Ireland and England Day 14

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Day 14
So far we are not doing so well at finding ancestors. On the plus side, John has a long list of people to call once we are back in the states, and hopefully they will not be out, on vacation, not working that day, or have left early. BUT, we did find a Kennedy Castle Keep, Church, and Ring Fort. However, our day in Trim will prove to be frustrating for my search.

We are staying at the highly rated Cranmoor House B&B and we are just finding it inhospitable. There are “Don’t” signs scattered around the room, and in the usual Welcome to Our B&B binder, you are faced first off with a set of House Rules; we haven’t seen that at any other B&B. The Innkeeper showed us the bathroom and explained their new electric plumbing system with a dismissive “Just ignore it if it growls.” Hard to do when the growling-which sounds like a garbage disposal on speed- goes on and off all night. Luckily the company at breakfast is good. The Solheim Cup is being played in Trim and we are surrounded by lady golfers and despite the abundance of argyle they are a jovial group.

We start our day at Trim Castle, County Meath. We are now time travelling at a rapid speed: yesterday we stood where, 6000 years ago, Megalithic and later Neolithic people carried out their most sacred ceremonies and monumental building tasks. Today we are in the 12th century and in the largest Anglo-Norman castle in Ireland. The building of the castle began in 1167 after the Normans, using Knowth at Newgrange as their army base, conquered Meath. Coming full circle, Trim Castle was the site of much of the filming of Braveheart which was actually a Scottish legend transformed by Historian Mel Gibson into an Irish tale whilst costumed in Scottish dress, Irish wode and bad hair extensions. Whew!

John and I now have a saying when we wake up in the morning to our aches and pains, “We’ll feel much better after we have walked 5 or 6 miles and climbed a castle wall or two.” Today will be no different. We climb up and down Trim castle: three flights of stumble steps to the very top. The view is breathtaking, but a short window as the skies open up and we are drenched in a fine Irish squall. Even the guide is ready to high tail it back into the limited protection of the castle ruins.

John had read that, yes another relative, Flan Kennedy had been abbot at the Yellow Steeple, the Augustinian Abbey of St. Mary: and yes, another St. Mary’s to add to the growing list. It is located near the Sheep Gate which is the only surviving gate of the medieval wall. We explore the steeple, which was actually the bell tower, and learn that it is called the Yellow Steeple because of its color at sunset.

All this hiking and climbing has made us hungry, so we head over to the Trim Visitor and Genealogy Centre and Coffee Shop for a light lunch and a promised meeting with their Genealogist. The Genealogist is a nice, but busy, man in a lovely lavender shirt He does a search on my Brady and Rochfort ancestors: no matches. I must have looked desolate because his manner changes and he is kind enough to tell me that Brady is the third most common name in County Meath, that Rochfort (and now I have the correct spelling anyway) is a Norman name, and that my next step will be the National Archives in Dublin to research areas neighboring Rushwee where my family legend begins. Most especially he recommends exploring Rathkenny. He warns me, though, that such research is time consuming and difficult with the reading of old languages on microfiche. In parting he tells me that often the old stories are true, and that what I already have may be the only records I will find. “At least you have those,” he says with a warm handshake.

Another long walk is in order. We head out from Trim to The Hill of Tara. We know from research that aerial views are the best way to appreciate this site: there are no monuments, just mounds and passages with posts that name, but do not describe, the various stops. Unfortunately, the disused church which serves as a Visitor’s Center and Exhibition is closed for the season, so we gather no further information or the recommended audio tour. There is a Mystical Tour going on with group members swinging crystals, but we steer clear.

Once the seat of, or the ritualistic center for, the High Kings of Ireland, the Hill of Tara is now on the list of the 10 most endangered historical sites in the world. It is purported that on a clear day one can see one quarter of the Irish Mainland and that it is also possible to see the white quartz facing of Newgrange and the Hill of Slane. Today is not that clear, but we enjoy wandering about. There are no true footpaths, and like most of our treks, we are facing slippery grass and sheep droppings. But still, there is, like all of the ceremonial and mystical sites that we have seen thus far, a feeling of power and a presence here. There are passage tombs, ceremonial sites, and obviously landscaped areas that must have had some purpose. Part of its apparent meaning may have been wiped out by the “British Israelites” who, 100 years ago, destroyed part of the landscape whilst searching for the Ark of the Covenant. They didn't find it. We walk and walk and it is just beautiful and peaceful.

In a happy glow, we walk out past a Siin Feinist selling T-Shirts- Bah! Niamh and Pierce who lived as young kids only 20 miles from Belfast have told us enough about their evolution. The new generation wants to move on. Our Sinn Feinnist is not persistent though, and asks cheerfully, “Here for the golf are you?”

Back we go to Trim for dinner—again excellent food in an almost deserted restaurant and a blaring sign of the state of the Irish economy—and on to the beautiful James Griffin Pub. Unfortunately this is not a night that they have music and although the fireplace is inviting, we are a bit too grungy and too tired to stay long in such a lovely place. I have added to my bucket list to decorate my den to look just like this beautiful pub—well, maybe not with the twinkle lights.

Perhaps we will try yet again to get one of those guaranteed Free WiFi connections and go home to blog our day….
With great hopes…
Good night!

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Photos

More Recent History
Placemats at the Coffee Shop.

The Tomb of the Hostages
A passage tomb

The Prayer Tree
A very touching monument.

The Stone of Destiny
The legend is that the stone will roar when touched by the rightful king.

Sir John the Hedge Knight
John's legs are just beginning to heal from our run in with the hedge that tried to trap us in the cow pasture.