It’s been 2 years since I posted about wanting to travel to Ireland for a road trip round the ancestors’ home towns. With a son still in school we haven’t found the time and even this year we don’t have the 3 weeks I think we’d need to do it justice. What we do have time for is a short break to cover 2 branches of the family tree in 2 counties.

So in May my husband and I are flying to City of Derry airport from where we will head across the border to Donegal. We’re staying 4 nights at a beautiful spot on the Wild Atlantic Way. I’m excited about that.

As for the ancestral homes that’s where it gets a bit tricky. My Brawley ancestors came from Derry and I’ve been able to track them down to the Parish of Faughanvale. My great, great, great grandfather John Brawley came to Scotland in the 1820s. The Roman Catholic records for Faughanvale don’t start until 1863 so nothing to go on with births, marriages and deaths. There is the 1831 census for the area and there are 3 possibilities for John’s father Hugh. So now I am looking at the town lands of Bolie, Cloghole and Tully.

The above map shows the parishes in County Derry. You can see that Faughanvale doesn’t cover a huge area. Zooming in you will spot the 3 townlands from the census. We’re talking about a few minutes drive between each place. If I’m in the area of Faughanvale I’m in the area the ancestors lived.

In Donegal I’m on the trail of Mary Wilkinson, my great, great grandmother. She was born in Conwal, Letterkenny in 1827 and came to Scotland sometime between 1847 and 1851. I’ve posted about Mary before but I’ve since found out a lot more about her and I’m putting together that information to share. The previous post is still there but it’s not 100% accurate. I’ve tracked her down to the townland of Ballyboe Glencar. She was baptised and married by the Presbyterian church. The map below shows the area where she lived. A tiny village in a rural area at the time, it’s now a built up area of Letterkenny.

Of course it would be great to visit the actual home of one of my ancestors but my people were weavers, farm labourers, poor people who did not live in the kind of homes that will still be standing 200 years later. I can visit the churches where they would have worshipped and cemeteries where they were laid to rest.

I plan to visit Doagh Famine Village to find out more about the local communities and the lives my ancestors lived and why and how they left Ireland.

I have been to Ireland before on a few occasions but never on a family history trip. I’m so looking forward to it. There’s still some planning to be done but that’s half the fun for any trip. I have been in contact with the lovely people at Ireland Reaching Out who have been really helpful. I’m hoping to meet up with a volunteer while we’re there.

Plus it’s Ireland so there will be some great food, a few drinks and of course….