I sent this earlier today to an individual on the list thinking it would go to
all ... reposting now to the list:
Well ... I'm back from my trip to County Tyrone which turned out to be more
successful than I could have hoped, thanks in large part to the folks on this
list.
On our first morning we went to the village of Kilskeery and found the wee post
office. We explained to the lady working there what we were about and asked if
there were any Morrisons or Mastersons still living in the area. She said that
to her knowledge there were not any left, however there was a retired pastor
who had told her in conversation that he had only recently discovered that he
was related to the Morrisons that used to be in the area. She gave us
directions to his house and we went and knocked on his door. Turns out he is a
third cousin and we had a very insightful conversation in which he also told us
of a local historian (unofficial) whose family farm is close by the old
Morrison farm, and then called him on the phone and made arrangements for us to
go and see him (that same day). This fellow had known my grandfather's youngest
brother who was the last on the farm and had many stories to tell, as well as
old photographs which he allowed us to have scanned. Some of the photos showed
the old farmhouse, which sadly was knocked down decades ago. He then
volunteered to take us onto the farm (now owned by a neighboring farmer), which
he said was no problem since he knows everyone in the townland. It was truly
amazing. Although only the stone foundation of the house is all that remains,
the old dairy barn ('Byre") is still intact. The acreage appears to be as it
would have been long ago (with gorgeous views of the surrounding hills).
We came another day and he took us onto an adjacent farm that is owned by a
second cousin (his grandmother was one of my grandfather's sisters)! The cousin
runs sheep on the place but lives in a town around six miles away. However,
while we were on his place he happened to show up and we had a long
conversation with him while he showed us his operation inside and out
(including the two hundred year old barns).
We came a third time and drove the lane that ends at the old Masterson farm. It
is owned by a farmer who has bought several farms in the area, and he rents out
the house (which has been renovated and enlarged over the years). We spoke to
the tenant who had no problems with us walking around and taking photos. We
also visited the graveyard at the parish church in Kilskeery and found several
graves of relatives.
On the days we did not go to Kilskeery, we toured other places including the
Antrim Coast (and of course the Giant's Causeway). I can also recommend the
Ulster-American Folk Park in Omagh.
All in all a fantastic trip, in spite of rain every day (and the temp never got
out of the 50s), as well as never getting comfortable with the left side
driving on wet, narrow, windy roads.
Everyone we met was extremely helpful and generous with his/her time.
So, if you plan to make a trip there with a similar mission ... visiting the
local post office could be a great way to begin (if it's a small town). My
cousin the retired pastor said that the lady in the post office is the
"Kilskeery Reuters service".
Thanks again to this list!
Rick Smoll
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