September 2018

Fast Forward....four weeks....again, travel has kept us really busy and I'm playing catching up. In the interest of not boring you all to tears...this post will be mostly images of the wonderful time we had in Ireland. I think a bit of it can be summed up with the words I'd hear from Adele as we gathered at the end of the day in our Barrow Lark Cottage..in her best American accent .."Honey, I'm home!!!"

18-25 August 2018

Ireland is like coming home for me and this occasion is very special indeed. The main reason to come to Ireland this year is for our 3rd Crowley Family Reunion. The first reunion was in 1988, again in 1999 and now 2018. So, about every ten years we try and get together. There have been other trips over the pond (both ways) over the years. But meeting here, in the area that connects us, is always very heartwarming. This year we've got about 35 from the US (a first trip for many), a few that still live in Ireland and about 20 from England...many I haven't seen since the first reunion.

Our common ancestor is Thomas Crowley (18??- 1952). My grandfather, John Crowley, was his son from his first marriage. His wife Sarah Leary/O'Leary died in 1914. Many of our family is connected through Thomas's 2nd marriage to Hannah Roche....but a Crowley is a Crowley.

Our morning started with a four hour drive south from Carrick on a grey and windy day. A few showers on the way down didn't dampen our spirits.

We rented a house in West Barrow, very close to the Tralee Golf Club. This week will be all about family and family will be enjoying this house: along with Jim and myself will be my sister Peg, our cousin Adele Crowley McCarthy and her sons Liam and Sean. It had been to long since I'd spent time with Adele and was looking forward to catching up.

The week was filled with reunited family and also family that had never met before - our American, English and Irish coming together.

Big thanks to Sam Crowley for putting the plan in motion and the rest of our wonderful family for pulling together to make the week magical.

25-26 August 2018

Saying good-bye to family was hard but fortunately we were spending a few extra days in Ireland saying "Hello again" to Irish friends we met in Vietnam about nine years ago. Jeanne and Peadar....thank you so much for inviting us to spend time in Cork and visiting with you and meeting your wonderful friends.

27 August 2018

We're off again......to Scotland....or as Carolyn and I came to refer to the trip as "Our search for Jamie Fraser"!!!!