all the American relatives he talked about the big snowstorms for decades. I met Sam ( boy sitting) in 1981.
Scenery along the coast
The monkey puzzle tree at a cousins farm.
A walk up the lane at another cousins farm, I walked all the way up that hill 44 years ago. The terrain looked a lot wilder this time, maybe the sheep had grazed it shorter years ago. I saw a couple golden hares one struck a pose on a stone fence.
A cousin took me to the local yarn shop I found some treasures.
A trip to Ireland isn’t complete without a couple pints of Guinness. —Ann—
