Travels in Eire #6

The aromas of a hearty breakfast worked there way past the door of Cailin's room at the B&B as she woke up to a bleary day. She remembered what Rorey had said about it always raining in Ireland and it brought a smile to her face. After a nice hot shower Cailin made her way to the communal eating area and found a seat near the window. The cheery owner came by and asked if she would like a pot of tea and Cailin eagerly nodded. The steaming tea and some homemade brown bread with marmalade warmed her inside. This was quickly followed by a bowl of oatmeal. Cailin knew she would soon have clogged arteries if she continued eating an Ulster Fry every morning so opted for the Irish oatmeal this morning. Fortified and warmed inside and out, Cailin packed the car, checked her map and headed out for the day.

By the time Cailin got on the road the drizzle had stopped, and the sun was working its way from behind the clouds. She was off to Coalisland and then to Ardboe. Coalisland was just a bit bigger than Mullaghmore, but also felt so familiar. She walked around the town just a little, found a pub called O'Neill's and looked over the signs for nights when music could be found.
Her grandmother was an O'Neill and came from this general area. Cailin had never done any genealogy research, but knew this was the area where her grandmother was born. She wondered if O'Neill's pub was some vestige of her family heritage. But it was very early in the day and not open yet.

On the road again, Cailin headed to Ardboe. She wanted to see the old Celtic Cross that sat on a hill above Lough Neagh. Here the roads were very narrow and travel was slow. A small sign indicated the Ardobe cemetery and Cailin pulled as far to the side of the road as she could.

She could see the cross. It was worn where people had chipped pieces from the base to take with them as they left for America. Was that little piece of stone pebble in her grandmother's belongings from here?
Cailin continued on to the cemetery. Old and new blended together with tombstones all facing the waters of Lough Neagh. What an unusual place. And the church was all but ruins. As she wandered through the cemetery she noticed names on gravestones. Suddenly she stopped short. This old worn gravestone said Cailin O'Neill! This was HER name. At least her family name. Coincidence? She almost lost her breath. Studying the gravestone she saw the dates and suddenly realized this was her great-grandmother. She was told that she was named after this woman and never really expected to find her gravestone here in Ardboe. Now Cailin had her first connection to her family. Continuing to wander the cemetery she found more O'Neills. Based on dates and ages of the gravestones, these would be brothers, sisters, and parents of her great-grandmother. Cailin found half of her family and was standing in the cemetery with tears streaming down her face when she suddenly realized she was not alone.