The Rigney and Malone Families of County Offaly

After heading south from Derry with stops at the Ulster Folk Museum in County Tyrone, a B&B stay in the lake country, a tour of Clonmacnoise (a religious site), and a peak at the Grand Canal that links Dublin with the Shannon River, we arrived at a destination we didn't want to miss . . . the home where Kieran Rigney grew up.

Kieran is the National Director of Nuestros Pequenos Hermanos in the Dominican Republic. When I worked for Friends of the Orphans, I had the pleasure of meeting this interesting and hard working young man. He helped to start the orphanage in Haiti and then moved on to set up a home for children in the DR. Following the recent earthquake in Haiti, he has been a constant support and source of supplies for Father Rick and his team in Haiti.

Kieran married a woman from Mexico, Suzanne, and their twin boys were born in Tucson, Arizona. Joan and Fritz, who also have twin boys, loved the babies when they visited Phoenix (ten years ago now), and Fritz raised funds to build a group home in the DR, which is named Casa Marie in honor of his mother.

Kieran's dad was granted the farm after Ireland gained its independence from Great Britain, and this is where Kieran was raised. The original house had two bedrooms and the kids (8 of them) slept four to a bed. There was no indoor plumbing for many years, and the children all learned their work ethic from their hard working parents. Today they raise beef cattle, Granddad has vegetable and flower gardens, an apple orchard, and is surrounded by his witty, smiling and fun loving family.

Kieran's family has been the best reminder of my own roots. . . and meeting his father and seeing the farm will be one of my fondest memories of my visit to ireland.




Kieran's dad in front of his wall of roses . . . they'll be in full bloom soon!


Grainne Malone stands by the family vegetable garden, complete with scarecrow to keep the birds away. I asked her brother if the fence was to keep the rabbits out. "No," he said. "It's to keep the puppy out!"


Kieran's sister-in-law Petria and Granddad with Grainne, Caoimhin, and two-year-old Ailiis. The baby is a bundle of energy and got under a gate at the farm before we knew it. Her mom quickly retrieved her.


The kids played with their dog in the yard and entertained me with "Sweet Molly Malone". Grainne is on a hurling team (a sport with a stick and ball) and is learning the piano. Her brother, Caoimhin, plays soccer and loves to gather eggs at granddad's house (but doesn't like to eat them.)


After a cup of tea and homemade cakes, we gathered for a group photo in front of the newly remodeled house which now has three bedrooms upstairs and one down, plus new wooden floors and cabinets and an enlarged sitting room.

Derry in Northern Ireland

Our two nights in Northern Ireland were spent in Londonderry, more commonly known as Derry. This photo of St. Eugene's Cathedral was taken from the mideival city walls overlooking the Bogside neighborhood. The Bogside was the low land outside the city walls relegated to the Catholic poor who were not allowed to own property within the city. They also had only one vote per household and could not join unions, two major reasons they rose up against the British during the Troubles.


Famous murals line one of the streets and were created by the Bogside artists. They depict many scenes from the Troubles. On Bloody Sunday, 14 civilians were killed by British troops. I had a personal tour of the murals by an older gentlemen who lived through this era. He once was enlisted in the British Royal Airforce, but quit after his brother-in-law was killed in Bogside. Their demand for "one man, one vote" was finally realized and the neighborhood has been at peace since 2007.


This sculpture called "Hands Across the Divide" depicts the peace that now reigns among the people of Derry. An older shopkeeper described the sigh of relief once the peace accord was signed.

Glenveagh National Park

Glenveagh National Park is a Donegal gem, with a beautiful lake, castle, gardens and hiking paths.


I heard the "cuckoo" of a cuckoo bird as I strolled along this path next to the lake. Eagles from Scotland have been reintroduced to these highlands.


There was a special showing of owls and raptors while we were at the park. This barn owl loved to have its photo taken. There was also a gold eagle and falcon among several other birds.


A walled garden was in bloom outside the Glenveagh Castle.

County Donegal and Its Beautiful Beaches

Each day is my "favorite day so far". County Donegal held true to form.


Sweeping beaches look alot like those of Baja California. And the weather was warm and balmy as well.


Sunset in Dunfanaghy with Horn Head as a backdrop.


The Cove restaurant overlooked this little bay lined with holiday homes.


Houses long ago abandoned dot the shore.


Gene at a small cafe in the tiny harbor of Bunbeg.

Heaven

We were as close to heaven as you can get on the coastal cliffs and still have your feet planted on the sod that is Ireland. These cliffs in County Donegal are 200 meters higher than the Cliffs of Moher and get far less tourist traffic. A paved road leads to the top, and a foot path even higher. We watched the seagulls soar below us and heard the muffled roar of the waves hitting the rocks far below. Sheep on the steep cliff across the bay looked like white dots of wool stuck to the heather.


A birds eye view of the cliffs and sea.


This girl was perched above the cliffs and much braver than me.


Sure footed sheep above a sandy beach west of the big cliffs.


The perfect place for a picnic . . . overlooking the Cliffs of Bunglas.

Mist on the Connemara

One of the most beautiful drives we've taken so far is through County Mayo. This area, known as the Connemara, is sparsely populated and ruggedly beautiful. The day was misty and most of the time the mountain tops were shrouded with clouds, adding to the eeriness. County Mayo was also one of the hardest hit counties during the Great Famine. Memorials along the way are reminders of this sad era.


Close up of the bronze coffin ship depicting skeletons as rigging on the ship.


The "coffin ship" near Westport.


This cross along the roadside is a memorial to the famine walk taken by 600 starving Irish. They walked 12 miles hoping to get food from their landlord, who turned them down. 200 died on the walk back to Louisburgh. Desmond Tutu made the walk in 1988 shortly before the end of apartheid.


Kylemore Abbey, next to a beautiful lake, is now a private boarding school for girls.


We stopped at this National Heritage Site, a well fortified tower castle.

Beauty of the Burren

The Burren is 10 square miles of limestone plateau created when glaciers scaped the soil away. Water eroded the limestone, leaving crevices where, over time, soil found a little nook and plants took root. The area is home to alpine, artic and tropic plants, such as ferns and orchids. Springtime brings out a showcase of colorful flowers.








There are hundreds of ring forts and other evidence of early man dotting the barren landscape. Over 4,000 years ago, this 10 foot high dolmen served as a grave chamber.

Castles, Cows and Cliffs

We've had beautiful weather up until now. Just when we wanted to see the Cliffs of Moher, they were socked in . . . first with rain and then with fog.


Our B&B in Doolin overlooked the bay near the Cliffs of Moher. From our upstairs window we had a view of their castle . . . and their cows. The rain didn't seem to bother them!


Doolin is known for its traditional music, but some of the best music we've heard so far was in Lisdoonvarna, just up the road. A fiddler and flute player started the session, later joined by a guitarist from Texas, and then a hand organ player. We got home late that night.


Gus O'Connor's Pub is a gathering place for those who play and listen to traditional music. This window is in their Doolin pub (from the inside looking out).

Limerick

What do Friends of the Orphans and Frank McCourt (author of Angela's Ashes) have in common?

The answer is: Tricia Hoyt. Tricia is the husband of Jim Hoyt, Executive Director of Friends of the Orphans. Her brother Frank O'Mahoney is the proprietor of O'Mahoney's Bookstore in Limerick, Ireland, where Frank McCourt grew up. He launched his Pulitzer Prize winning book at this shop. As a youngster, Frank McCourt was kicked out of the store after loitering and reading Shakespeare. At the book launch, the O'Mahoney family gave him a leather bound Shakespeare collection as a gift.


O'Mahoney Bookstore in Limerick


Sue and Frank O'Mahoney having a chat.

Thatched Roofed Houses of Adare

The village of Adare, about 30 miles SW of Limerick, has a row of thatched roofed houses built around 1830. Pretty gardens in each front yard welcome visitors.


The old abbey has pews with "personal kneelers" that belong to parishioners. Better than doing penance by kneeling on the slate floor.


This jolly leprechaun had a twinkle in his eye as he played his accordion in front of the cultural center.


As kids growing up in Roselle, IL, we loved the smell of lilacs . . . we had a hedge of them in the back yard. It's spring in Ireland, and there are lilacs, bridal wreath, tulips, rhodadendrons and wildflowers in abundance!

Stone Rings and Swans

This beautiful mute swan was one of about 25 floating gracefully on an inlet along side the roadway. We drove west from Kinsale for a day of site seeing.




Our destination on our drive was the Drombeg Stone Circle. After careful searching, consulting with locals and roadside area maps, we found the circle off a side road surrounded by farmland. The circle was used as a calendar, marking the days of the year and the solstice.

Nearby, two smaller circles indicated the base of a hut used for heating stones. The stones were rolled down the hill into a cistern of water, causing it to boil and allowing meat to be cooked.

Kinsale, the Pearl Harbor of Ireland

From Killorglin, we drove back south to County Cork and Kinsale. This natural harbor once was of major importance to England during its occupation. It was also occupied by a Spanish armada and the French. Today it is a bustling touring center. Upon arrival, Gene immediately spotted the burgee of the Kinsale Yacht Club, where we enjoyed a drink and chatted with three sailors who had just arrived on their yacht from Waterford.


The bay from the road leading to Fort Charles.


Fort Charles once guarded the harbor and was occupied by about 2,000 English troops. This star-shaped fort is one of Ireland's Heritage sites.


We drove out to Old Head, a peninsula jutting into the Atlantic Ocean. This was the final headland seen by at least a million Irish who emigrated to the United States after leaving Cobh Harbor near Cork. We enjoyed lunch at the Old Head Golf Course clubhouse overlooking the 18th green and lighthouse on the point.

This area is rich in maritime history. The last port of the Titanic was Cobh, and the Lusitania sank offshore. Today, cruise ships pull into Cobh.

Muckross House and Gardens

The rhododendrons are about 30' tall and scattered throughout the gardens at Muckross House in Killarney National Park.


Lots of tulips, too, in all colors.


The Muckross House is a stone mansion built in the early 1800's for 30,000 pounds. Queen Victoria visited here for three days, and the family that owned the house spent six years preparing for her visit.