Posted by DUNGARVAN
After departing Kinsale a day earlier that planned we decided to land in Dungarvan for the night to take the pressure off too much driving. It was a great choice and we found a fabulous small boutique Hotel called The Hat Maker Hotel and wow what a fabulous place. Incredible room and bed and breakfast the next day with the best coffee in Ireland accordiung to me. We ate at The Old Bank hotel and had an extensive wander around town stopping at two pubs for some music, Whiskey and Craich.
We checked out the Dungarvan castle but no one was home so continued on our way to find another pub.
Thye Hat Maker Hotel and adjoining lane.
Always love a window with old vintage car collections and this one was exceptional in Dungarvan.
First stop was Downeys Bar for some trad music and then onto The Local for some more contempoary folk and an exception shared desert and Ice Cream with our Whiskey.
We found a St Augustines Friary and understand that there is some connection with the current Pope to Dungarvan.
BARRACREE FARM
Dungarvan is the main port for the region and was a place that my mothers grandfather/grandmother, John & Bridget Beresford would have freqented from their farm at Barracree approx 20kms to the North. They lived here for 20 years at the base of Seefin mountain (below) where the bow shaped valley meets the mountainside. This farm belonged to the Power family who were the leading family in the Waterford region and had been the lords of the area since the early English settlement by the Normans. They were really very Irish after 500 years but as Catholics they trod a very careful path. My great grandfather purchased a lease from his Father-in-law after returning from his first trip to Australia a relativley wealthy man having found gold in Victoria. He was orininally from the Waterford area and Married in 1859, they had 10 children and then in 1879 he was broke and the creditors took the farm and they all came out to Australia on assisted passage…not sure what happened but it is recorded in the Beresford family annals that he was “a better miner than a farmer”.
A beautiful farm up close and so fertile and now still in the family having being bought by John Beresfords sister after his foreclosure and her great grandson still farms the land today.
The House John Beresford and Bridgit Power built in1860, still standing below.
The original farm barns and sheds are still in use.
CLONMEL
The next stop was for Ann’s family with the Hughes and Flynn familys who resided in this charming town on the banks of the Suir and would have also been a big part of the Beresfords life, and maybe they all crossed paths back in the mid 19th century. Old St Marys church is one of Irelands oldest churches (below) but not much left here of the original can be seen but its been built on and added to so many times its hard to tell. The grounds are a huge historic site with graves going back to Norman and Viking times plus there is a really good section of the original town walls that remain. These walls were one of only a few in Ireland that Cromwells troops did not breach so hence the survival of a number of cruicial buildings.
We met a lovely gentleman who took us for a tour of the church and gave us a great history lesson on all the details
The Old Market and town hall dates back to the 16th century and has been restored to its former glory after some fairly ugly uses and facades and now stand proud at the end of O’Connell street. The model above is of Clonmel in the 16th century with its proud and formidable defensive walls just completed. While visiting the old Town hall, now the visitors centre, we were talking to the helpers and Ann was talking about our Ancestry trail and this women piped up and said, I am a Flynn.. so we figured that some where sometime there would be a connection.
During the 17th Century the Local Quaker church group in the Tipperary county established a milling enterpise and settlent on Suir Island where the river splits in two and creates a fast flowing run ideal for a weir and wheels for mills. The Quakers created the massive Mill buiding and this region became one of Irelands biggest flour mills until The Free trades act came in and farmers stopped growing wheat and the mills stopped being used.
We discovered that the Flynn familes lived on Irish Street which was outside the town walls and was where the majority of Catholics lived…as second class peoples. The Tower represents the remains of the very formidable walls and as such the dividing lines between the haves and have nots..
The Streets of Irishtown
CARRICK ON SUIR
19 kms further to east is another Ancestry stop and this time where the Power family came from (the other side of the Beresfords) so again a real possibility of connections across our two families.
It was a facinating little town and was the original seat of the Butler family who rose to prominance from the Norman days right through to Henry VII and Elizabeth I. Below is the Tudor home of The Butlers built in 1568 in front of the original Norman built Ormond Castle as the dutchy was called. the new home was the very modern for the times and the home served the family until 1688 after Cromwell destroyed the old castle but left the Tudor house as it was too grand an English home to destroy. The Butlers were in and out of favour during the Parliamentary overthrown as they were seen as royalists but eventually they got it all back and were rewarded for their loyalty by subsequent Kings by being given Killkenny Castle and those regions as well so they moved to Killkenny castle instead which was a right proper castle indeed.
Inside the Tudor Manor House was a real; treat and the restoration is perfect.
The absolute lastest in design in the late 16th century and now shown as it would have been in 1600.
Not much more to find out other than the fact that the Power family still dominate the town but where they lived in a Manor house is now in a 70’s era subdivision (below)
WATERFORD
We had some high expectations with Watrerford after our research but discovered that you really need to lower them a bit at times. On the surface a buzzing town but in reality a bit dull and lifeless despite looking the opposite. Walking around in the early evening we strugged to find a good place to eat and settled on an Asian fusion place which was fine but no atmosphere. The Pubs were ok but no music and all a bit cliche. The Murals were amazing and the best we had seen so big marks there, and i am unsure if it was just not the right day being a Thursday but it looked a bit grubby, empty and unloved ! very odd indeed
The Murals were really eclectic and showed a great side to the city and as we were only here for one night we probably did not give it justice. its a really great walking city but with all the waterfront renewal going on it was a bit all over the place.
