Family Ties

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We woke a little later than normal today since we had a late night out in the Dublin pubs. We stayed at the Glenkeen house in Inchicore, just outside Dublin. This was a very lovely B&B, which is owned by a relative of someone we know from Syracuse. Glenkeen house is undergoing some kitchen renovations, so we stopped for breakfast at the Red Cow Inn. Our breakfast was lovely and just what the doctor ordered after a late night out. We got ourselves on the road to Templemore around 11am. The road from Dublin to Templemore was pretty good and we had a smooth ride most of the way. Once in Templemore, we headed in the general direction of the B&B and ended up on a back road when the hedgerows looked like they were going to swallow the car like something out of Willy Wonka. After a 20 minute detour, we finally found our way back into town. We called the B&B and got some “Irish style” directions. Celia, the B&B owner told us to follow the white line out of town and her B&B was next to a corn field. All Irish folks say… “You can’t miss it” yet somehow we always miss it! We finally arrived at the Devil’s Bit B&B and dropped off our bags and headed to Cashel. In Cashel, we peeked in a few shops and then headed right to the Rock of Cashel. The Rock of Cashel has been a religious and political fort/cathedral/stronghold for a few thousand years. We got a guided tour from Liam and it was very interesting to hear about all the different invasions and uses for this property. While taking in the beautiful views we saw a new age way to herd cows…. A guy was chasing his cows around the field in a 4x4 jeep! We spent some time taking some lovely photos and then jumped in the car to head back to Templemore. Templemore is the town that my grandfather was born in. Templemore used to be a thriving market town in my grandfather’s time. His family owned the local butcher shop. We still have one cousin, Tommy O’Dea living in the town. My mom wrote ahead and we arranged a small reunion. Eileen (1st Cousin) and Jack Kelly came in from Manchester, England and Tommy(1st Cousin) and Mary Armitage came in from Naas, Ireland for the dinner. We were also surprised to find out that Kevin Connelly joined the reunion only two weeks after his mother Nancy (1st Cousin) died. We had called ahead and arranged to meet them at the Templemore Arms hotel for a 6pm dinner. We met up with Maureen, Jack, Angie, Brent, and Natalie and headed for the Arms. After the introductions, we shared some drinks and conversation and then made our way to dinner. Dinner was delicious and the company was wonderful. Natalie was the after-dinner entertainment and we stayed out for a few after dinner drinks and then headed back to the B&B for a good rest in a wonderful room.

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