New Pictures from Cousin Marian

                                         John Conal and Cousin Randall,Jr.(Marian's 2nd son)

                                          In front of Marian and Randall's new home in Dublin

                                          Summer/Guest House in Killybegs
                                       

                                          Ready to ride through the hills and beach of Bundoran
                      

                                          With Annie McGuinness(her father and my grandfather were brothers) at    her house in Killybegs

                                           Cousin Catherine's birthday celebration

                                            Beach riding in Bundoran

                                           On the back patio of Cousin Marian Rose McGuinness in Killybegs with her youngest daughter  Diedra and Kitty the dog!

                                           Heading to the beach on cobs

                                          Gathering of cousins in Dublin

                                            John Conal and Madeleine surfing on same beach in Bundoran

Marian's sister Breada, her husband, Catherine and sisters, I believe

The "BELL"

Look what my dear friends, Haven and Bill, found  on their summer trip!

Ireland 1963

This is the family home in Killybegs as it was in 1963 when I visited with my mama and papa.  Mama is in the middle in the grey skirt and I suppose Papa was taking the picture. The others have passed on except for the little girl at my side ( I am the dark haired skinny girl on the left for those who don't remember me 50 years ago!!!!!.  I believe the man on the right is another Conal McShane, probably an uncle. The home is now in ruins; the roof is gone and weeds fill the rooms.I heard many stories about my grandfather Patrick and this house. AnnieMcShane McGuinness  still remembers him and that he built the large Celtic cross in the family plot in the cemetery there and many of the family is buried under that cross. He made 11 trips back to Killybegs to see his mother and he and my grandmother Anna are buried in Fort Smith, Arkansas. He and the Prendergast family were merchants and operated a store in the old arcade in Fort Smith for many years. I remember this house was heated with peat and the men drank whisky in the kitchen.  I brought back a peat log this summer as a memento.

An Unexpected Delight

                                                   

In Eire they make wholemeal bread,
Of which, on occasion, ’tis said,
With butter spread thick,
It will cure you if sick,
And it just might awaken the dead.
— Robert Rothman

WOW, WHAT A TRIP!

It is Saturday night, July 21st and we are back in Mobile finally after yet again another United Airlines snafu.  We ended up our wonderful journey back to our roots in Pensacola at about midnight last night due to more mechanical problems.  We had no luggage, but we were home safely.  Luggage did arrive this afternoon. I am sorry the blog did not materialize as I had hoped, but I had no idea that we would be totally without Wifi and for that matter any internet connection for much of the trip.  Despite all the United problems, we had a PERFECT trip together.  The children were the best, and our family in Ireland welcomed us with open arms and lots of  "cheer". After about five days with family in Donegal, we traveled to Galway, Kilarney, Yeats country, Dingle peninsula,Kenmare, etc.
We had a wonderful driver Helena who was an expert in Irish history and could answer all our questions and was the perfect hostess. Can't begin to tell all we learned, but needless to say, we are now knowledgeable in the history, culture, politics, religion, and educational system of Ireland. I have only a few pics now, but will add more if our LOST camera surfaces. John Conal and Madeleine now are connected with cousins with names like Sinead, Maeve, Tal, Seamus, and lots of Conals and Marians.

New room

Moving to a new room didnt take long. Wont go into details. After lace shopping in Kenmare we drove to the National STud FArm of Ireland. Great time, beautiful stallions, foals,mares, and a Japanese garden next to a grotto to a saint. We are back in Dublin, had dinner in a Japanese restaurant?????.? Met and visited people from MN. Back with cousins tomorrow and a whirlwind tour of Dublin and pub dinner tomorrow. New flight plans bring us back to Mobile on Thursday night. We just heard about Clarie Briggs and our sympathies go out to her friends and family. We are praying for y ou. We cant believe our time in Ireland is almost up; it has been the most idyllic adventure and we are planning another one. Hard to get pics to upload on a ipad, but will try. We only have taken about 700!!!!!!!! Love to all.

New room in JApanese hotel

Lace and studs

We started the morning with a fabulous Irish breakfast including the best French toast John Conal had ever tasted. Nana is enjoying her brown bread, and I am enjoying all the fruits in the buffet. First stop today was Kenmare, which was after a drive throught the national forest where we saw a wild goat, a rainbow, a herd of red deer, sheep crossing the road, and waterfalls but no leprechauns. Kenmare is the lace Capitol of Ireland and we enhanced the Irish economy. Next stop was lunch at the "grand hotel" in a small town. More later moving to new room due to unusual fragrance.

Just a few highlights

Ruin  of ancient church in Dingle

Dingle peninsula

Part of our Irish family

Madeleine at the Bee hive huts

John Conal at the Bee Hive huts

Backyard of our cousins' house in Donegal

Dingle!

Madeleine in the wild fushia

First of many castles

Internet At Last

It is Sunday night, July 15, and we finally have internet access. We arrived in Killarney yesterday, and we are staying in a lovely hotel. Today, we attended mass at St. Mary's cathedral, very old stark limestone with beautiful stainglass windows. Out in front was a crypt engrave  marker honoring the unknown children who where buried there who died during the potato famine. After mass, we enjoyed another hardy Irish breakfast and then headed on our way to the Dingle peninsula. Quite a long drive, but we saw famine cottages, bee hive homes, and amazing views from the cliffs over the Atlantic. Lunch in Dingle with fish and chips and water with a rare bit of ice. We took lots of pictures but havent figured out how to get them onto this computer. Dinner tonight was quite an experience for the kids, starting with goat cheese and ending with chocolate ice cream. Will try to add in dates we missed, but we have had no cell service or internet service until now. Love to all!

Are we there yet?

It's 2:00p.m. on Monday afternoon and no we are not in Dublin yet. We won't bore you with the details, but the cause of our loosing a whole day in Ireland is an oxygen mask. Yes, a single oxygen mask fell out of its place and the flight was cancelled because of that. We are now headed to Charlotte and from there, overnight to Dublin we hope. Dulles airport is quite exciting at 1:35 a.m. Who speaks English in our nation's capital these days? We arrived to our cab and he didn't speak English nor did he know where our hotel was which turned out to be 10 minutes from the airport. Going to board the flight I Charlotte in a few hours. Can't wait! Nana has been very cool with the all the chaos. And using our southern hospitality proves to be worth while. After all, everyone enjoys free snacks on long flights. John Conal and Madeleine

Irish Toast for breakfast before the big trip!!

My Traveling Companions

One week until Takeoff for Ireland and all is well.  Last minute details are being completed and our excitement level is climbing every day.