Your Irish Heritage

Bring Your Irish Ancestry To Life.

Glasnevin Cemetery, County Dublin

We head to Glasnevin Cemetery to the north of Dublin City – and find out there is a lot more to it than meets the eye.

Glasnevin cemetery is probably the most famous cemetery in Ireland. It lies just to the north of Dublin city – and holds so many Irish individuals of note that it holds very interesting tours (mostly above ground, but also into Daniel O’Connell’s crypt.

We caught up with Anne Kilcoyne and Carina asked her to tell us a little more about the cemetery before we went on a tour:

 

 

We then went on a very entertaining and educational tour – which even included an actor playing Padraig Pearse, the leader of the 1916 rising – here he is giving the same speech that he gave at the graveside of Jeremiah O’Donovan Rossa:

 

What a great way of surprising us with history! This tour is to be recommended – and well worth a detour from Dublin City centre. 

As always, feel free to leave your questions and comments below.

Slán for now, Mike & Carina.

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Need Directions?

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Doagh Famine Village, County Donegal

We head to the top of the Inishowen peninsula in County Donegal for a tour around a unique Irish cottage.

If you travel to the top of the Wild Atlantic Way – towards the most northerly point on the island of Ireland, you will eventually come to the beautiful Inishowen Peninsula in County Donegal – north of the City of Derry. We were driving around the peninsula when we came across an interested sign for a “Famine Village”. It turned out to be a fully built replica of a village – with lots of exhibits and more to keep you educated and entertained.

When we eventually caught up with the owner of the village – Pat Doherty – he had a special treat for us. He took us inside one of the cottages, but it was the ACTUAL cottage that he was born and reared in. He had plenty to say on the matter in this video:

 

As always, feel free to leave your questions and comments below.

Slán for now, Mike & Carina.

Go Here to Comment, Ask Questions and Share your own Favourite Irish Places.

Need Directions?

Have a look at the exact location we visited in Google Maps below:

 

The Walls of Derry, County Derry

We stop on the walls of Derry, County Derry, for a view over the city and a little more.

Derry city has a youthful and exciting energy about it, despite the layers of history that surround you wherever you go in the town. It came out of decades of conflict following the Good Friday agreement of 1998 stronger and with an energy and charm all of its own. Here is Carina chatting more about the city from the beautiful (and very walkable) vantage point of the city walls:

We were fortunate to come across a number of reenactments on the day we visited. A very effective and fun way to learn a lot more about the history of the city “in situ”:

 

As always, feel free to leave your questions and comments below.

Slán for now, Mike & Carina.

Go Here to Comment, Ask Questions and Share your own Favourite Irish Places.

Need Directions?

Have a look at the exact location we visited in Google Maps below:

 

Famine Ship, New Ross, County Wexford

We visit The Dunbrody Famine Ship located in the County Wexford town of New Ross.

If you ever have the chance to travel through the town of New Ross in County Wexford (but on the border with County Kilkenny) then do stop and take a tour on the Dunbrody Famine Ship. It’s hard to miss this striking 19th century sailing ship located on the dockside as you drive through the town. We took the tour – and then spent some time shooting the following video for you to enjoy:

As always, feel free to leave your questions and comments below.

Slán for now, Mike & Carina.

Go Here to Comment, Ask Questions and Share your own Favourite Irish Places.

Need Directions?

Have a look at the exact location we visited in Google Maps below:

 

Cobh Heritage Centre, County Cork

We visit Cobh Heritage Centre – located in the lovely port town of Cobh (formerly Queenstown) in County Cork.

Cobh was the point of departure for so many of our shared Irish ancestors. They left this point in Ireland for a new life in so many locations around the world. When we were recording a podcast episode and feature, we chatted with Jack Walsh – the manager of the centre – behind the scenes. He told us of his own background and his experience and affinity with emigrants and places of emigration in Ireland:

As always, feel free to leave your questions and comments below.

Slán for now, Mike & Carina.

Go Here to Comment, Ask Questions and Share your own Favourite Irish Places.

Need Directions?

Have a look at the exact location we visited in Google Maps below: