 |
The
65 people who came from the four corners of the World to attend
the inaugural Leitrim Roots Festival |
I
was privileged to be invited to be tour guide to 65 people who
came from the four corners of the world to attend the inaugural
Leitrim Roots Festival which took place from April 22nd to April
28th.
All attending the festival had Leitrim Ancestry and during their
stay in the county they had the opportunity to visit places that
they heard their parents and Grand Parents talk about when they were
growing up. The festival was organized by the Genealogy Centre in
Ballinamore and was supported by Leitrim Tourism and the County Council;
the intention of event was to provide a forum for those attending
to actually visit the birthplace of their ancestors, also to attend
workshops and lectures on the history of the County and its people.
County
of Ancestors
The
group was welcomed to the county at a special reception on Saturday
Evening April 22nd held in the County Council headquarters in Carrick
on Shannon, many local Councilors and representatives from tourism
and development agencies that supported the event were present.
Welcoming the visitors Chairman of the Council Mr Gerry Reynolds
stated “ I
understand we have visitors from New Zealand, Iceland, Australia,
Canada, America, England, Scotland and Ireland, it is wonderful
to see you all back in the county of your ancestors.
“During the coming week you will see most of the county, the
historic places, the beauty spots, and you will hear all about
the folklore of the county and of course meet the friendly people as
you travel round and hopefully it will be a memorable experience
for you.” Mr Reynolds concluded by wishing everyone a memorable
week and expressed his thanks to the excellent committee who
made detailed preparations for your visit. The evening concluded
with a dinner in The Bush Hotel.
Tour
of Leitrim
Sunday
morning Sean Guckian the Coach Tour Driver and myself were up bright
and early to meet and greet our guests and set off on the first
leg of our trip and that was to Mass in Leitrim Village, the place
that gave the county its name. The Parish Priest welcomed all the
visitors and wished them a pleasant stay in the county. Following
Mass it was back on the coach and into Drumshanbo. We had a tour
of this historic town and then on to the Arigna Mining Museum where
coal was mined for over 400 years. After our visit we made our
way back down the mountain and travelled along the shores of Lough
Allen.
We made a stop at the Tarmon to view the John Mc Kenna Memorial.
John was born in the area in 1880 and moved to New York as a
young man. He was a very talented flute player and was well respected
in Irish Musical Circles in the U S A. We continued on our journey
to Dromahair and Creevylea Abbey and our final port of call for
the day was a cruise on Lough Gill on the magnificent Isle of
Innisfree Cruise Boat. Following a two hour cruise it was back
to the hotel for dinner and to round up the day we had a lovely
concert in Carrick on Shannon with Eleanor Shanley and Charlie
Mc Gettigan.
Heritage
Day
Monday
was “Heritage Day”. We were off bright and
early to Ballinamore to attend a very informative lecture “Tracing
your Ancestors” giving
by Sean O Suilleabhain the County Librarian,
We then moved up the street to the Genealogy Centre where we found
a wonderful selection of books charting the history of the county.
There was a fine selection of Videos and DVDs on the history and
customs of bygone days.
After lunch we paid a visit to Glenview Museum where there are over
6000 artefacts on display. We continued to Fenagh Abbey. This has
been a monastic site since the 6th Century. The present abbey was
built around 1798 and is still in fine state of repair. We finished
off the day with a trip on the Narrow Gauge Railway at Domod, the
railway opened in 1847 and closed in 1959.
The
Northern End
Tuesday
was a visit to the Northern end of the county. We once again travelled
along the shores of Lough Allen, which is the first lake on the
River Shannon, and we made a stop in the Glen Centre in Manorhamilton
for a lecture on “Leitrim
in the 19th Century” given by Fr Liam Kelly. This was very
informative on how people lived and indeed tried to survive on
a very poor diet and virtually no health care.
We moved on through lovely rugged scenery to Rossinver Organic
centre. Here we had a lecture on the methods of growing vegetables
organically. We then had the chance to have a walk around the
gardens and before leaving we had lunch, which included the vegetables
from the garden.
We continued to Kiltyclogher to view the memorial to Sean Mac
Dermott who was one of the leaders of the 1916 rising. Then we
made a visit to his homestead which is tastefully kept and we
went on to County Fermanagh to visit The Marble Arch Caves. We
had a guided tour of the caves and our visit lasted just under
two hours, it was then back on the coach and off to our hotel. Famine
Day
The
theme for Wednesday was “Famine Day”. We had
an informative lecture by Proinnsios O Duigneain in The Dock Theatre
and we then took lunch. It was then off on the coach to the Famine
Museum at Strokestown House in County Roscommon. The house has
been restored to its former glory. First we had a tour of the house
and had the chance to view fine furniture and priceless works of art.
Following the house tour we then visited the Famine Museum.
This is a very touching experience as we learned how our forefathers
suffered during the famine and the tremendous loss of life as a result
of the failure of the potato crop in 1847. On return to Carrick we
visited the Famine Graveyard close to the former Workhouse, and now
I am pleased to say it is a fine well kept Hospital. We retired to
our Hotel and to finish off a nice day we had a Ceili Dance on the
night.
Lovely
Leitrim
Thursday
was a free day; many of the guests took taxis to visit places where
their ancestors left many years ago, while other guests went to
the Genealogy Centre to trace their roots.
Friday was the final day of the festival and a unique experience
was in store for the guests, it was off to Carrigallen to a music
workshop. Here we had some talented Irish Musicians on hand to
play some lovely Reels and Jigs, however there was an opportunity
for all the guests to have a go a playing a musical instrument,
and many of them were quite impressed on how well they succeeded.
After four hours it was back to the hotel for a rest and prepare
for the farewell dance.
At 7pm it was off to Drumshanbo to The Ramada Hotel for our farewell
dinner. There were presentations of Leitrim Crystal suitably
inscribed to all the guests who attended the festival.
Following Dinner we retired to the hotel ballroom for a dance
with the man who put the County on the map, yes it was the legendary
Mr Larry Cunningham and his band who were providing the entertainment
for the evening.
Earlier in the week we had handed the words of the song “Lovely Leitrim” to
all the guests and they promised us they would join Larry at midnight as he sang
the song, indeed they did and were really emotional as they were about to bid
farewell to their hosts for the week. They all promised that they would love
to return again and the message they gave us was from the last four lines of
the song: -
And if ever we return again
There is one place we will go
It will be to Lovely Leitrim
Where the Shannon Waters Flow.
Finally it was a pleasure for me to have the opportunity to show
the guests around my native county. Thanks to Sinead Mc Dermott,
Leitrim Tourism Director, also thanks to Joseph Dolan and his excellent
staff at The Bush Hotel in Carrick on Shannon, and to a wonderful
Coach Driver and a true gentleman as well, Sean Guckian from McGowan’s
Coaches in Drumshanbo.
Until the next time its Good Bye and God Bless from The Hills of
Sligo. |
