Belfast
This afternoon we arrived in Belfast after an uneventful two plus hour drive from Enniskillen. We made a pass through Armagh, allegedly the Irish home of Madlynn's Hutchison ancestors. I say allegedly because we've seen some reports they emigrated from Armagh, we don't know much more and are suspicious of any unattributed information.
Yesterday was a glorious sun-lit day with beautiful white clouds scattered across the sky. This morning a gray blanket of sodden clouds hung low over the hills, restricting visibility to a couple miles at best. It rained as we drove back through Fivemiletown and I couldn't work up enough enthusiasm to get out and snap a few more photos of the place. We tooted the horn as we passed Mullaghmore, the place where Robert Lendrum Greer and his siblings were living before they departed for America in 1836. I've had a change of heart, or at least a possible different scenario for why and how the widows of Martin and Robert Greer, brothers who died between 1833 and 1836, left Ireland. The Greer brothers lived on the Montgomery Estate, a vast landholding headquartered in Fivemiletown and owned by then-Colonel Hugh Montgomery (later Major General). It occurred to me last night that maybe I'd unfairly painted him a scoundrel, a man who would kick a widow and her children off his land, leaving them to fend for themselves. My logic of that change of heart is this: Robert Lendrum Greer would have been about 8 or 9 years old at the time of their departure, plenty old enough to know something of the circumstances. If that were the case, it seemed highly unlikely to me that he would have named his youngest son, Hugh Wardlaw Greer, a name that has been passed through the Greer family since. I can't believe he would have chosen the name of a black-hearted villain. It also occurred to me that even in 1836, it was very expensive to travel across the Atlantic with a passel of children. Lucinda Crozier Greer brought 5 children with her and her sister-in-law, Catherine Lendrum Greer, brought 7 of her 13, (all of whom survived to adulthood. Perhaps we'll have a chance to confirm this theory, but even if we don't, I 'm satisfied that someone played angel for these people at a time when they badly needed a helping hand.
It was still raining and blowing when we passed through Armagh and Madlynn bravely ventured out of the car to have her photo taken in front of the giant St., Patrick's Cathedral in that small town. We could have chosen the Presbyterian church across the street, since it was very likely her Scots/Irish relatives would likely have attended church there, but the cathedral was too impressive to pass up.
Our bible for this trip, Rick Steves' comprehensive guide to touring Ireland, says Belfast is a big city with few attractions. I think he is sadly right. We plan to spend a good deal of tomorrow at Titanic Belfast, the main reason for our visit here, a spectacular $300 million exhibit completed just a couple years ago at the ship yards that built the Titanic. If Belfast seems gritty, (as the view out our hotel room window shows) it's because its roots were the ship yards and the mines and the steel mills and the factories that powered it for decades, prospering when the rest of Ireland lagged behind. We may also try to drop in at PRONI (Public Records Of Northern Ireland) for a bit to look through the files to see if we can find anything about elusive Irish ancestors.
Then Tuesday we need to be in Dublin by about 5 to drop off the car and get to the airport to check in for our hop to Heathrow. We overnight there at an airport hotel and then catch the first leg of our trip home. On the way down, we may go through the Valley of the Boyne, the location of so much importantance in Irish history.
I guess that spending a little time here, without the cozy charm and rural beauty of the rest of Ireland that we've seen, is maybe a good way for us to cut the cord. Otherwise, we might never go home! But who knows; Belfast may surprise us.
Yesterday was a glorious sun-lit day with beautiful white clouds scattered across the sky. This morning a gray blanket of sodden clouds hung low over the hills, restricting visibility to a couple miles at best. It rained as we drove back through Fivemiletown and I couldn't work up enough enthusiasm to get out and snap a few more photos of the place. We tooted the horn as we passed Mullaghmore, the place where Robert Lendrum Greer and his siblings were living before they departed for America in 1836. I've had a change of heart, or at least a possible different scenario for why and how the widows of Martin and Robert Greer, brothers who died between 1833 and 1836, left Ireland. The Greer brothers lived on the Montgomery Estate, a vast landholding headquartered in Fivemiletown and owned by then-Colonel Hugh Montgomery (later Major General). It occurred to me last night that maybe I'd unfairly painted him a scoundrel, a man who would kick a widow and her children off his land, leaving them to fend for themselves. My logic of that change of heart is this: Robert Lendrum Greer would have been about 8 or 9 years old at the time of their departure, plenty old enough to know something of the circumstances. If that were the case, it seemed highly unlikely to me that he would have named his youngest son, Hugh Wardlaw Greer, a name that has been passed through the Greer family since. I can't believe he would have chosen the name of a black-hearted villain. It also occurred to me that even in 1836, it was very expensive to travel across the Atlantic with a passel of children. Lucinda Crozier Greer brought 5 children with her and her sister-in-law, Catherine Lendrum Greer, brought 7 of her 13, (all of whom survived to adulthood. Perhaps we'll have a chance to confirm this theory, but even if we don't, I 'm satisfied that someone played angel for these people at a time when they badly needed a helping hand.
It was still raining and blowing when we passed through Armagh and Madlynn bravely ventured out of the car to have her photo taken in front of the giant St., Patrick's Cathedral in that small town. We could have chosen the Presbyterian church across the street, since it was very likely her Scots/Irish relatives would likely have attended church there, but the cathedral was too impressive to pass up.
Our bible for this trip, Rick Steves' comprehensive guide to touring Ireland, says Belfast is a big city with few attractions. I think he is sadly right. We plan to spend a good deal of tomorrow at Titanic Belfast, the main reason for our visit here, a spectacular $300 million exhibit completed just a couple years ago at the ship yards that built the Titanic. If Belfast seems gritty, (as the view out our hotel room window shows) it's because its roots were the ship yards and the mines and the steel mills and the factories that powered it for decades, prospering when the rest of Ireland lagged behind. We may also try to drop in at PRONI (Public Records Of Northern Ireland) for a bit to look through the files to see if we can find anything about elusive Irish ancestors.
Then Tuesday we need to be in Dublin by about 5 to drop off the car and get to the airport to check in for our hop to Heathrow. We overnight there at an airport hotel and then catch the first leg of our trip home. On the way down, we may go through the Valley of the Boyne, the location of so much importantance in Irish history.
I guess that spending a little time here, without the cozy charm and rural beauty of the rest of Ireland that we've seen, is maybe a good way for us to cut the cord. Otherwise, we might never go home! But who knows; Belfast may surprise us.