Monday 5 November 2012

A Birthday Dedication

Happy Birthday Dad!

My Daddy celebrates 55 years on this earth. This day also happens to be the Autumn Equinox for the Druids.

Shadow wore his party hat for such an occasion.








Friday 2 November 2012

I'm alive!



Even my bedside lacks a bedside manner.
Yes indeed, I have left my blog by the wayside, but you'll be happy to know I've got many blogpost drafts rolling.

But first my apologies for keeping my readers waiting. I know...my life is so completely awesome and in all of its great awesomeness I've been quite busy juggling as much awesome as I can possibly manage. It's tough being this awesome.

Though the photo was only a test shot before running off to Longford to trace the Farrell ancestry, its only fitting as it really sums up the whirlwind that has been October. Look closely, and you'll notice elements that relate.

I'm settling into the new job and trying to pay my bills, keeping up with a Web Design course, cleaning out my house, a debunked attempt at taking my driving test, and my mom came over to visit. Somehow, I still managed to get to all my Unislim classes, and  after a weekend of sleeping and lounging, I'm getting into the Halloween spirt just in time before the trick-or-treaters arrive. 


R.I.P. Great x 3 Auntie Liz.
Though my blog is more about living in Kenmare, I wanted to share a bit if my recent midlands trip as Halloween is only a fitting time to start walking around in graveyards. St. Brigid's Church in Ardagh, Co. Longford is where I am convinced that I have found where my great great great auntie Elisabeth was buried. My great great great grandfather, Garrett Farrell, emigrated to Boston in 1833. My mom brought over records of multiple Farrell generations, and some records of the Burns family as well, but we will have to do more digging and prepare for Burns adventure next time mom visits. This trip was all about finding Farrells. It's difficult to make out the markings on the grave stones, but I ran my finger along the stone to spell out the date of birth of Elisabeth, and therefore I think this very well could be her gravestone. The amount of deterioration also indicates the grave is about 200 years old more or less. Maybe it is, maybe its not, but my romantic self I would like to think it really is her 6 feet under.


Ardagh Village, Co. Longford





When you get to Longford, one will notice that it's actually quite a boring place. While major kudos to owed to the Ardagh Heritage Centre and the village itself is charmingly well-kept, I can see why many of my ancestors left, along with the politics and turmoil of the early 1800's and what-not. But boring is not bad - I actually like that its not your typical tourist trade, and I enjoy the personal history behind it.





So that's it for now, hopefully November will be a quieter month for me to catch up on blog entries and get re-inspired by the changes in daylight and nature.

Tarmonbarry, Co. Roscommon along the River Shannon