Going Home

Taxi was right on time, too early for breakfast at the hostel and we were off.  We arrived the required 3 hours prior to our scheduled flight to find out as we checked in that our flight was already delayed by an hour.  Just by chance it was mentioned to me that our wait in Toronto would only be 4 hours now instead of 5.  This set off alarm bells as our original layover was 2 1/2 hours.  Checking things out, all 5 of us had been put on a later flight from T.O. but Ken and Janet were still on the earlier flight.  The ladies checking us in work for the airport, not the airline and so they said we couldn't do anything about it until we arrived in Toronto.  Just another adventure!

With hungry bellies and nothing we could do about it we headed to our gate and breakfast.  Had we known we were delayed, we could have enjoyed breakfast at the hostel, as it was we paid dearly for a meagre helping of sausage and hashbrowns - but we were fed.

Even though our plane was sitting outside the window since 7am, as 11am approached (our new departure time), we learned that it was being delayed again to 11:45.   Long story short, the plane outside the window was not the originally scheduled one, this was a 777 and much bigger than what was planned.  As such, the original crew was not qualified to fly this plane and pilots were being flown from London.  In the end we finally took off at 12:30 and had a good flight - with complimentary bevies!

Once in Toronto we tried unsuccessfully to get Ken & Janet on the same flight as us at 5:30pm, but were told it was full and stand-by already had 4 people on a waiting list.  They had missed their connection and were now scheduled to fly out at 6:30ish.  Our flight was on time and so the 5 of us headed off.  As it turned out, if Ken and Janet had their suitcases with them, they would have made our flight stand-by - there were a number of empty seats.  Those of us who'd been on the Dublin flight were singled out and got complimentary food and drink on this flight.  We landed on time at 7:30pm only to learn that Ken and Janet's flight was yet again delayed and would not arrive until 10:40pm.  We found someone to complain to, got some more free food and a piece of floor to try to sleep on while we waited.

It was near 11 when we met up again and waited patiently for luggage to arrive (they had not received the same service we did and did not even get so much as a pretzel on their flight).  Sadly, Janet's arrived and Ken's did not and so back we went to let them know how happy we were.  Ken's suitcase had been put on a later flight - which led us to wonder why they couldn't have flown on our flight if their luggage wasn't with them anyway?  
It was midnight and we had been up for 25 hours by the time we were on our way home which meant we didn't get to bed until 3am, but we were HOME!

Ken's suitcase finally met up with him about 2 1/2 days later.

Overall we had an AMAZING adventure - and up to this point luck had been on our side, so we weren't complaining too loudly.

Dublin

Bittersweet - our last day.  A little sleep-in was good for everyone.  We enjoyed a continental breakfast along with the atmosphere in the hostel.  Since we only had a short day in Dublin and Aidan had a sprained ankle we decided to do a double decker bus tour of the city.  Being centrally located, we just had a short walk to the end of the square to catch the tram that took us downtown to catch the sight seeing bus. There were many people out and about and a good lot of them dressed in yellow and blue jersey's in support of the Dublin Hurling Team.  We really had no idea what to expect from Dublin.  Its population is about 1.4 million so not much bigger than Edmonton.  The downtown area we were in was very nice with wide streets, many of which were closed off to traffic.  So although it was busy, you didn't feel pushed along like you do in London.  The tour was funny, informative and relaxing and we got off just in time to get to a pub for an early supper and catch some of the much anticipated Hurling match.  The waitress in the pub was from Montreal and was taking a break from school, working and traveling.

Inside the Generator Hostel

Smithfield Square

I think they've grown

Guiness

A Wee Leprechaun

Candy Anyone?

Aidan was absolutely done and just wanted to go back to the hostel, but Keeghan was a little loathe for the trip to end and wanted to poke around a little more.  So Dave took Keeghan and Cael back to check out a few more shops and the rest of us headed back to the hostel.  We got packed, booked our cab for 6:30am and got everything in order for the journey home the next day.

The Smyth Farm and the Scenic Route to Dublin

Denis and Eileen at Adare Country House

Aunty Lena's Pub 

Faschinators

Smyth Farmhouse

So many new big houses everywhere similar to this one

Near the Cliffs of Moher

Near the Burren

Being a much larger B&B, we had other guests at breakfast.  We sat with a family from the Boston area whose daughter had just finished a 1 month art course and were headed back home today.  French toast was on the menu, which made the boys' day.  A visit with the proprietors, a walk up mainstreet to check out the shops of Adare (where Janet & I got to try out the fascinators we had seen everywhere) and we were off in search of the Smyth (we were told outrightly a few times that in Ireland it is pronounced Smith) Farm where Janet's Grandfather was born.  Once again it was in a Pub that Janet got the information that led us to the (I think sole remaining) Smyth family.  They were shocked to see us as they had no idea this branch of the family even existed.  They don't live in the house we were looking for, but happily took us there.  It is no longer in the family and there were only 2 young girls answering the door, so we tried to explain who we were and that we just wanted to take some pictures of the house.  Once we found the cemetery and Smyth headstones we were satisfied that we had found all the places we set out to and headed toward the scenic west coast.

With a good part of the day behind us, we chose to take a ferry across the Shannon Estuary and head north along the coast from there.  It is a beautiful drive through seascapes, lush farmland and "The Burren" which appeared to be rock covered hills and the only part of Ireland that wasn't green.  Janet was amazed at all the stone - stone fences crossed the land as far as the eye could see.  We didn't stop at the visitors site at the Cliffs of Moher as Aidan sprained his ankle at the graveyard and we had been told by the locals that the cliffs that we drove by all day were the same and the centre was a money trap (10 Euros just to park), not to mention we were all feeling a little weary and still had a 2 hour journey to Dublin.  Keeghan had by now absolutely had it with the windy roads and so we looked for a place to eat before finding the 4 land Motorway to Dublin.  The first place we passed through was absolutely packed with people and cars and so thankfully we passed through.  We turned off the coastal road and found a pub at some crossroads where a few locals were cheering on their favorite Hurling team.  Hurling is BIG in Ireland and we had been told that the senior championship was being played in Dublin the next day.  They looked a little stunned when 7 of us walked in and interrupted their game, but were very friendly and we enjoyed a nice meal.

The GPS proved useless when it came to finding the Motorway (which was relatively new and not even on the map) and so it was with some confusion that we found our way.  Once on the Motorway it didn't take long to get to Dublin where we pulled in to drop off the van at 11pm.  Our day wasn't over yet - we still had to take a cab downtown where we at reservations at the Generator Hostel in Smithfield Square.  We weren't sure what to expect, but were very pleasantly surprised when we got there.  It was new and bright and clean and was relatively quiet for a Saturday night.  Apparently it had been a hotel at one time and recently converted to the hostel.  The rooms were bright and clean with 3 sets of very quiet, sturdy bunk beds, each complete with privacy screens, reading light and plug-ins.  We had to make the beds with the fresh linen provided and we all crashed and had a great night's sleep without setting an alarm for the next day - breakfast was served until 11am!

Irish Roots

Janet's New Doo

Inside the Church

Outside the Church

Notice at the Library

Old Church Enveloped by Vines

Parochial School

The Manse

Queenie's Stone Fence

Lane to Durrow High Cross

Durrow High Cross through the Keyhole

Janet & Helen - They look like they could be related don't you think?

Back to the pub for breakfast, the boys were thrilled to see pancakes on the menu.  They turned out to be more like a crepe, but were gobbled up just the same.  There were a group that came in from a morning of fishing who sat near us and I enjoyed listening to them chatting.  The accent is a lot lighter than the Scottish one, but I could only understand half of what they were saying.  It reminded me much more of listening to a group of Newfoundlanders talking.

Today's mission was to get into the Church of Ireland, find the manse that Janet's mother had lived in, the school she attended, the stone fence she walked on on her way to school and the cemetary where relatives lay to rest.  The pub is a good place to start.  The locals were more than happy to help, even using their own cell phones to contact others who could help.  Once the right locals were contacted we learned that the church would be opened at 10:30am, the current minister lived in the manse but was likely on holiday and got directions to the manse, the cemetary was a block away in the opposite direction as the church, the school was in the same direction as the manse and the local library was a good place to look for any documents.

Janet had spotted a number of hair salons in the square and had booked in to get a haircut and so that was her first stop while the rest of us loaded up the van.  She got a great cut and felt like she had made 4 friends in the process.  The lady that cut her hair talked about the recession and how her husband had been out of work for some time.  We knew there was a world-wide recession, but we ourselves have not really felt the effects.  Everywhere we went in the UK we heard about the recession and about how badly it was affecting them.  Ireland had been booming with lots of construction which had come to a screeching halt and those who had money were not spending and so theree were many people unemployed.  (According to some information the riots in London that we narrowly missed were also in part due to the recession).  Others said that Canada, Australia and China were the only economies that were not a mess.  Something to think about.

The church opened right on time and we spent some time exploring everything we could.  When we headed to the library a notice on the door was for an upcoming exhibit about the history of the Smyth family of Westmeath by Michael O'Conlain - yet another wow moment.  We headed to the cemetary before trying to track down Michael.  There we found the headstones of young James William Smyth and Richard, Martha and Bishop Richard Tyner.  Right beside them was what at first appeared to be a well sculpted tree, but upon further examination Ken realized it wasn't a tree, but vines which had taken over a structure.  This turned out to be the original church - amazing how nature can take something over so completely.

Another trip to the pub, another local making a call on their cell phone and we were headed to Michael's (pronounced mee-hail in the Irish language, who he told us is 83 and 6'3") home where he awaited us under his umbrella at the end of his driveway.  All 7 of us were welcomed into Michael & Grainne's (pronounced Gronya) home and were treated to stories of the area and their family while Janet got some info about her Grandfather.  The Smyth family the exhibit was about was a different one, but he still had some good info.  The boys were amazed at these strangers and how welcoming and interesting they were.  In the short time we were there Grainne had Keeghan and Cael trying to figure out why her iPad wouldn't charge.  They had a beautiful home filled with drawings and paintings by Grainne and a large family - in true form of the good Irish Catholic tradition.  A very pleasant visit which we will always remember.

Leaving here we headed toward the school and manse that Janet's mother Victoria "Queenie" had lived  and gone to school in until 1904.  Both were still there in use and in remarkably good shape.  At the school we just stopped long enough for some pics and we identified the stone fence Queenie spoke about.  We found the house easily and as we thought no one was home.  So we just poked around and took some pics and headed back to the stone fence so Janet could have a little stroll in her mother's footsteps :)  Knowing the story of Queenie's family leaving Ireland in 1904 by ship, taking the train to Edmonton and then floating on a raft to Hewitt's landing north of Lloydminster with all their worldly possessions (including a piano) and all their children (the youngest 6 months old) and spending the first winter on the prairie's in a tent was amazing.  Having actually stood on the steps of the beautiful home they left, complete with electricity and indoor plumbing when they lived there, made it that much more amazing.  Conditions in Ireland must have been poor and there is no way they knew what they were going to to make that move.

A quick peek at Tullynally Castle and we hit the road bound for Adare.  On the way to Adare was the Durrow Abbey where the Reverend Smyth had been prior to Castlepollard.  Once again I think some strange force was guiding us.  As the place is not well marked we had trouble finding it.  We asked directions a few times (one was from a lady who bought an old church and is turning it into her home) and made a few U-turns but finally we arrived at the gates (which I had pointed out the first time we passed them about 30 minutes before, but there was no sign).  We walked up the long drive under a canopy of lush green trees and finally arrived only to find that most of it was under reconstruction and we couldn't get in.  We strolled around to see what we could and were just about to leave when a lady approached who turned out to be Helen Bracken - a local who was hosting a Molloy (Janet's Grandmother's maiden name) family reunion that weekend and an archeologist to boot.  She pointed out the relevant head stones, her and Janet made some family connections and she shared what she knew about the site - which as an archeologist was quite a lot.  Sadly the Durrow High Cross was locked in the church and a month before the old doors, that had a moving panel you could see into, were replaced.  We weren't disappointed long when Aidan discovered that when you moved the cover to the key hole, you could see right in to the cross!  (Many of the keys here are still skeleton keys!).  We were even able to take photos!  Just think, if we had found the site straight away - we would have missed Helen!

We reached our B&B, Adare Country House around 9pm to a worried host.  We had 2 large rooms booked and she had already turned away 7 others.  She was thankful when we arrived.  It was a gorgeous B&B right at the end of main street in Adare.  The boys and Ken & Janet decided to call it a day (it had been a long one), but I was determined to see some Irish music and tonight was our last chance.  So off we went in search of a pub with local music.  The first pub was packed with young people and no music.  We were going to walk right by when I made eye contact with a couple young guys outside smoking and in true Irish form they engaged us in conversation.  They offered to take us home or to Gallway for some music - we all had a good laugh and they sent us down the street to Aunty Lena's pub.  This pub was also packed, but with a crowd more our age and with Irish music.  Dave ordered a Guiness for himself, a Bailey's for me and we sat down to enjoy the music and chat with the fellow next to us.  He reminded me of Mr. Beek, the boys school bus driver.  He lived in a smaller village nearby where he farmed part time and also he said was lucky to have other employment as well.  Again noting that times were tough.  Part way through "pink guy" (dressed in pink shirt and tie) walked in.  A young fellow who was bored at a wedding up the street and came to the pub for a drink (which obviously wasn't the first of the night).  He worked as an Engineer in Limerick and told us not to go there, but Dublin was good and told us numerous times to see the Cliffs of Moher.  We had a few laughs at his expense - he wanted me to dance (nobody else was dancing) and I told him only if he put his beer down because I didn't want to wear it.  This made the first fellow laugh hysterically.  Thankfully the musician's took a break then and I was off the hook and pink guy left soon after.  The musician's played tunes that were made familiar to us by the east coast band the Rankin's.  There were 4 of them seated around a pub table, drinking and playing a flute, guitar, fiddle, whistle and singing.  We were really glad we had gone out.

The Emerald Isle

Not a bad sleep, considering there were 7 of us in one room on bunk beds that squeaked with any slight movement.  I woke up early wondering just how we were going to pack all the sopping wet clothes from the night before when it dawned on me that I thought I had read about laundry facilities.  Sure enough we were in luck.   After a flurry of activity we managed to repack around each other in such a way that we were confident Ryanair couldn't charge us extra and off we went in cabs to the airport in the rain.  Surprisingly the Edinburgh airport is quite small with only one terminal and so we had no difficulty finding our way and our bags were all under the weight restrictions (we were so proud of our packing and had been told by many how impressed they were with our lack of luggage - 4 of us had carry-on sized suitcases for a 3 week trip! - we had to get them all in one van and on to Ryanair!).

The 45 minute flight was smooth.  Cael managed the landing without being sick thanks to either the "Joy Ride" medicine (isn't that a great name?)  or Aidan and I crossing our fingers for the last 20 minutes for him :)  Cael was thrilled and no longer dreading the 2 flights still ahead of us to get home.

Dublin airport is a much bigger airport, but easy to navigate.  Our bags all arrived, we breezed through customs, withdrew some euros and were on the shuttle to pick up a rental van in no time.  Now the van is another story.  We hadn't book a GPS but decided it was pretty handy and were able to get one.  With that and some maps we were ready to go.  The Mercedes in Scotland was not anything fancy, but compared to this Ford Transit, it was a dream.  For most of us the seats hit you awkwardly in the back of the head and were not adjustable at all and the middle row was quite narrow, meaning 2 of us had to be in the very back.  We knew it was a standard and Dave did well with that - the hardest thing for him to get used to besides shifting with his left hand was trying to signal and shift at the same time.   It was when we hit 80km/hour and a piece of molding from around the passenger side of the windshield started flapping like mad, creating a high pitched squealing noise that we were really not impressed.  That and the discovery that the GPS was not updated with the new 4 lane Motorways we were a little grumpy.  But it is all an adventure and we had good maps and took a page from MacGivor and added some duct tape detailing and all was well again.

Our destination was Castlepollard, the village that Janet's Mom was born and lived until she was 7 and emigrated to Canada.  It was about a 1 1/2 hour journey through beautiful rolling, green farmland that reminded us quite a lot of home (including Esso and Texaco gas stations - gas was about 1.3 euros/litre here and 1.4 pounds/litre in Scotland) except for the narrow windy roads.  The speed limits on these roads were a little slower than in Scotland and were in kilometres/hour.  Hotel Castlepollard was easy to find in the village square, just a stones through away from the church that Janet's grandfather had been the minister.  We were greeted by a very charming Irishman who not only checked us in, but at supper  seated us in the pub's snug, served drinks, took orders, served food and cleared everything away.  We asked if he cooked too - he laughed and made a funny comment that.  The meal was fabulous - freshly caught fish, chips, new potatoes and VEGETABLE salad!!  They don't seem to eat veggies in Scotland - I have never before missed veggies!  When Janet expressed her delight at having new potatoes, he quickly ran and got her 3 more, which she felt compelled to have at least a few bites even though she was already stuffed!  It was a great meal which we enjoyed with much laughter and banter.

The boys were done and headed up to the room to hang out and play on their DS's while we went out for a walk to check out the village square.  It is a very pretty place, with brightly painted buildings, tidy yards and store fronts and very friendly people who drink a lot of guiness (judging by the 5 guiness signs I could see standing on one corner of the square).  Almost every person you make eye contact with at the very least says hello, but more often than not would strike up a conversation.  It was very welcoming.

Goodbye Bert & Mirjam, Hello Edinburgh Rain & the Military Tatoo

After a staying a week at Knowle Bed & Breakfast, we felt like we had become friends and were sad to say good-bye.  Mirjam had been so good to us - doing laundry, lending us towels to take to the pool, answering all our questions and making us feel so welcome in their home.   I highly recommend staying here to anyone who finds themselves in the area.

It was our first day of HEAVY RAIN, which was fine for traveling.  We marveled at all the water falling down the countless streams everywhere you looked and at the near to over-flowing river in which they drained.  It had just stopped raining when we made a pit stop in Pitlochry for lunch and a little more souvenir shopping, specifically we wanted to see the Heather Gems Factory.  Some bright, industrious person came up with the idea of harvesting the heather, drying the stems, blasting the bark off, dying and compressing them and then cutting them into shapes, polishing them up and placing them in settings to make unique jewlry.  Janet got a beautiful green pendant and matching earings & I found a broach for Aidan's tam.

We piled back in the van and continued our journey, arriving in Edinburgh about 4pm - rush hour.  After a week of successful driving we were about 2 blocks away from our destination when we had a very near miss in a round about with a delivery van.  Not sure how Dave did steered clear, but thankfully he did.  With adrenaline pumping we returned the van and were happy to hop in a cab to our hotel.  The West End Hotel was on the opposite side of the Royal Mile and Edinburgh Castle from where we stayed earlier and was a beautifully renovated historic building.  Our dorm style room (4 sets of squeaky bunk beds) was on the 3rd floor - we were all puffing as after dragging our luggage up the stairs - as it's an historical building they were not allowed to install an elevator (lift as they call it).  Once we caught our breath we donned our warmest waterproof clothes (it just started raining again) and headed out for supper and the Military Tatoo.  The Military Tatoo has been running for 150 years and has never been cancelled regardless of weather and tonight was no exception.  It POURED rain through the entire show - we were pleasantly surprised when we discovered that our seats (2nd last row from the very top) were underneath the overhang for the spotlights - it was great - except for my seat which had a drip from above directly on to my head.  It felt like water torture, but was better than the downpour that most people were sitting in and Dave graciously traded seats with me after about 1/2 hour.  The one plus of this seat was that the man sitting next to me was a retired Piper from Belfast and had performed in the Tatoo 3 times with the Royal Irish Piping Band (he'd also performed at Spruce Meadows near Calgary) and shared some interesting stories and info about the Tatoo.  He said that depending on which bands were performing, the corresponding Royal would be in attendance in the best indoor seating area.  Prior to the start of the show, the announcer listed off all the countries of the world that were represented in the audience.  It was amazing as there were people there from every continent.  The performance itself was spectacular - military bands from around the world including a band that performed while riding on vintage bicycles.  The 3 bands that stood out for me were one that did an amazing synchronized drumstick routine on the snare drums, the lone piper at the top of the castle and, my favorite, the mass piping band - there's just something about that sound that just stirs you.  We wondered how they would ever get all that wool and fur dry before the next night's show - none of the bands skipped a beat in the downpour.  By the time we walked back to the hotel, we were all dripping wet.  We hung stuff up anywhere we could and hit the hay at 12:15 with the sound of rain and bagpipes ringing in our ears.

Angel Hill

The Sign Post We Missed

Angel Hill

View from Angel Hill - 3 Generations of McLennans

At Balmacara looking towards Skye

Balmacara Square

Our last day in the highlands was a rewarding one.  After spending a good length of time printing boarding passes for our flight with Ryanair the next day (lots of fine print and extra charges if not done properly led to the page timing out and us having to retype all the info again), we set off back towards Balmacara area.  This time we knew what we were looking for and found the little sign that simply said "Footpath to Graveyard" without difficulty.   It was just a tiny trail that wound up a steep hill beside a little babbling brook.  Once again Aidan bounded up the hill like a little mountain goat while the rest of us tread carefully up the path to Angel Hill.  According to one website,   "Angel Hill is a small fenced hilltop enclosure. It is thought by some that the name could be a corruption from Gaelic for a Beacon or Fire Hill. In early Christian times it was the custom to light fires on high ground near to religious sites. Just when or why the descision to use this hill top for burials was made is unclear but the early burials were of the Maclennan family".  We were doubly rewarded - we found many McLennan headstones and a spectacular 360 degree view.  We didn't find one for Alexander, but we know he was buried here and could have been one of the many stones that were no longer legible.  Of interest was one inscribed :   Isabell MacIntosh wife of Alexander McLennan, Portnacloich, Lochalsh, who died 7th April 1856 aged 87 years. Erected by her son. This will take the search in a new direction as Ken had been looking for a Christie MacIntosh instead.  Whether we are right or not doesn't really matter.  We feel confident that we have walked the same land as the McLennan ancestors before us and gained a better understanding of the lives they led.  Keeghan in particular was quite excited about accomplishing our mission and I am choosing to believe that we are on the right track and were led to this spot.  It was with this sense of accomplishment that we headed to Balmacara and enjoyed a picnic lunch by the seaside with a spectacular view of the Isle of Skye.  The boys delighted in beach-combing and skipping stones.  Aidan in particular was thrilled when he finally got one to skip.  After a bit we headed to Balmacara square to the visitor information centre hoping to find a local historian or records that might help the search.  All we found were 3 beautiful dogs that Cael loved and a VERY quiet little village that had once been the estate farm.  When no one turned up after playing fetch with the dogs for awhile we decided to head back to the B&B and get organized to leave to Edinburgh.