A Time Machine Journey

Over the years, Tom has had a passion to learn about his family’s past. There have always been stories about the relatives of previous generations and coming to America. The old Irish expression of "never let the truth get in the way of a good story" may have been in play in some of the stories that have been passed down. This expression, which is incorrectly attributed to Mark Twain, has been a part of Irish folklore for centuries. The old storytellers, the seanachaí, who have kept the history of Ireland alive in their tales use the expression often when relating things of the past.

Our journey into the past started first thing in the morning. We crossed the street in front of the hotel where the Skibbereen Heritage Centre is located. Of course, Tom is always in a hurry and the centre would not open for another 10 minutes so we enjoyed the beautiful morning.

   

We had scheduled a one-hour session with a genealogist and were excited to get started. Tom had emailed her the family background information so she could hit the ground running… and boy did she! Margaret, the genealogist, greeted us with a smile and a warm welcome and went straight to work. While turning the computer screen so we could both see, our eyes were fixed on information it displayed. Family names we recognized flashed before us. Margaret introduced us to new resources and databases Tom had not used in his previous search into the past. It was all happening so fast. The hour seemed to fly by. At one point, Margaret called a woman she knew and because of Tom’s great-great grandmother’s first name, Angelica, she could confirm where the Sullivan family farm was located. Our scheduled time had come to an end, but Margaret told us to check back after lunch. She wanted to make a few more calls. We thanked her and toured the attached museum.

The Great Famine, Gorta Mór (the Great Hunger) or how we learned about it growing up, the Irish Potato Famine, occurred in the 1840s and had major impacts on Ireland for decades to come. The exhibits told the story both visually and through spoken words of the people who suffered starvation when there was food available. In the final count, over 1 million died, 2.1 million emigrated, and it is estimated 400,000 births did not occur during between 1845 and 1852. The population of Ireland today has still not reached the 8.5 million number which existed before the genocide. The British Crown turn their head for almost a decade in what today would be termed - ethnic cleansing. One chart in the museum that caught our eye showed where the 1.25 million emigrants to the United States ended up and where they live today.

It was not a surprise to see New York and Massachusetts at the top of the list, but Washington D.C. was also a major relocation point. Tom’s relatives settled on NY Ave in Washington in the 1880s.

After taking in the Great Famine exhibit, we took the self-guided Great Famine Walking Tour of Skibbereen.

The Heritage Centre had created an app that allowed us to walk to specific destinations and hear the stories of the place and the people that made this location notable. Along the way we learned about soup kitchens, workhouses, the role of Anglicans using food for conversions to the Queens religion and many other haunting facts and tales. The stop at Windmill Lane was a spot that was stored deep in our memories. The video we had seen in the museum came alive as we stared up the street.

At the top of this alley is the infamous Windmill Rock. The Widow Lynch and her four children, as well as many of the rock succumbed to the Gorta Mór. Stories like the one below were reported in the papers of England, but only a few ever responded with aide.

 

“… I have seen children reduced to skeletons, in some instances; in others bloated beyond expression by hideous dropsy [famine oedema], and creeping round the damp wet floors of their miserable cabins … unable to stand erect, or even articulate. In other hovels there were crawling, jabbering idiots, when disease and hunger had deprived both of strength and reason.’ The King’s County Chronicle, 13 January 1847.”

We continued our walking tour passing the Skibbereen workhouse, the soup kitchen location, and the shop where Jeremiah O’Donovan Rossa owned. He was one of the founders of what would become the Fenian movement. Over the years, this movement would evolve into what we know today as the Irish Republican Army. Rossa cried for justice and self-rule after suffering through the great hunger as a teen. He was determined to establish a Free Ireland!

We were totally drained and emotionally distraught when we reached the last stop on the walking tour. There was one optional location, but we decided not to visit. It was not a far walk out of the city, but our journey of the places of the Gorta Mór in Skibbereen had been enough for one day. The place we skipped was the Abbeystrowry Graveyard. It is a very old graveyard, but it is also the location of large pits where up to 10,000 people found their final resting place. It became known as the “famine pit”. Click on the picture for a link to a short film on Abbeystrowry Graveyard.

It was still not time to return to the Heritage Museum and check back in with Margaret. The noon hour was approaching and story after story of starving people caused us to reflect on all we had learned, but we were in need of nourishment. After what we just experienced, we would not, and probably will never, say famished because in our entire life we have not experienced true hunger.

We were standing outside the Eldon Hotel, when Tom spotted the sign remembering Michael Collins. Another giant in Irish history. (We will not take an off ramp for the Irish Rebellion, at least here, but highly recommend the movie Michael Collins with Liam Neeson – Available on Prime).

The hotel had a front room of memorabilia and photos from the rebellion period and after taking a hard look at the items, we headed to the restaurant. A simple bowl of vegetable soup and a piece of brown bread hit the spot. After our experiences throughout the morning, we felt blessed and thankful for our meal. We headed back down Bridge Street to meet Margaret.

When we arrived, she had a big smile and had great news for us! She knew exactly where the family farm was located. She showed Tom on the map then gave us the address and wished us luck. She warned us that the roads to Cappagh Beg were very narrow. We laughed and said, so far, we have stayed out the ditches and we would try to do the same today.

   

The farm was about 10 miles away, and Margaret was correct, the roads were pretty narrow.

The road appeared to come to an end and we assumed we had arrived.  The winds were blowing hard across the fields and the grass was as green as anyone would expect in Ireland.

A beautiful home overlooked the farm and Tom walked to the door and knocked in hopes someone was home. When the door opened, he was standing in front of his 4th cousin’s wife, Shirley. Joe, Shirley’s husband, was not home. We had so hoped to meet him.

The three of us chatted for a little while. Shirley showed us the original house and structures on the farm and explained that the structures are very tired now, but they had hopes of restoring them... one day. However, running a dairy farm does not allow a lot of free time. Living on Janet’s grandfather’s farm and in the original farmhouse, we understood the enormity of effort needed to keep everything up over the years.

   

Tom shared the family tree with Shirley on his phone and promised to email it to her so she could share it with the family. We said our goodbyes and after one last long look around, we departed. Our next stop would be the family cemetery Caheragh. The ride from Cappagh Beg to Caheragh took us through some beautiful countryside with stone fences lining the roads. The Old Caheragh Cemetery is the final resting place for Tom’s great-great grandparents and their children which stayed in Ireland. Denis Sullivan and Angelica McCarthy had eleven children, three of which died in infancy. Of all of the Sullivan children, Tom only knows of four that came to United States. John Joseph, Tom’s Great Grandfather, came to the US in 1883 and raised his family in Washington, DC.

Arriving at the cemetery, we found ourselves in a very remote location, where silence was the loudest noise to be heard. Tom peaked over the large stone wall that surrounded the cemetery and recognized the family plot from pictures he had seen.

We struggled to open the gate and felt a sense of panic that we had come this far only to be locked out! The mechanism was just a little tight and the gate swung free.

Stepping inside, our feet sank into green grass and while weaving our way through the mounds of earth, we stood in front of Tom’s past. Staring at the names on the stone, Tom reflected on all that he learned about the names on the stone and how much more he wanted to know. Why did John Joseph emigrate? Denis and Angelica, you lived through the Gorta Mór as children, how? We stood silently saying a prayer and took a few pictures before we made our way out of the cemetery. Closing the gate, we paused and looked back at the family plot and never have the words of the Irish Blessing be truer - Farewell Family.

“May the road rise to meet you,

May the wind be always at your back,

May the sun shine warm upon your face,

And rains fall soft upon your fields.

And until we meet again,

May God hold you in the palm of His hand.”

Quietly, we headed to Skibbereen, and the road could not have been more peaceful. Today had really been full of emotion and silence just seemed appropriate.

We were snapped back into reality when we realized that we were in the middle of rush hour in Caheragh. We were stuck at a major intersection for at least ten minutes. Returning from a day in the fields, the residents of the barn were returning for “happy hour” (aka milking). It brought a smile to both of us.

While staying in Skibbereen, we noticed multiple Olympic references including this large mural painted on the side of a building. Skibbereen is the home of Paul O'Donovan and Fintan McCarthy, the 2024 Gold Medal winners in the men's lightweight double sculls event. Which is only fitting, considering the name Skibbereen originated from the word “Skiff” a small lightweight boat used to cross the river.

    

Back at the hotel, we headed to the bar. After ordering a shot of the house whiskey, we raised our glass to relatives past and present, the victims Gorta Mór, and our time together - "Sláinte"

The young lady at the front desk of the hotel this morning had recommended two restaurants in town with a caveat that reservations are a must. After our lunch at the Eldon Hotel, we walked over to Wild Ways at Dillon's Corner and reserved a table for dinner. When we arrived for dinner, the place was packed, but a prime table in the window had been reserved for us. What followed was a meal that would dispel any thought one may have that fine dining does not exists in Ireland. The quality, the preparation, the plating was all over the top. Tom rated the Crème Brulle in the top five he has ever had. And he rates restaurants on the quality of their Crème Brulle! 

What was more amazing, if you know Tom, he shared it with Janet!

As we put our heads on our pillows, we could not help to reflect on the day. There was feeling that what Tom experienced will not be forgotten. Much like terroir that one may experience with wine, he too had discovered a sense of place.

A special thanks to the Skibbereen Heritage Centre for helping us take this Time Machine Journey to the past.

Good night