SEEKING CASTLES IN SCURLOGSTOWN AND TRIM

So, for the final part of my trip to Ireland I was hoping to visit the townland of Scurlogstown in County Meath.  My ancestor William de Scurlog received some land grants in County Meath where he built a castle in 1180.  A town was then formed near the castle and was called Scurlogstown.  Of course, I would love to see a town that was named after my ancestor and my dream would have been to visit a castle built by or named after an ancestor.

There were a few problems with this dream, however -- even in the 1800's only ruins remained of this castle. Then years or so ago, some ruins were uncovered when they were building a business park in Scurlogstown.  That would be my luck -- a business park rather than a castle!  So, I didn't get to see the castle or even a sign with the name Scurlogstown.

We did end up 3.5 kilometers east of there at the location of the Trim Castle. I was getting to the point that any castle would have to do.  However, this castle is very special too.  Trim Castle is the largest Norman castle in Ireland and is located on the south bank of the River Boyne in Trim.   This castle was built by Hugh de Lacy (who my ancestor William de Scurlog accompanied to Ireland) so perhaps it is practically like family!

I did try to persuade my family (husband, son and daughter) who had accompanied me to start a coup and capture Trim Castle as our own family castle but alas, I had no followers!

Reference: "The Sherlocks of Ireland" by Arian E. Collins, c 1993, San Diego, California

Visiting County Meath

While my Chambers and Kilroy ancestors are from County Mayo, my Sherlock and Caffrey ancestors are from County Meath.  Since I visited Islandeady (in County Meath) in both 2012 and on the current trip, I wanted to make sure that I also visited County Meath.  Perhaps, I could see the townlands of Lady Rath and Demailestown, the hometowns of my great Grandfather Edward Sherlock.

In 1961, Grandpa Charlie visited the site of his father's (Edward Sherlock) childhood home in Demailestown.  Above is a photo of him at that house.

Demailestown and Lady Rath are very close to one another.  While they are listed as townlands, they are more like housing developments.  So, think of a housing development in a rural setting with a few houses.  Demailestown and Lady Rath are west of Drogheda, east of Kells, and north of Navan and Kilmessan.  I looked at both Demailestown and Lady Rath on Google Earth and couldn't find a house like the one in the photo above.  Of course, this photo was from 55 years ago and the house very likely could have been torn down and a new one built.

According to Grandma Theresa's diary, they visited Pat Sherlock's home and his cattle. They also visited the Carey's and Agnes Sherlock -- I am not sure which town-lands they lived in 1961.  Then they visited Mary Glacken in Navan.

Trying to find these town-lands in Ireland in person is a lot harder than trying to locate places on Google Earth.  Oh, if it could just be that easy!   Of course, it didn't help that we didn't have GPS so it was rather like looking for a needle in a haystack!  The roads were tiny rural roads and did not have a lot of signs.  We drove past Lobinstown, Wilkinstown, Slane Castle and Navan.  Lady Rath & Demailestown is to the east of Wilkinstown.  So, alas, I did not actually get to see Lady Rath or Demailestown despite our efforts.  Perhaps the only way this will ever happen is with a native guide who is familiar with these tiny town-lands.

THE WESTPORT HOUSE AND THE IRISH PIRATE QUEEN

Soon after my trip to Ireland in 2012, I learned about Grace O'Malley (Grainne Ni Mhaille) who was known as the Irish Pirate Queen or "The Sea Queen of Connacht",  I read the book "Ireland's Pirate Queen - The True Story of Grace O'Malley" written by Anne Chambers.  I am still hoping to discover that I am related somehow to both Grace O'Malley and Anne Chambers.

The Westport House is a beautiful historic home built in 1650 by Colonel John Browne and his wife Maud Burke (Grace O'Mallley's great great granddaughter).  It was built near the site of the O'Malley Castle.

I missed seeing the Westport House in 2012, but decided it was a "must see place to visit" on my latest trip to Ireland.  Although the Westport House property also contains a Pirate Adventure Park and campgrounds, our sole focus was the historic house.;  The house is located in parkland setting with a lake and terraces.  It also has a view of Clew Bay and Croagh Patrick.  It is definitely a must see on anyone's trip to Westport!

VISITING WESTPORT IN COUNTY MAYO

In 2012, my husband and I visited Westport for just a few hours.  We stopped there on our way back from Castlebar and Islandeady to Galway.  We ate some lunch and did a little shopping.  I thought it was a darling town and decided then that I needed to return some day to do more exploration. So, of course when planning our latest trip a stop in Westport was a no-brainer!

Westport (or in Irish "Cathair na Mart") is located on the southeast corner of Clew Bay.  Croagh Patrick is just ten kilometers west of the town.  One of the main things that I love about Westport is that the Carrowbeg River runs through the town, surrounded by low stones walls with hanging baskets of flowers from the walls and the bridges.

We visited St. Mary's Catholic Church in Westport.  The original church was built in 1831 in a neo-Gothic style.  However, the congregation became too big for the church so the present day church was built in two phases in 1928 and 1958.  

Spending just the afternoon in Westport was not long enough, so we decided to return the next day to tour the Westport House.

THE TOWNLAND OF LETTER IN COUNTY MAYO

The property (location of their farm) where my Great Grandmother Bridget Chambers was born and spent her childhood is located in the townland of Letter in County Mayo.  According to Griffith's Valuation, "Lietir means spewy hillside.  It is bordered on the north by Derrycruv, on the south by Derrycooraun and Derrygowla and on the west by Kilmaclasser."

Years ago my cousin Betsy got the opportunity to visit the actual property where the Chambers lived and has shared with me photos that she took while she was there.  I had hoped that during my trip to Ireland, that we would be able to see at least the townland of Letter.

 Townland may be misleading.  It is more like a housing development or a few houses with lots of land rather than an actual town.  As such it is rather hard to find.  It is much easier finding it on an online map at home than it is driving down tiny roads with no signs and hoping you don't get lost.  We probably got within 100 yards of it.

So I am keeping it on my "bucket list" with the hope that some day I may actually have the opportunity to see it.  Until then I will just appreciate Betsy's photos of the Chambers land.

INTRODUCING MY CHILDREN TO THE TOWN OF ISLANDEADY

It was important to me that my son and daughter got the opportunity to visit Islandeady (the home town of my great grandmother Bridget Chambers) while on our trip to Ireland.  So on our first full day in County Mayo, we drove to Bilberry Lake -- located near N5 road, halfway between Castlebar and Westport.  We drove down a narrow country road -- thank heavens for signs!  From there we could see the Old Islandeady Cemetery on a hill, across the lake.  I love how lovely and peaceful this lake is, surrounded by green trees, green hills and green grass.

After admiring the view of the lake and taking lots of photos, we drove over to the Old Islandeady Cemetery.  From the parking lot of the cemetery, you can see Croagh Patrick, where according to legend, Saint Patrick banished the snakes from Ireland.  The four of us walked through the cemetery and to the ruins of St. Eiden's Church, located on the shores of Bilberry Lake,

St. Eiden's Church has been in ruins since the penal times and was restored in the 1990's.  Of course we took photos to commemorate my kids' first visit to Islandeady!

We then drove a short distance to St. Patrick's Catholic Church in Islandeady.  This was my first visit to St. Patrick's.  According to legend, St. Patrick preached on the shores of the lake on his way to the holy mountain in 440 AD so hence the name of this church. The roof of this church was originally

thatched but the church building was slated in 1849.  Other improvements and upgrades have been made since then.  This was a very meaningful visit for me since this was the church that my 2nd great grandparents Thomas Chambers and Ann Kilroy Chambers attended Mass on Sundays and where their children, including my great grandmother Bridget Chambers was baptized. It is so exciting to me when I can actually walk in their "footprints".  It makes me a little sad, though, to think that my Dad and Grandpa never got to visit this place.  I think they would have enjoyed the peaceful lake, the old church ruins and just knowing that Bridget grew up not far from here.

Note:  This is my 200th post in this Home of Sherlocks blog and thought it was very fitting that it would be about Islandeady.

AMAZING HOUSE IN CARROWKEEL

After picking up our son at the Dublin Airport, we headed northwest to County Mayo.  It was a 3 hour drive.  We met the husband of the owner of our rental vacation house in a tiny town called Ballyvarry.  We then followed him to the house -- down the road to Carrowkeel, down another road, past a campground and down another long country road.  We arrived at the rental house and was greeted by the owner Ann Marie who had brought us a homemade cake called "treacle".

We were given a tour of the beautiful house with hardwood floors, 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms and a washer and dryer.  The backyard was large and very green. The view out the front windows was mesmerizing.  During our three day stay at this house, I often stood by the window and gazed at all the beauty of the countryside.

My 2nd great grandparents, Thomas Chambers and Ann Kilroy Chambers raised their family in the townland of Letter (not more than 15 minutes away) in a rural setting, probably much like Carrowkeel.

THE RING OF KERRY

Visiting the west coast of Ireland would not have been complete without a visit to the Ring of Kerry.  Yes, we did visit the Cliffs of Moher on our last trip to Ireland in 2012.  Our bus tour of the Ring of Kerry would cover 110 miles and take over 6 hours.  Even though this would be a longer tour than we desired, we thought it was preferable to trying to drive it on our own.

Our first stop was at the Kerry Bog Village (photo above).  We saw Irish wolfhounds, peat bogs and Kerry Bog ponies.  We learned how to make Irish coffee and of course needed to sample one (okay, we drank the entire thing).  It was delicious!

Continuing on our tour, we saw the Dingle Peninsula and Slea Head (the most western point of Europe) and the Askill Islands.  We stopped again and watched a demonstration with two border collies displaying their skills at herding sheep.

Our next stop was the shores of Ballinskellig Bay.  We walked along the shore, admiring all of its natural beauty and of course taking lots of photos!

We stopped for lunch at Scariff Inn in Caherdaniel, where we enjoyed amazing views of Derrynane, Kenmare Bay and Bantry Bay.  Continuing on our tour we also saw Dunloe Gap, a spectacular glacial valley.

Our last stop (and my favorite) was at Ladies' View, which has an absolutely gorgeous view.  Supposedly this site was named "Ladies' View" after this area was admired by Queen Victoria's ladies in waiting.

I am in awe of all of the natural beauty in Ireland.  It is so peaceful and so beautiful!

KILLARNEY NATIONAL PARK

What should we do on our first full day in Killarney?  We wanted to see some of its natural beauty but not spend all day on a tour.  Killarney National Park is close by and I hear it is beautiful.

Cars are not allowed in Killarney National Park so we took a 1 1/2 hour tour of Killarney National Park in a jaunting car (a 2 wheeled horse drawn vehicle).  Killarney National Park was the first national park established in Ireland.  It is the home of red deer, black Kelly cattle and cypress, linden and holly trees.

We saw St. Mary's Cathedral, Mt Tomis, Loch Leane (the lower lake) and Innisfallen Island.  We stopped and visited the grounds of Ross Castle, which is located on the edge of Loch Leane and is the ancestral home of the O'Donoghue clan.

Later my daughter would tell me that visiting Killarney National Park was on her favorite highlights of her trip to Ireland.

DESTINATION: KILLARNEY

After meeting our daughter at the Dublin Airport (we were arriving from Amsterdam and she was flying in from California) our plan was to drive to the west coast of Ireland and in particular to Killarney.  It is rather amazing to me that we can drive from the east coast of Ireland to the west coast of Ireland in about 3 hours when it takes days to do that in the United States.

After driving through the counties of Kildare, Laoise, Offaly, Tipperary and Limerick, we stopped for lunch in the town of Adare and had a delightful lunch at Pat Collins' Bar.

After lunch we decided to explore the town of Adare just a bit -- after all it is a heritage city where the Desmond Castle and friaries are located.  We visited the Trinitarian Priory and Trinity Church.

Since it was raining (well it is Ireland) and our daughter was exhausted from her flight, we continued driving to our destination of Killarney and more specifically our vacation home rental.

The Killarney rental house has lots of space with four bedrooms, 3 bathrooms and a backyard (even a washer and dryer) and was only a 15 minute walk into town.   Our Irish Adventure begins ...

INTRODUCING MY CHILDREN TO IRELAND

In August of 2012, my husband and I visited Ireland for the first time.  We visited the Heritage Center in Cobh, the Cliffs of Moher, the cities of Dublin, Galway and Westport and my ancestral town of Islandeady in County Mayo.  Ever since that trip, I have had a yearning to introduce Ireland with its natural beauty and warm welcoming people to my children.  What better time to do that than following my Rhine River cruise?

While this trip to Ireland would include visiting some notable tourist sites such as the Ring of Kerry, Killarney National Park and Dublin, it was also important to me that we would visit my ancestral villages of Islandeady in County Mayo and Demailestown and Lady Rath in County Meath.

During the planning stages, it also became apparent to me that staying in vacation home rentals would not only provide us with more room and flexibility than hotel rooms but also would give us a different perspective.  We could add to that experience by staying in homes in different locales -- one a few blocks from the town of Killarney while the one in Mayo would be in a more country or rural setting.

So the airline and lodging reservations were made, itineraries for travel were created and we were ready to go.  Here's to hoping for a most memorable trip for all four of us!

VISITING AMSTERDAM

Grandpa Charlie and Grandma Theresa visited Amsterdam in 1961 and stayed at the Hotel Suisse.  They took a walk in Amsterdam with another couple.  Theresa doesn't say anything more about her visit to Amsterdam in her travel diary.

After we finished our Rhine River Cruise in August, we also visited Amsterdam.  Our first day in Amsterdam, we took a walk with another couple (my brother and his wife) and visited the flower market.  In the evening, we enjoyed a dinner canal cruise, touring the canals of Amsterdam.

When my grandparents visited Amsterdam in 1961, they bought a ceramic windmill that played music for each of their sons' family.  As a child, I remember ours sat on our TV in the living room.  So, one of my objectives when I visited Amsterdam was to find and purchase a ceramic windmill to display in our home.  I found the perfect one at Delft Blue.  Now, every time, I look at it in our entertainment center, I think about my Grandparents and about our recent trip to Amsterdam  Such great memories!

MY VISIT TO COLOGNE

We arrived at the Cathedral in Cologne (High Cathedral of St. Peter & Mary) at 10am on a Sunday in August.  Since Mass was being celebrated in the Cathedral, we were only allowed to visit in the back of the cathedral.

Since we couldn't visit more of the Cathedral that morning, we took a walking tour of the city.  Cologne was once a Roman settlement called "Colonia Agrippina".  Old Roman ruins remain in this city and we saw some of them.

After lunch, we had the opportunity to explore more of the Cathedral in Cologne.  We saw the beautiful stained glass windows and ornate gold shrine on an elaborate altar.  I thought the Cathedral was very impressive.

Of course, we took some photos re-enacting some of the ones my Grandma was in 1961.  I always liked this photo of her (in the red coat) in front of the Cathedral.  The problem was there were way too many people walking back and forth to take a photo where you would actually see us.  So instead we stood closer to where the photographer took the original photo.

From the two photos you will notice that things have changed.  There is no longer that small patch of grass in front of the cathedral.  Also, there is no longer a street in front of the cathedral but rather a "plaza" where people walk through or gather.

I loved my short visit to Cologne and to its magnificent cathedral!  I already have two things to do on my next visit to Cologne:
1. Take a ride on the Rheinseilbahn (the bucket ride over the city and river) to get an aerial view of the city.
2. Drink a glass of Cologne famous Kolsch beer.

GRANDMA THERESA'S VISIT TO COLOGNE

The first time I viewed the slides of Grandpa Charlie's and Grandma Theresa's month long trip to Europe in 1961, I was in awe of the photo of my Grandma standing in front of the grand Cathedral in Cologne.  As time passed, the Cathedral and the city of Cologne was not only placed on my "bucket list" but was placed near the top.

According to Grandma Theresa's diary -- while visiting Cologne, she made a visit to the "most beautiful cathedral".  Theresa and Charlie also visited with her cousin Richard Nebgen and his brothers Gunter, Sieglinde and Alfous Nebgen while in Cologne.  The photo above was taken during this visit with Grandpa Charlie being at the far right.


What would be for me a perfect way to visit Cologne?  Well, of course, on a river cruise down the Rhine.  That way I could cruise down the Rhine viewing castle after castle for hours,  I could visit my ancestral home towns, located near Koblenz.  And I could see the magnificent cathedral in Cologne!

How great would it be if I could re-create this same photo while I was in Cologne?  Well, I am planning on bringing some of her photos and see what happens.

WRAP UP OF VISIT TO MY GERMAN ANCESTRAL TOWNS

It was such a wonderful gift to be able to visit 4 of my German Ancestral villages while on my Rhine River cruise this past summer.  While it required extra effort on our part -- renting a car, getting to the car rental agency before it closed at 1pm and of course finding our way back to our ship -- it was well worth it!  I loved seeing the natural beauty of the areas surrounding Helferskirchen, Wirges, Staudt and Dernbach.  I was pleasantly surprised to find that these villages are growing larger and seem to be doing very well.  I wonder if I can find any photos of these villages from the 1700 and 1800's.

I enjoyed the peaceful moments while I sat in the churches where my ancestors attended Sunday Mass -- St. Boniface in Wirges, St. Laurentius in Dernbach and the cute little prayer chapel in Helferskirchen.

While my Grandma Theresa knew that her father Peter Joseph Nebgen was from Dernbach, Germany, I don't think she knew about her ancestors from Helferskirchen, Staudt and Wirges.  I wonder if she had known, would she and Grandpa Charlie stopped and visited these villages on their trip up the Rhine River in 1961?

DERNBACH -- THE HOMETOWN OF ANNA MARIA WITTAYER

My 2nd Great Grandmother Anna Maria Wittayer was born in Dernbach, Germany on 23 Oct 1841.   She married Baltazar Nebgen in Dernbach.  She also gave birth to her children -- Peter (1863), Nicholas (1865), Peter Clemens (1867), Emil (1876), Maria Rosina (1880) and Joseph Laurentius (1884) in Dernbach. Her son Peter Joseph (my Great Grandfather) was born in Eschelbach.  Anna Maria died in Dernbach on 6 Jan 1918.

Since Dernbach is just south of Wirges and southwest of Staudt, my husband and I decided to stop there on our way back to our river cruise ship.  We visited the St. Laurentius Catholic Church in Dernbach.  This church was built in 1863 which is probably where her children were baptized.

Behind the actual church building is another building, shown in the photo below.  I do love the large bell (in the above photo) that is located next to the church.

Dernbach was also the place of birth of Catherine Kasper, who was the founder of the Poor Handmaids of Jesus Christ order.  There is a statue and plaque in her honor in this church.