Along the way to Dublin:
We were driving around the Castledermot area looking for
the area where my family, the Bullocks, used to live when the GPS took us down a
dirt road that ended at a gate.
We had to turn both cars around in a small
space in order to get out, and I noticed a car coming from the other side of the gate, but didn’t think
much of it. We drove down the street and pulled off so we could discuss where
to go next, and the car I saw earlier pulled up behind me and a woman got out and
asked if she could help us.
I told her we were looking for where the Bullock family used to live - she laughed- her husband is a Bullock! We spent a couple of
hours with him and he showed us where the house used to be- it’s gone and the
land sold. But we did find an old fireplace grate, which he gave us.
The three of us piled in our car and drove to Kilkea Castle. That's where, unbeknownst to me, my 4th great grandfather is buried.
After a
quick bite to eat he took us to his aunt's house. She was giving me some family
history and then says “ did you know Peggy Collins?” Wow! Peggy was my aunt. She
remembered her well and said her daughter Diana had written to her when Peggy
died.
She then shows me pictures of a relative in CA who was celebrating her
100th birthday in 1989. I was skeptical about a California Connection (I know
of no California relatives) until I saw two of my aunts in one of the pictures. It was fun to make the connection with relatives, and now I have more information to add to my family tree!
Instead of staying in the city of Dublin, we stayed in a
suburb, and took the train in for one whirlwind day of sightseeing.
The “hop on/hop off" bus was a convenient way to get
around and see the sights, especially with rain in the forecast. We started the day with a walk past the Oscar Wilde
statue in Merrion Square.
Next up was a short visit to the Archaeology and History Museum.
The amount of gold jewelry, some dating back to 1200 B.C. was incredible. Apparently the wealthy used to bury their baubles in a hole in
the ground, called a hoard,
so lots pieces would be found together.
I wanted to visit at least one cathedral, and we chose
Christ Church-mostly because we were walking right past it.
This is one of the oldest cathedrals in Ireland (there has been a church here since 1030) and is known for its
history and architecture.
I really enjoyed all the nooks and crannies (small
chapels) contained in the main church.
It was here that Handel's Messiah was first performed, in
1742.
All the walking had made us hungry so we finished the day
at Brazen Head, the oldest pub in Ireland.
The room we sat in was the oldest,
built in the 1600s.
On our way back to the train station we stopped briefly
at the Garden of Remembrance. This cross shaped reflection pool was built to
remember those who gave their lives fighting to free Ireland from English rule,
in the Easter Rising of 1916.
The next morning we shared our last breakfast with Mike
and Julie. We are splitting off, as they are flying home from Shannon and we
are leaving from Dublin.
Paul and I spent our last day exploring along the
coastline, starting in the small town of Wicklow and driving up through Dublin
to our hotel.
We were happy to pack a lunch and spend the day walking the beach
collecting sea glass. We even found a red piece!
