I uploaded 159 photos from our trip into a Webshots photo album - you can view it by clicking on the image below. Most of the pictures are not yet labeled, but they should at least appear in chronological order. Cheers!
We are about to leave Marless House to check back in at the Galway Genealogy Center to see what Brian Rabbitt was able to find on the Kyne/Coyne side of my paternal grandmother's family. Then we plan to make a quick stop in downtown Galway at a bookstore before heading to our final B&B of the trip in the Boyne, just north of Dublin.
Today was another long day of driving, but before we started out for a tour of the barren Atlantic Coast west of Galway, County Galway, we had to find out what we were looking for - so we went the the Galway Genealogical Society, located just a few minutes from our B&B in a sparse office in the rear of a community center. There, Brian Rabbitt helped us electronically search through the 1901 and 1911 census, as well as baptism, birth, death and marriage certificates.
FAMILY HISTORY
Here is a summary of the family history we've discovered on this trip (I'll try and keep it clear). My paternal grandparents' names were James O'Brien and Mary Coyne. Our research today focused on my paternal grandmother's lineage, particularly her mother's lineage. Mary Coyne's (my grandmother's) parents were Thomas Coyne and Nora King. As mentioned above, our research focused on Nora King's lineage (my paternal grandmother's mother).
The King Side
Nora King, whose real name was Honor King, was born to Peter King and Mary Ward in 1880. Peter King and Mary Ward were married on October 25, 1868 in Innishnee, a remote island west of Galway City in County Galway with one church that belonged to the Roundstone Parish. He was a 23-year-old farmer (born 1845); she was 20 (born between 1848 and 1851). His father's name was Martin King; her father's name was James Ward. After their marriage, they apparently moved about 1 mile across the choppy Atlantic Ocean to a remote, rocky landscape known as Letterard, which was part of the Carna Parish.
Nora King was one of Peter and Mary's 8 or 9 children. (1) Michael King was born in 1871. (2) Mary King was born in Letterard on March 18, 1873. (3) Anne King was baptized in Letterard in 1875. (4) Martin King was baptized in Letterard on September 30, 1877. (5) Honor ("Nora") King was born in Letterard on March 1, 1880 and was baptized 20 days later in Carna Parish. (6) Margaret King was born around 1882. (7) Festus King was born around 1885. (8) Colman King was born May 14, 1888 in Letterard and was baptized June 6, 1888, also in Carna Parish. A "Peter King" was mentioned to us by a relative back home as a possible ninth sibling, but the Galway genealogy center did not turn up any records of him.
(1) Michael King was a fisherman and lived at home, taking care of the homestead after his father's (Peter King's) death on April 25, 1895 at age 49 in Letterard (died of natural causes).
(2) Mary King was the oldest King to immigrate to the U.S. She worked as a nurse in Maine; she later married a Dr. Batchelder and lived in Boston, but did not have children.
(3) Anne King married Michael Mongan on August 10, 1895; he was 24, she was 17 - they were both "servants" with farmer fathers. They had two children: Mark Mongan, born April 18, 1897 and Martin Mongan, born November 9, 1899; both born in Rossduff.
(4) Martin King leased farm land from the Law Life Assurance Co. in Letterard, a remote, rocky area across the inlet from Innishnee.
(5) Nora King immigrated to the U.S., probably sometime before 1901. She married Thomas Kyne - spelled "Coyne" upon arrival to the U.S. - who may have immigrated on the same ship as Nora's brother Festus.
(6) We know very little about Margaret King as yet, but the 1911 census lists Mary King's household as including her children Margaret and Michael, and two grandchildren: John Conneely (born ~1903) and Catherine Conneely (born ~1899). Since Michael did not have children, it is conceivable that Margaret King married a Mr. Conneely and these were her children.
(7) Festus King immigrated to the U.S. in May 1908 and died in 1974. He had at least five children: Peter (born 1915), Mary (Plumb) (born 1914), Helen (born 1917), Edward (born 1920) and Martin (born 1921). Festus' son Peter had a daughter named Margie who married John O'Malley (they had three daughter's, who would be Festus' great-grandaughters - Mary, Katty and Judy).
(8) We know very little about Colman King.
The Kyne/Coyne Side
We are still in the process of learning more about Thomas Coyne, but we found out that his family name was probably Kyne before coming to the U.S. - and he was from Spiddel, another coastal town of County Galway about 20 miles east of Letterand/Innishnee/Carna. We left Brian Rabbitt at the Genealogy Center to the research and will return tomorrow to pick up what he found (for a fee, of course).
OUR EXPLORATION
Armed with an incredible amount of information, we set out for the road - determined to find someone or something. Our route took us through the beautiful Connemarra National Park, a rolling landscape of mist-covered mountains, dense spans of spruce trees, martian islands of limestone bedrock and boulders, and an endless flow of streams into rivers into lakes and marshes. On the side of the road we saw two badgers - the gruff guardians of the harsh Connemarra landscape - who were on the losing end of a run-in with the unforgiving traffic of the Irish countryside.
Our first, and most productive stop, was the island of Innishnee. Innishnee is one of the harshest places in all of Ireland. It's landscape is like that of a foreign planet - rocky and dark with lumps of brown grass and bogs of peat surrounding. Only one narrow road leads to Innishnee - it first takes you over the Atlantic Ocean on a short bridge, and then winds you around stoney pastures scarred and fortified with ancient rock walls as fences. The road is only wide enough for one car to pass - even though it carries traffic in both directions. Ruinous houses dot the landscape - sepulchers of times gone by, de-roofed by years of exposure to the bitter breeze of the salty ocean air and crashing waves against the rocky coast. Moss and vines have taken over the window sills and doorways of these former dwellings. Occasionally a sheep will be eating roadside grass as you come around a bend, or a cow will be gazing confusingly in your directions as you come over a hill - both a testament t to those remaining few who still eek out a living on this two-mile long island.
We came to a fork in the road and went to the right. It led to more of the same - stoney nothingness, rugged winds and sea waves all around. We turned around where it dead ended and took the other side of the fork. It led us to another part of the island, partially hidden from our prior position by the rolling landscape. Up one hill - then down another - and up a second hill our rental car devotedly puttered on. Then, beside a stone gate we noticed a relatively new sign for a cemetery. We made a spot to pull over so that another car could pass by, then ventured inside. The cemetery was ancient and covered in clumps of grass and boggy ferns. Jagged stones, weathered by rain and wind, marked decades-old graves - nearly all of which were illegible. One side of one structure remained atop the hill in the cemetery - likely the old church of Innishnee where my great-great grandparents, Peter King and Mary Ward were married on October 25, 1868. As we turned to leave, a wiry terrier bounded up the hill towards us with a bark - his owner, John Barrett - a short, strong man of about 60 whose years living on Innishnee shone upon his monstrous hands, which were of a perpetual peat color, and weathered face. We told him who we were; he told us who he was - himself the son of a "Ward" woman. A friendly chat ensued - with his faithful dog scampered up our knees in search of a petting - in which John told us that the old structure in cemetery was in fact the church, and that nobody had been buried in the cemetery since 1998 - and that was an anomaly. Who is buried where is not known, but John directed us to Michael King's residence, just down the road (whose mother had recently died after living nearly 100 years). (Mr. Barrett also told us that Chris Dodd, the U.S. Senator from Connecticut and former Democratic Presidential Candidate had recently built a home just opposite his property - one of several new homes popping up along the island for those who truly want to get away from civilization).
We went 500 yards back up the road to Mr. King's house - unsure if we would be coming face-to-face with a distance relative of the branch who did not immigrate - perhaps he would be our key to a wealth of information that could never be found in a database. But we never got the chance - nobody answered his door and John O'Donnell, another Innishnee-ite who came by on bicycle with a square bale of hay on his back - told us that his car was gone, and therefore Mr. King was probably not around. After some haggling for a plastic water bottle, Mr. O'Donnell - not quite the representative for Innishnee that Mr. Barrett was - said he'd deliver a note from us to Mr. King. Perhaps we'll hear from him after all...
We then pressed on - a quick drive through Roundstone (initially delayed by a failed piece of equipment blocking the only road out of Innishnee), then onward to Carna. Roundstone was a lovely little coastal town, right across the bay from Innishnee - although our relatives likely never lived here, Roundstone was their Parish center.
Carna was bit more remote - still typified by an unearthly landscape of stone and grass as far as the eye can see. We did a brief drive-through, then stepped into the church (although it had clearly been built since our relatives were baptized). We snapped a couple of pictures of some fallen stone homes, unsure if they perhaps formerly housed one of our ancestors.
Since it was getting dark, we planned to not drive through Letterard (we had heard that nobody lived there anyway), but a wrong turn and some subsequent make-shift directions from our computer-guided GPS system soon made us realize that we had just driven through Letterard anyway - without even noticing - perhaps the eery, ghost-like hand of our ancestors pulled us back for one brief tour through the landscape of their birth.
We had to get back before dark (the only thing more dangerous than driving on the narrow Irish roadways in the rain is driving on the narrow Irish roadways in the rain when it's dark) so we could not stop in Spiddel - but we did drive through. A quick trip into Galway for dinner at The Galleon capped off an amazing day. When we woke up this morning, we knew little more than names and dates - a few hours later we were standing in the cryptic courtyard of the church cemetery at the same lattitude and longitude that our ancestors were wed.
Photos
Below is a photo of me standing next to the church on the barren island of Innishnee where my great-great grandparents (Peter King and Mary Ward) were married in 1868. Their daughter, Honor ("Nora") King married Thomas Kyne (Coyne), who were the parents of my grandmother (my dad's mother) Mary Coyne.
Map
I've marked Roundstone, Carna, Innishnee and Letterand on the map below. It is an interactive map, so you can zoom in or out or open it in a new window.
After a 7 am breakfast at the Four Winds B&B in Kinsale, we had a long drive through Cork and Limerick with the final destination of Galway (where we're staying for two nights). On the way, we stopped at the Cliffs of Moher - a 650-foot sheer drop to the Atlantic Ocean created millions of years ago by tectonic shifts. Atop one of the cliffs stands a viewing tower built in 1835 by Cornelius O'Brien - a descendent of Brian Boru (the Irish king from 1002-1014). The wind gusts and crashing surf were impressive - but did not deter hundreds of birds from nesting alongside the cliffs and effortlessly sailing on wind gust.
Then we drove through an extremely remote area of the country known as The Burren. It is scarred with limestone across the entire landscape, making it seemingly uninhabitable, yet there are neolithic burial monuments from over 4,000 years ago and still today the panorama is lined with endless walls made of fieldstone to keep cows and sheep herded in. Many of the roads we took through The Burren were not wide enough for two vehicles in most places, luckily, we only encountered a handful of cars in the three hours we were there, and all at junctions wide enough for two vehicles to pass. We also stopped at the Aillwell Cave in The Burren, a 2 million-year-old cavern discovered in the 1940s, created by underground water flow through the limestone bedrock. The Ailllwell Cave featured bones of European Brown Bears - extinct from Ireland for the last 1,000 years - which used the cave to hibernate.
We still had an hour-long drive after Aillwell Cave to our bed and breakfast for the night - Marless House in Galway. The location of Marless House is great - right across the street from the sea and not far from downtown Galway. Tomorrow will mark our exploration of the coastal towns of our ancestry, which we'll begin with a stop by the Galway genealogy center.
THE CLIFFS OF MOHER
THE BURREN
For more information on The Burren, click HERE. For more information on The Cliffs of Moher, click HERE. For more information on Aillwee Cave, click HERE.
After an 8 am breakfast, we drove about 90 minutes to the west to explore the historic "Ring of Kerry" - a circuitous route around the coastal southern county of Kerry that weaves in and out of small towns, between cliffs and valleys, across plains of grazing sheep and fieldstone walls, and alongside breathtaking views of the sea and estuary bays. We pulled over occassionally where the road allowed and snapped a few pictures, but the driving was intense - hugging the side of the road close enough to avoid mighty oncoming trucks and speeding cars, but staying far enough away to avoid a plunge down the side into the cold water.
About halfway through the trip (the ring in total is about 120 miles) we stopped at the Kerry Bog Village - a bit of a tourist trap that boastas recreated traditional Irish homes with thatch roofs. At the village, Jim got to live out his lifelong dream of petting his favorite dog breed - an Irish Wolfhound.
After a bit it was back on the road - luckily we have eluded the bicycles and tourbuses of the forthcoming holiday seasons. We stopped at Ross Castle and Muckross Mansion - both just south of Killarney (a relatively large town that marks the typical starting/ending point of the Ring). Ross Castle was quite a site - built in the 1400s. Muckross Mansion - built in the 1800s - was perhaps even more breathtaking because of its manicured grounds dotted with ancient trees, dazzling view of the inlet, and dozens of chimneys.
We made it back to our base in Kinsale (about 90 minutes from the Ring of Kerry) before sunfall. Then we went down for a great dinner at The White House down in town. Road work being done in advance of the tourist season has left only one road open into town: a steep, hilly twist that would not be wide enough for two small cars but for the three rows of paving bricks that have been added to each side (probably in hindsight).
Tomorrow we depart Kinsale for a trek up the west coast to Galway, but with stops at the Cliffs of Moher and The Burren on the way. Due to a clever use of a USB drive, some pictures from our trip through the Ring of Kerry are now available below!
VIEWS FROM AROUND THE RING OF KERRY
KERRY BOG VILLAGE (TRADITIONAL IRISH HOUSES) ROSS CASTLE MUCKROSS MANSION
For more about the Ring of Kerry, click HERE. For more about Muckross House, click HERE. For more about Ross Castle, click HERE.
After a long drive we arrived at our next stop on the trip: Kinsale, an ancient sea village on the south coast. We had just enough time to check in and head down to some of the sites. Because we are a bit ahead of the tourist season, the town was a little sparse. We went up to Charles Fort, a 350 year old fort built by the English, then to a famous old bar called the Spaniard for a pint, then to a couple of shops downtown and for a rather unimpressive fish-n-chips dinner at Dino's (don't believe their sign). Now we're back at the B&B, but my Internet connection is rather poor - so no pictures yet... UPDATE: I'm putting a couple of pictures below...
VIEW OF DOWNTOWN KINSALE FROM ACROSS THE INLET CHARLES FORT THE SPANIARD
Here is a video clip of the harbor at Kinsale:
For more about Charles Fort, click HERE. For more about Kinsale, Ireland, click HERE.
We spent our second day in Enniskerry, just south of Dublin. My dad's friend's daughter's fiance's parents own a bed and breakfast there, so that is where we stayed. They - Ann & Noel Barry - are marvelous people. We drove to their place from our hotel in Dublin and, after getting lost a couple of times, we eventually found our way to their house. We went for a walk up the drive next door for a bit, then went out for a drive with Noel. He showed us the Wicklow Mountains, including Glendalough - a place over 1000 years old that once housed seven churches and a lookout tower that still stands (pictured below).
We stopped for a pint on the way home at Noel's "local," then we briefly stopped by a man named Neil Lenaugh's place - he told us all about Galway and what we should see/do while we are there. Then we went home for a fantastic dinner of corned beef, cabbage, carrots, potatoes, and beet chutney - prepared by Ann.
In the morning, we had a traditional Irish breakfast before pushing off for a long day of driving to Kinsale. It was a phenomenal stop - I can't wait to go back.
I have a rather poor Internet connection right now (in Kinsale) so I will post more, larger pictures a couple of short film clips later.
For more about Glendalough, click HERE. For more about the Wicklow Mountains, click HERE.
Here are a couple of short video clips of the scenery in Wicklow:
We woke up this morning to the sound of neighing horses, then looked out at the cobblestone plaza below to find at least two hundred horses all being shown and traded. Rather unusual for a city of 1.5 million people. Apparently there is a monthly horse show in the plaza. After breakfast we went down and walked around the horses - quite an event. Little kids riding and showing ponies, older farmers showing draft horses, young men whipping up and and the cobblestone road in horse-drawn carts and wagons. There are a couple of pictures and a short video below.
This afternoon we went to the Jamison's Brewery tour (which is right across the street from our hotel) and then caught a tour bus (there are dozens of tour buses driving around on a continuous loop to all the major sites in Dublin (Trinity College, St. Patrick's Cathedral, the Guiness factory, Squares, Gardens, Parks and Museums, etc.). The weather turned pretty cold, wet and windy as the day went on. We regrouped at the hotel for a bit and then took a cab to "Temple Bar" - a busy area with a lot of shops and pubs - for dinner. There are a few pictures from the bus tour below...
We had a leisurely flight over the Atlantic thanks to Chad, my dad's boss, bumping us up into business class. The chairs were motorized and would rotate down into cot-like beds. The food was awesome.
We arrived in Dublin around 8:30 am local time, after figuring out immigration, baggage claim, currency exchange and car rental stuff, we were off and running. I had the fortune of being the first to test my skills on the left side of the roadway. After a couple of wrong turns and some confusing turn-abouts, we actually got to our hotel relatively easily after about a 5 mile jaunt straight through the city. My dad was overly nervous about my driving - I'd be even more nervous with him behind the wheel.
We checked into the hotel a few minutes back - free Internet means I can quickly upload a couple of photos - here is the view from our hotel balcony of downtown Dublin. We're probably going to hop on a bus tour and get a bite to eat after a few minutes. We are a bit tired and disshelved but have to keep going to fight off the jet lag.
March 1, 2008: Arrive at Dublin Airport, pick up rental car from Thrifty ("A")
March 1, 2008: Stay at Comfort Inn Smithfield in Dublin, Dublin County ("B"); while in Dublin, the travel agent recommended this sight-seeing company (click here)
March 2, 2008: Stay at Nash's in-laws' B&B in Ennis Kerry ("C")
March 3-4, 2008: Stay at Four Winds B&B in Kinsale, County Cork ("D")
March 5-6, 2008: Stay at Marless House B&B in Galway, Country Galway ("E")
March 7, 2008: Stay at Flemingtown House in Ratoath, County Meath ("F")
March 8, 2008: Return rental car; Depart Dublin Airport for O'Hare
Ireland, GMT (Greenwhich Mean Time) is 6 hours ahead of Chicago, CST (Central Standard Time). For example, when it is 8 pm on a Friday in Chicago, it is 2 am on Saturday in Ireland.
Typical March temperatures in Ireland fall in the range of 41-64 degrees Fahrenheit with an average monthly temperature of about 50 degrees Fahrenheit and an average monthly rainfall of 2".
(1) PHL to ORD American Airlines Flight #1769 Depart: 7:50 pm EST, Thurs., Feb. 28 Arrive: 9:10 pm CST, Thurs., Feb. 28 Shuttle Bus: 10:00 pm for arrival at Clock Tower at 11:15 pm
(2) Shuttle Bus: 3:10 pm for arrival at O'Hare at 4:30 pm ORD to DUB American Airlines Flight #92 Depart: 7:20 pm CST, Fri., Feb. 29 Arrive 8:35 am GMT, Sat., Mar. 3/1
(3) DUB to ORD American Airlines Flight #93 Depart: 10:35 am GMT, Sat., Mar. 8 Arrive 12:55 pm CST, Sat., Mar. 3/8 Shuttle Bus: 1:30/2:30 pm for arrival at Clock Tower at 2:45/3:45 pm
(4) Shuttle Bus: 8:10 am for arrival at O'Hare at 9:30 am ORD to PHL American Airlines Flight #1311 Depart: 11:50 pm CST, Sun., Mar. 9 Arrive: 2:35 pm EST, Sun., Mar. 9