We are on the Irish ancestral trail this time, beginning at Westport in County Mayo where Mike's paternal great grandmother, Bridget Devanney, came from. It is a charming little town, planned & built on its present spot by the local landlord in 1767 when he wanted to move the existing village further away from his mansion.
Nearby is a monument to the tragic 1845-49 Great Famine during which the population of Ireland was reduced from 8 to 5 million through death & emigration. (Today t
he population is around 4 million.)
he population is around 4 million.)A particularly serene church in the countryside, restored from the Bullintubber Abbey ruins.
Mike's great grandfather, Thomas O'Toole, was from Tuam – maybe the family should have stayed behind (if they could have)!
Tuam Cathedral (Church of Ireland) has a congregation of 20-25 (according to a parishioner). Looks like the efforts of Henry 8, Oliver Cromwell, & William of Orange were in vain.
The beautiful inside of the Catholic Cathedral – no trouble with numbers here!
Mike's great grandfather, Thomas O'Toole, was from Tuam – maybe the family should have stayed behind (if they could have)!
Tuam Cathedral (Church of Ireland) has a congregation of 20-25 (according to a parishioner). Looks like the efforts of Henry 8, Oliver Cromwell, & William of Orange were in vain.
The beautiful inside of the Catholic Cathedral – no trouble with numbers here!
We spent 3 nights at a B & B in Clarinbridge, a wee village near Galway city.
From there we saw sights in Counties Galway & Clare.
From there we saw sights in Counties Galway & Clare.
Galway city & harbour - humming places
Beautiful Connemara
Gathering 
peat for winter fires
Wild flowers among the ruins
Kylemore Abbey – built as a 70 room home in the 1870s for a family with 9 kids. Nearby is a minature Gothic church, a memorial to the owner's wife who died tragically a few years later. Bought by a refugee order of nuns after WW1, who use it partly as a school.
When home owners were taxed on their amount of glass, homes had small windows, hence “daylight robbery”.
A meal & live Irish music in this local pub.
peat for winter firesWild flowers among the ruins
Kylemore Abbey – built as a 70 room home in the 1870s for a family with 9 kids. Nearby is a minature Gothic church, a memorial to the owner's wife who died tragically a few years later. Bought by a refugee order of nuns after WW1, who use it partly as a school.When home owners were taxed on their amount of glass, homes had small windows, hence “daylight robbery”.
A meal & live Irish music in this local pub.
(Today we are off to France!)