20160628 Photos
What a wonderful day.
We rose early and had a continental breakfast in the not-really-open hotel dining room. Then we found the taxi and took it to Heuston Station, where we received our pre-booked tickets from a kiosk. After a little wait, we boarded the train and found our names above the seats we'd booked. They were across a table from each other and had power outlets.
We watched the countryside go by in comfort and arrived in Athlone about 90 minutes later. Mr Geoffrey Yorke, the guide we'd hired, met us and (after introductions) showed us to his minivan. We established what we wanted to do.
We wanted to go to the Dun Na Si center, specifically the genealogy center (even though our appointment with the genealogist we wanted to meet could not be done) to see what we could find. We also wanted to see the churches in Rosemount and Tubber. We also wanted to find Mr Patrick Buckley and his farm.
The Dun Na Si wasn't open yet so Mr Yorke took us to see two viewpoints of Lough Ree, the largest lake around and one that feeds the Shannon. Though it was misting and raining, it was a nice view. Then we went to the Dun Na Si. Unfortunately, the only person there was the receptionist who had nothing we could use, but did give us a tour of the building that was very interesting. A major emphasis in it is the music and dancing of Ireland.
So Mr Yorke took us to Rosemount (where his kids went to school for a period) to the Church of St Thomas the Apostle. We walked around the outside looking at gravestones. Most of the older ones were unreadable and the new ones weren't what we were looking for. But we did find one of a Hanora Buckley. The door was unlocked so we went in and took pictures; it's really a nice working church. We found the mass handout for last Sunday and found that the 10am Sunday mass was said for Tim and Anne Buckley. So it's certain some Buckleys used this church.
We'd given Mr Yorke what we thought was the location of the Buckley property. He knew of only one road that went under the old railroad, so he went down it toward Tubber. Sure enough, there was the house I recognized from Casey Few's pictures. The house was on the south side of the old railroad (now a cycle path). We knocked and Carol came out; I introduced myself and she insisted I come in. I got Dolores from the car and we went in to the small room on the railroad end of the house. We met Pat and sat. We went through how we knew Casey Few and how we were all cousins of some degree. Pat showed us the picture of his parents on the wall. I asked Pat which of the two churches the old family members might have preferred, but he said he didn't know that.
I asked Pat about the Buckleys we'd seen at the church in Rosemount. He replied they were from a cousin's family down the road a few miles. Dolores & Carol chatted about kids and things while Pat & I chatted about farming and the state of the world. Carol made tea and gave us biscuits (cookies). We talked on and on, until it came out that they were getting ready for a cousin's funeral. So we made our goodbyes and took a few pictures of the property before departing. What nice people they are.
We went on then to Tubber and took pictures of the Church of the Holy Family there. It's a smaller but very nice working neighborhood church. Again, the door was open so we entered and took pictures. 
We still had time on Mr Yorke's arrangement so he took us to the Kilbeggan distillery down the road. The old factory is still there but most of it is not used in the modern distilling. However, the water wheel that powered the place through a huge set of driveshafts and gearing and belting is still there and rotating so you can get a real feel for the noise that would have been in the place. At the end of the guide-yourself tour we went through the shop where I bough something for me. Then we received the "taste" of the Kilbeggan whiskey that came as part of the tour fee. Dolores even thought it was good.
Mr Yorke then took us into Athlone and around town a little before dropping us at the oldest pub in Ireland (and, by extension, the world). Sean's is documented to have existed in the 900's, so it's some 1,100 years old. It looks it. There's nothing square, not one right-angle, in the whole place. There's sawdust on the floor and a mixed bunch of locals and tourists at the bar and tables.
Then it came time to head for the train, so Mr Yorke took us there and dropped us with thanks given on both sides.
We waited a little bit for the train (long enough that a freight train came past). We took our seats and it took us smoothly to Dublin. We taxied to Wynn's and put things up. Out to eat next door at the Grand Central, then a short walk to get pictures of the General Post Office on O'Connell Street that was the seat of the resistance during the battle of 1916 (a hundred years ago). Most of the downtown was destroyed by gunfire from a British ship, and the resistance collapsed. The Irish leaders were executed. The people continued to fight politically and got their independence several years later.
Then we returned to the room to re-pack and to get ready for tomorrow.
