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A long day of travel awaited us as we woke up VERY early so we could drive to Dublin via Carrick- on- Suir where Pop Pop's mother was born. The beautiful blue skies over Kinsale had morphed into a storm overnight and it was a cold and dreary morning when we trudged into the breakfast room at the Old Prebyteria Bed and Breakfast where we were treated to a most delightful sight! The proprietor had gotten up early to accommodate our travel schedule and had the chef cook to order our desires.....fresh crab frittata, warm fruit filled crepe, lox bagel sandwich and Irish porridge topped with sweet fresh cream. If it was any earlier it could have been mistaken for a dream! Our taste buds dancing the jig with satisfaction we headed out of Kinsale (sadly as we loved it so) in search of Carrick-on-Suir, a small town about half way between Kinsale and Dublin where my grandmother, Ellen Kennedy, was born. I was expecting a impoverished village but found a decent sized town with all the makings of typical Irish life. Carrick-on-Suir is surrounded by lush green forrests and lazy green meadows. The town itself oozes character of days gone by including a town museum filled with dolls, carriages and aged photos capturing the history of this quaint spot in Ireland that was once visited by the Tour de France. We strolled through the main streets of town and could feel eyes upon us as we were obviously non-residents which reminded me of one of my own mother's sayings that nothing went unnoticed because she had "eyes in the back of her head". On our way to find St. Nicholas Church where my grandmother was baptized we popped (Irish term) into a wee shop which sold sodas, meats, home made sweets and sundry. It was governed by a sweet woman who proudly gave us a tour of their mini kitchen where specialty cakes were being decorated with roses galore...cakes to celebrate all occasions including birthdays, baptisms, first communion and confirmations....all special ordered and to be picked up by noon. She also had plates of freshly baked scones and cupcakes that were each so big they could have fed a whole village of leprechauns! Her pride and sincerely were palpable and made our insides feel as warm as the breakfast from earlier in the day. After being directed by several locals taking in the fresh air we found St. Nicholas church and slipped inside. There were a large handful of townspeople sprinkled throughout the church uniting their voices in prayer...a novena I believe. It was a lovely sight and the warmth of their voices took the chill off the air.
On our way to the park to check out the Farmer's Market (yes they hold it in the rain), we picked up the town's newsletter which gives a snapshot of the week in the life of this town and highlights the intertwined importance of family, community and religion. In the coming week there was to be the 200 year celebration of the Presentation Sisters' Ministry to be held at the Sister's Cemetery at 7 PM, a meeting of the Carrick-on-Suir Retirement Club which invites all "to join in a cup of tea, tai chi, dancing, singing and the chat", a five mile run to benefit our Lady's Hospital Crumlin (tickets available at the butcher shop, the hardware store or Fleming's Bar) and the Ballyneale Field Day featuring "a variety of stalls, fancy dress parade, races, football matches and a raffle with prizes to include Luxury Family Hampers!
We all left that day with feeling a bit closer to our family roots as well as to the roots of mankind realizing that all people are more alike than they are different.
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