Dear Luke and Leia,
In Clifden, County Galway, I found my family roots in a tiny village named Kingstown. This was the most exciting part of our journey: to see where my great-grandmother came from and to formally meet my Irish family members. The emotions were overwhelming as I finally set foot upon the ground of our ancestors.
Galway
On our way from Dingle, we stopped in Galway so we could get a fresh start the following morning. We loved the bigger town of Galway, with its cobbled stone streets, colorful buildings and bustling market place. It was quite cold for August, but the chilly and misty weather didn’t bother us at all because of our excitement.
After our overnight stay in nearby Salthill, we drove into Galway City Centre the next morning so that Uncle Jimmy could purchase a silver Claddagh ring from Thomas Dillon’s. Nana was happy about that because she wanted one too. They are “the original makers of the Claddagh Ring and also the oldest jewellers in Ireland.” After they bought their rings, it was finally off to Clifden to meet up with our Irish relatives. They were excited to finally meet their American cousins.
Kingstown, our ancestral home
Your great-great-great-grandmother was born and raised in a suburb of Clifden called Kingstown. It is a very tiny village that lies even further out on the peninsula than Clifden does. Our family roots are deep in the area and as I said, we still have cousins that live there. Before we headed to their house, we drove the Sky Road loop to get a sense of the area where our ancestors lived all of their lives. The views were stunning, but we had to fight the fog all the way around.
We found a museum at the former Clifden railway station and took a look at what the town once was like.
Clifden’s railway station in the 1800s
Downtown Clifden as my great-grandmother would have remembered it.
The beginning of life for Nora Canavan Thornton
Nora Canavan left Ireland aboard the SS Majestic to meet her sister in the Pittsburgh area of the United States. Our family still calls that area home. We were able to visit the school she had once attended. It is now a small church.
Marker for Kingstown National School, established 1881
Kingstown National School is now a church.
Uncle Jimmy lit a candle for his great-grandmother at her mother Nora’s old school.
The most impressive sight was the home her father built, which is still standing. Now used as a storage building, this was once the family home of your forefathers. The emotions I felt while standing in this quiet place captured me as I pondered the days gone by. We have come so far, all because of one young lady’s decision to seek a better life in the United States.
Family home built by Nora Canavan’s father.
Inside the Canavan house.
My newfound family
Luke and Leia, these are your family members who still live in Ireland. It is our hope that someday you will be able to journey in the footsteps of your Uncle Jimmy and visit your family here in Ireland.They will welcome you with open arms, just as they did to my aunts and my own Granny a few years ago.
It was such a joy to see the true love that Uncle Jimmy had for “HIS” Ireland in his eyes. He felt so much at home and so much peace there after all the horrible experiences he had in Iraq.
Aunt Loretta, Great Granny Lewis and Mary Canavan Berry
The Canavan couple who built the home
Goodbye from Clifden, County Galway
Unfortunately, it is time for us to head back to Dublin, where we will send Uncle Jimmy back home and us to head off to mainland Europe. We will write to you guys from there. Miss you two.
Love,
Nana and Pap
♥
P.S. – If you have Pinterest you can click the top left of any photos in our story to add them to your Pinterest boards. We would actually like that a whole lot.
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Sky Road, Clifden, Galway
Galway, Ireland
Galway, Ireland
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