We were met by a friendly leprechaun who gave us a quick tour of Dublin. (Don't forget to click on the pictures for a closer view.)
Of course, he had to show us all the pubs that Dublin is famous for. The giant Guinness Brewery is nestled in the midst of several churches. It was once the biggest brewery in the world. In former times, men, women, and children drank beer since it was the safest drink. Water was polluted and caused outbreaks of cholera and other diseases. Coffee and tea with its boiled water were not yet common.
How do you like this warning sign?
We ate our first Irish meal here.
Mom especially loved the music. She said it reminded her of the Irish music her dad, Bleak, used to play and sing to her.
Does she look like she has built up an appetite? With all the food, I hope so!
The first stop on our quest in County Cork was Ballyhooly, the home for several generations for Blakes. (Remember, they respelled it Bleak when they came to the USA).
Isn't Ballyhooly a great name? It's a lovely place with a castle...
lovely countryside with stone walls right on the edge of the road...
and the Blackwater River, which is popular with fishermen. Ballyhooly actually means in Irish "the river ford where the apple trees are." We didn't see any apple trees.
An old timer told us that a Blake used to live in one of these old houses.
This is another old building across the street.
Another old timer says that Blake's Field used to be here. As a young boy, he would play soccer and other games here. Now it is filled with new houses.
This sign should help orient you. Fermoy housed a British army base starting in the early 1800's to protect the Protestants. Mallow is where the Nelsons lived. We just passed through both places.
This sign is on the country road between Ballyhooly and Rathcormac, the town where the Godsons lived for generations.
This is a wide spot in the narrow road with rock fences and thick hedges right on the edge of the narrow pavement.
Here's my reaction to the driving experience. We rented a car since we figured that was the only way we could get to these small villages around Fermoy. Luckily I took out full insurance to pay for the scrapes on Mom's side of the car. Her task was to shout out "keep left" and "not so far left" as we zoomed down the road keeping up with the traffic. She kept her window shut as she tired of having the hedge comb her hair.
Rathcormac is a nondescript town.
The Protestant church has been abandoned. In fact it was just sold to someone to change into a home or a business. It was built in 1798.
Here is Mom looking for Godsons.
Most of the markings have worn off, but we did find one Godson, Richard Godson who died in 1836. The Protestant cemetery in Ballyhooly was locked away so we couldn't look for Blakes there.
Everywhere we could find Buckley gravestones. One history book says there was once a Buckley Castle near Ballyhooly. We couldn't find it and the locals had never heard of it. It may have been one of the castles destroyed by the British in the 1600's because they refused to become Protestant. Maybe the Godsons and Blakes settled on land that once belonged to the Buckleys.
We tried our luck again in Castlelyons, once the home of Nelsons and Blakes.
On the way to the Protestant graveyard we passed the ruins of the castle...
and over a bridge to...
the ruins of the Protestant church. All the markings on the tombstones had worn way so we couldn't find anything.
But all was not lost. We found a herd of horses nearby...
and had a lovely chat with a lovely local. (They love to use the word "lovely" here.)
The Irish in County Cork are so friendly and love to stop and talk. We figured it must be because the Blarney Stone is nearby. So we set off to check it out.
Blarney Castle is in ruins now. Notice the missing floors.
Here we are climbing up and up and up and up to the top.
The view is well worth the climb.
After we caught our breath, we both kissed the Blarney Stone.
Do we look more loquacious?
No comments:
Post a Comment