Searching for my Irish roots
‘The original ship took six months to build, the replica, five years’
Like many people in the UK, my family tree is firmly rooted in the green hills of Ireland. Unlike some, though, many members of my family have more than a passing interest in genealogy. Thanks to a distant cousin, my dad’s side of the family has been traced as far back as the 16th century and linked to several others in County Wexford – the Gifford, Glascott, Elmes and Brownrigg families, to name but a few.
There has even been a book published about the family connections, An Irish Lineage. The co-author, Rosemary Gifford, regularly organises clan gatherings that bring families together from all over the world; what better reason did I need for a trip to Ireland?
Unfortunately, at a late stage in our preparations, we heard this year’s gathering was cancelled; but my parents and I weren’t ready to change our plans. There were too many places that we wanted to explore in the area.
Colleague Claudia was also rather intrigued, so we packed up our respective vehicles – she in a motorhome, while I took our long-term Bailey Phoenix 440 – caravan and hotfooted it to Fishguard, Pembrokeshire, to catch the Stena Line ferry to Rosslare.
This was an overnight crossing and we rolled off the ferry in darkness, at 4am. Driving through the countryside across to Duncannon, where we planned to pitch up for the week, almost felt otherworldly as the sky lightened behind
