With considerable relief, I can report my mission to find the roots of J.J. Donovan's family has found success. This was kind of a wild gamble but I have found what I came for. But first, a bit of a tour
A beautiful morning. This is the view from my hotel window overlooking the river, the old railroad bridge, now a summer cocktail lounge, and the bridge into town filled with cars driving on the left hand side.
My internet is very weak and I have having problems uploading photos so this may be a brief post. I shall continue trying,
Aha, success ! this is the breakfast room. This morning I tried the "West Cork Breakfast"
This is what I left, more than I could eat. A poached egg, a big sausage, too much ham, those dark guys are meat sausages of some sort, the required baked tomato and wonderful toast and jam all served with a big pot of coffee. and now for a walk about town before reporting the the Heritage Centre for my appointment with "Margaret" at 10:00
A residential section of Skibbereen in the morning sunlight.
Driving here is a bit tricky. This is a two way street and that car going up hill is supposed to be on the left hand side of the road, but their are three cars parked there in front of their houses. I am not sure how it works. The shadow on the sidewalk looks confused. It is !
Here is a shot of the business section, All of the streets are this narrow. Makes driving a bit dicey.
But now it is time to go to work at the Heritage Centre.
But now it is time to go to work at the Heritage Centre.
Margaret Murphy, Genealogist Extraodinaire, friendly, welcoming, diligent, determined, and successful. She worked from 10:30 to 4:15 with a break for lunch with me at the hotel in which she gave me a verbal history of the Irish.
Things did not look promising in the beginning. Baptismal records for the area were lost before 1832, but because five of the Donovan siblings were born after that, she was able to work backwards to tell me the maiden name of J.J.'s grandmother, the location of their living to the very one acre rental plot that they raised the potatoes they survived on, their economic condition, their educational level, the language they spoke, and gave me an excellent understanding of the roots of the Donovan clan. I will have much to begin the biography of J.J. Donovan.
Things did not look promising in the beginning. Baptismal records for the area were lost before 1832, but because five of the Donovan siblings were born after that, she was able to work backwards to tell me the maiden name of J.J.'s grandmother, the location of their living to the very one acre rental plot that they raised the potatoes they survived on, their economic condition, their educational level, the language they spoke, and gave me an excellent understanding of the roots of the Donovan clan. I will have much to begin the biography of J.J. Donovan.
Here is Margaret Murphy at one of the three computers she used searching for the Donovan story. She will even guide me to the site of their one acre house and land Monday afternoon. I was so fortunate to meet this remarkable and kind woman who has made my Skibbereen gamble pay off. I have found what I came for.