So, after a 23 hour flight (we did it
in business class, so it was SICK!) we walked off the plane in Cork
to see a welcome sign reading Colin and Kelsey (VIP's!). It was
cousins on my dad's side, Noreen and Anne, who we were meeting for
the first time. We had only had a couple of email exchanges, but some
how when meeting them, it felt like we had known each other for
years.
As everyone probably knows Ireland is
as green as it gets. As most everyone also knows, it gets this green
because it rains... all the time. There is almost no chance of being
sun burned, PARADISE! Anne was so kind, she took the entire day off
of work and drove us around County Cork, where my ancestors are from.
She showed us towns all over the county; Bandon, Innishannon,
Timoleague as well as others I will never get close in spelling. Some
of the highlights were seeing my Great Great Grandfather's Grave (I
think I got that right), the Murphy farm (side note, thank you Anne
McSweeney for setting this up as I know they are not part of your
side of the family) which is still operating and in the family after
5 generations, and also seeing the McSweeney farm; which at one point
was a one room house that was 27'x17' and housed 14 people,
unbelievable. Thank you to the Murphy's and to Nellie May and Aeman
for having us over. Also, Aemon showed me around the grounds
(where I almost put my foot into a pair of rain boots with a dead
mouse and then was snuck up on by the biggest cow I've ever seen),
where my great grandmother would have been working, which was very
cool. After the tour of the County, we got prepared for
the main event; a good ol' fashion Irish Gathering!
So, let me set this up by saying we
gave Anne and Noreen less than 5 days notice that we were coming to
Ireland, let alone when we'd be in Cork. I think by the time we gave
them our final details, it was actually only 3 days before arrival.
They told us they were going to try and put together a gathering of
the relatives for us so we can meet everyone, but weren't sure how
many people would be able to make it on such short notice. Totally
understandable. When we arrived, Anne and Noreen apologized because
“not as many as they hoped” could come that night, due to the 48
hours notice. Well when we arrived at the hotel that night, about 10
relatives were there waiting to meet us. We were impressed and
honored at that. Well over the next 3 or 4 hours, another 10-15
relatives came out to meet us, all in all I think it was just shy of
25 people. We spent 4 hours getting to know distant cousins, hearing
stories of when they had met my aunts and uncles back home, the time
my parents came out, took us over the family tree, and of course we
had some Murphy's Stout together. It may sound strange, but this was
without a doubt one of the highlights of our trip. Thanks for making
the time everyone.
The next day we had planned a tour of Blarney Castle and a few other parts of the county. Well after a 23 hour flight, then staying up for another 12 hours and drinking into the night with Irishmen, we may have slept through our 8am tour. We didn't stand a chance. I don't think we got out of bed until noon. We made the most of it by seeing Cork City, which is beautiful. We capped off that night with a dinner at Noreen's home with her family and Anne. A special thanks to both Noreen and Anne for hosting us and showing us an amazing time. We will never forget it.
Next stop Dublin!
No comments:
Post a Comment