Finding Family

 After Dublin I headed south towards Waterford, I was very excited to meet some cousins I had just recently started to get to know! 

We had a great day driving around the area, seeing the coast. There were beautiful thatched houses, epic coast lines, and Hook Lighthouse. This is the worlds oldest operational light house. It was visible across the bay in Wexford.  

My cousin took me for a night out at a local pub with an Irish music night. It was amazing- who ever wants to play shows up with instruments and plays. People from the bar joined in to sing songs or tell a joke. I wish I could have joined in, not that I have much of a voice, and could catch the chorus of a couple of the songs. I think this is the best kind of “open mic night.”

Though just a short visit, we have plans for me to come back next year. There is a lot on our “to see” list. 

I had my first set back of the trip. My ‘luck of the Irish’ for good travelling weather had run out. With a storm sweeping up my ferry out of Ireland got cancelled due to ‘weather.’ Though I suspect it was an excuse to move us to the under booked  large ferries. 

It did give me some extra time in the evening in Dublin, so I explored some more family links. First, on my way back to Dublin I realized the Waterford train station is named the Plunkett station. I realized this when I spotted a large mural of my grandmothers second cousin Joseph Mary Plunkett. He played a prominent role in the Easter Rising of 1916 and sadly was executed for his part. His push for Irish independence did eventually come to fruition for most of the island in 1922. 

Arriving in Dublin I decided to find the house my grandfather was born in.  It’s now an office. But some records show the family also may have lived next door at some point which is a hotel so I popped in for a glass of wine. 

It’s just a beautiful building- I want to stay there the next time I visit! And it was fun chatting with the bartender, he was amazed when I said my grandfather was born next door. 

A little more walking took me to the Easter Rising Remembrance Garden, as well as the Dublin Spire before I (finally) caught my ferry back to the UK.