France and Ireland 2026
Posts from the trip to France and Ireland that I took in 2026 with Mom, Aunt Kay, Aunt Colette, Cousin Dan, and Cousin Pat. This was a “genealogy tour”. We visited the grave of my great aunt, Sister Margaret, who went to France at age 16 to become a nun, and then traveled to Ireland to visit some of the places where our ancestors were born.
After finishing our tour in Newmarket, we drove to Stonyford, County Kilkenny, which is the location of Lawcus Farm Guest House, where we stayed. Lawcus Farm is run by the wonder Mark and Ann-Marie whose hospitality knows no bounds. We settled into our rooms, then headed into Malzard’s Pub in Stonyford for dinner and a pint. #travel #Ireland
Posted on July 29, 2026
I’m running behind on my posts. Two days ago, after landing in Cork, we drove to Newmarket, County Cork and met with Sheila O’Sullivan who is the unofficial historian of the local parish and a caretaker at Clonfert Cemetary. She gave us a tour of the cemetery and showed us the family plots of Mr great-grandfather’s maternal line. #travel #Ireland #genealogy
Posted on July 29, 2026
Yesterday was mostly a repositioning day. We visited Sister Margaret’s grave once more before heading to Beauvais. Along the way, we stopped in Rouen where I managed to get our rental car trapped in a pedestrian zone. (It was a whole thing.) But after dodging all the people and escaping with the car, we continued to our hotel in Beauvais. Today we fly to Cork! #travel #France #Ireland
Posted on July 27, 2026
So there I was, trapped in a walled cemetery with a bunch of 70 and 80 year-olds. Luckily my Cousin Pat is a spry 69 years-old and a Navy man. He found a place where he could climb the wall, but obviously my mom and aunts couldn’t do that. So he took the keys and headed to the police station. After he left, I flagged down a dog walker who promised to call someone as soon as she got home. Between the two, one of them managed to reach Sister Catherine who had the keys and finally freed us! #travel #France
Posted on July 26, 2026
After tidying Sister Margaret’s grave, we collected our tools and trash and headed back to the car. Now keep in mind this is an old cemetery surrounded by six foot walls. We got to the cemetery gate to discover that the caretaker had already come by and locked up for the night. We were locked inside! #travel #France
Posted on July 26, 2026
After saying a few prayers, it was decided that we should take inspiration from my grandmother’s visit 40 years ago and clean up the grave site. So we pulled the weeds and made a trip to a local garden store from supplies. After a few hours of weeding, raking, scrubbing, and tidying, I think it cleaned up nicely! #travel #France #genealogy
Posted on July 26, 2026
Although it is clear that the cemetery is being tended, Sister Margaret’s grave wasn’t as much. Her grave was full of weeds, and the name plaques were covered in lichen and moss. #travel #France #genealogy
Posted on July 26, 2026
Yesterday, 40 years after my grandmother’s trip, my mother and her sister, along with two cousins who are also the children of Sister Margaret’s siblings, again visited Sister Margaret’s grave site to pay our respects and say a few prayers for the repose of her soul. And after a bit of a search we found her grave! (GPS coordinates: 49.08235° 0.59707°) #travel #France #genealogy