Had a side of Irish folk tales with my tea and breakfast. Some of those faerie stories are scary!

Meeting the tour group at the airport was a bit of controlled chaos — we weren’t the only tour group — but this wasn’t our guide’s first rodeo! We spent time introducing ourselves, grabbing last minute teas, and using the toilets before heading to our very comfortable coach.

Our first stop was Athlone, home to Sean’s Pub, the oldest pub in Ireland (and the world!) I took a quick walk through (including a stop at the toilet — that’s my family you hear saying “what else is new?!”) and then headed out to take care of other important business.

Side story: a number of years ago, my father’s youngest sister, my beloved Aunt Kath, and I started working on the Cone family genealogy. We’ve always known that my grandmother’s parents were born in Ireland, and Aunt Kath was trying to find documentation. It seems that William Gill was born in Athlone, County Westmeath, in 1882 and his wife, Mary Mullen, was born in Offlay (or maybe Kings County?) in 1880. Before we could find definitive proof, Aunt Kath unexpectedly passed away four short months after my father died. I lost heart and stopped digging further.

Back to today… I hadn’t realized that we were going to stop in Athlone. As soon as I heard it, I knew the name sounded familiar and sure enough, it ties back to my great-grandfather. While we were there, I wanted to make sure that I lit candles at the church. I hadn’t yet gotten any local currency, so I had to find ATM, and then I had to find somewhere to spend money so I could get change. One thing I am very good at while on vacation is finding a bookstore. And so I did. I also found a great little place for a take-away lunch. I happened to run into Brian, from the band, at the restaurant and he made sure to tell me how delicious their truffles were. I discovered out the restaurant owner is the mother of the truffle maker. She’s a very proud mom.

Lunch, truffles, and change in hand, I made my way to the church. I lit the candles (for my grandmother, dad, mom, and my two aunts) and spent time thinking about my family. I wonder if my great-grandfather ever went to that pub?

I ate my lunch outside the visitor center. I went inside to do what? Everyone now: “use the toilet!” I stopped to chat with the reception staff on my way out, and started talking about my great-grandfather. Lo and behold, one of the staff took classes with someone who is a genealogy consultant, and she gave me his name. She also recommended that I get in touch with the local library. Now I have some places to try to get additional documentation.

The scenery on the rest of the way to Galway was beautiful, of course. We could start to see mountains in the distance. Our hotel is right on the corner of Eyre Square, which I am familiar with due to my last visit to Galway. A craft market was happening in the square, so I walked over to check it out. Ended up having a lovely conversation with one of the artists who makes felted pictures. She and her husband asked if I had family from Ireland, so I told them the story of my great-grandparents. The husband has been doing a lot of genealogy research himself, and he had a few more really good ideas for me.

It was another gorgeous day, so I could not bear the thought of heading back to the hotel room. I walked down towards the Spanish Arch and watched the River Corrib flow by for a few minutes. Had a chicken sandwich and fries for dinner, and then went to a pub for a “trad session,” which included Brian, Rose, and Caroline from House of Hamill. It’s not a regular show, it’s more like a group of friends getting together and just playing traditional Irish music; it felt like eavesdropping on a private party.

Finally headed back to the hotel with a stop at Murphy’s for ice cream. The flavor choices did not disappoint.

I am starting to get to know some of the other tour participants. I am one of a few people here by myself, but everyone is very friendly and happy to chat. 

Tomorrow, we are off to see sheepdog herding trials and beautiful Connemara.