Ireland Day 12

Today is a day of driving and discovery. We are headed NNW to look for Kinsella'stown, perhaps the area our ancestors lived pre 1799.

We left Shillilelagh and drove through Tullow and headed north through Baltinglass and

As 

 by the abbey. Following a local road we drove for about and hour. We turned down a minor road for a two kilometers or so and then made a turn down a goat track. At the end of the track was a farm and a dead end, we had arrived at was once Kinsellastown.

As we were backing into the driveway to turn back a lady came out of the house and asked if she could help us. I mentioned that we were on a quest to find where Kinsellastown was and it might be a place where our ancestors lived. When we said to her we were looking for Kinsellastown and she said where where in "Kinchleastown". So we mentioned the spelling that was on the map and she said yes that is pronounced Kinchleastown. (light bulb moment)

I then told her that my last name was Kinchlea and gave her the spelling and then we were all buds. She started giving the history as she new it. Mentioning that the buildings were over 100 years old. She also lamented the fact that we missed her husband who new much more of the history of Kinsellastown.

The Kinchlea's left to right, Derek Evans, Bill Kinchlea, Holly Kinchlea-Brown and Geoff Ells

The lady of the manor ( we never really caught her name as her Gaelic accent was extremely thick) directed us to Hollywood so that we could look at parish records and gravestones for any Kinsellas that might be traceable through genealogy sites.

So which sign was first?, we know which village/city was.

First stop the Catholic Parish of St. Kevin's

no Kinsellas there, so on to the protestant parish also called St. Kevins

Also no luck in finding any Kinsellas. So off to look for Braveheart Way.It wouldn't be a good day in Ireland if we didn't have a game of Irish Sheep Poker and in Hollywood the game was a foot.

It was now time to head down the valley to Glendalough through the Wicklow Gap. The Wicklow mountains are fold mountains with valleys carved by glaciers during the last ice age. Although the mountains look high and clouds often covered the peaks, the elevations didn't clear more than 2000 feet.

We travelled down the gap into the valley and turned into the National Park Visitors Centre Parking Lot. Here we decided to have a picnic lunch. Wes then was taken down the valley to Annamoe to do some fly fishing while the rest of us stayed up the mountain to look at some church ruins and some mountain lakes. The ruins known as a Monastic Village, were also dedicated to St. Kevin. This saint certainly impressed the locals as almost everything from churches to bus tours are named after him.

After going through the Monastic Village, we decided to walk around Green Lake.

After walking around the lake we saw an Irish Bagpiper in traditional garb.

At this point in the afternoon we split in to three groups. Holly and Geoff went to do some painting, Beth and Alison went to a Woolen Mill, while Derek Carrie and I went back up the Wicklow Gap to take some pictures of a ruined lead mine and a waterfall. When we got to the mine there was a wild goat waiting to greet us. This goat looks much like our own Rocky Mountain Sheep.

When this gent decided to wander off we took some pictures of the ruins and waterfalls. The area was littered with iron, quartz and fools gold.

After playing in the sun, the three of us headed back down the valley, picked up the ladies and went to look for the painters and their projects.

 Geoff's project near completion.

Holly's unfinished work
The painters finished up and went and picked up Wes at the fishing hole,

We headed back to Shillelagh, where we had another great dinner at the Parkview House. Turns out that the manger of the Parkview, thinks we might be related, I think she wanted to impress and get us to buy more beer, not that we hadn't had enough of that or the free bottles of wine. At the pub we did are level best to get kicked out but alas it didn't happen. I new found possible family member also gave us the pronunciation of the town and the club/stick. She says the town is pronounced "She lay lah" and the club is pronounced "She lay lee". As she had lived her all of her ( i would say 30 years) life her and I am just a tourist, we will go with her pronunciations.

So it is well past my bedtime and the Jays are down by 5 after 3 1/2 so if that is a sign to head upstairs .............................