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'My
Place Amongst The Stones'.
Sligo - the unheralded County of Ireland
'My
Place Amongst The Stones'.
County Sligo in north west of Ireland, with a quiet and unheralded beauty of its own, is where 50% of my roots are - this was my father's county. The coastal drive from Sligo town into Donegal is magnificent and from the shore we can see a connection with North America. Coney Island is just off the coast at Rosses Point and it is from here that the more famous Coney Island took its name.
My brother has recently re-opened our Sligo links by buying a holiday home in Rosses Point and many a good day's fun is spent sea-angling on his boat.When I started this page I thought I would have little to write about, instead it seems to have turned out to be the longest page of the whole journey.
I came across a great book by Edward Laxton called "The Famine Ships - the Irish Exodus to America 1846-51" which listed the names and departure points of Irish emigrants during the famine years of 1845-1849. It caught my interest and I included the information in this page that was gleaned from it.
The page turned out to be so long that I have decided to write about the famine connection on a separate page. Please stay with me until the end of this page and then go visit page two - The Sligo Famine Connection.
Sligo's Archaeological History
As with the other places we have visited on our journey, there are many archeological finds showing human habitation in this area dating back 6,000 years or more.
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(Benbulben can be seen to the left in the background) Carrowmore, east of Sligo city, has the largest collection of megalithic tombs in Europe and a Swedish archeologist has dated them as being older than New Grange by almost 1,000 years. In fact New Grange in County Meath pre-dates the Pyramids of Egypt by hundreds of years, so a find of this nature in Sligo is of some significance.
Three miles from my father's homeplace, in the townland of Creevykeel near Cliffoney, we see another collection of megalithic tombs or court cairns. These also date back 5-6000 years.
Some Of The Many Scenic Spots In Sligo
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Sligo is a spot of hidden and little known beauty and Lough Gill on the Leitrim border, as well as the waterfalls of Glencar, are well worth a visit to those touring the area. Ben Bulben, also known as King Mountain, can be seen in all its glory on the northwards drive out the coast road to Donegal. Further on is Truskmore mountain, the highest point in northwest Connaught. It is at the foot of Truskmore that my father and his people farmed.
W. B. Yeat's Connections
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Lissadell House
This county has strong links with the poet W. B. Yeats. He is buried in Drumcliffe graveyard, a village on the northbound road, about 5 miles from Sligo. (Yeats also had connections with Galway and often visited Lady Gregory in Coole Park Gort, on the Clare/Galway border.) Much of his poetry was inspired by places in Sligo. The Isle of Inisfree, the title of one of his poems, is located in Lough Gill. There is a collection of their poetry and writings available HERE.
He often resided with the Gore-Booth family, who owned Lissadell House situated on the northern coast of Sligo and within view of Ben Bulben. (Interestingly, one of the consultant surgeons in the hospital in Birmingham where I trained as a nurse was Mr. Gore, a member of this well-known family.)
The most famous member of the Gore-Booth family was Countess Constance Markievicz, the revolutionary. During the tram workers' strike of 1913, when strikes and lockouts put 24,000 people out of work, Constance turned the basement of Liberty Hall into a food kitchen and milk depot.
She was the first elected female MP to the Houses of Parliament, but took her seat in Dail Eireann instead (the Embryonic Irish Parliament). Countess Markievicz was jailed during the uprising of 1916. She was sentenced to death but released because of her ancestry and family name, only to be jailed a number of times until her death.
For anyone thinking of travelling to the north west of Ireland there is much to see and enjoy in this beautiful county. Further north is Donegal, another place with wonderful scenery, wonderful people and wonderful welcome.
If you have enjoyed this page please drop a comment into our Guestbook- and Don't Forget.......!
the Rest of the Journey
The second page from Sligo brings us on a part of my Famine Journey that really starts in Westport. It tells of the infamous Coffin Ships which departed from the port in Sligo bound for North America during the famine period.
For those who have just joined me on this page why not go to the beginning of our travels and see some of the places in The Start of Our Journey through the West of Ireland.
My Place Amongst the Stones gives the history of my company name, Moytura - a celtic heritage going back thousands of years.
We journey to my own parish of Lackagh - a small village just 12 miles from Galway with a mighty big history. Learn all about the Battle of Knockdoe - one of Ireland's bloodiest of conflicts in the 16th century.
We move on to take a quick jaunt around Galway City; and then to the heart of Connemara - with its wild and wonderful beauty.
From there we journey south into County Clare to see The Burren - a place that has lain undisturbed since the Ice-age and of immense botanical, ecological and archaeological importance.
Visit Ireland's finest early monastic heritage centre in Clonmacnoise, County Offaly; and to my favourite of all the early Christian Church locations - Clonfert, South County Galway, with its beautiful tiny 12th century Cathedral of Saint Brendan. Come with me around the grounds and see the 1000 year old Yew Walk and the Bishop's Palace.
While on the Clonfert pages, you can learn a potted history of Saint Brendan the Navigator, possibly the first European to set foot in North America in the 6th. century. And join me in the celebrations when this tiny cathedral was listed in the World Monuments Watch 2000 most endangered monuments.
Join me on my 'Famine Journey' which starts in Westport, and moves here to my Dad's County and the departure port for many of the 'Coffin Ships'. This part of my journey ends in Grosse-Île on a tiny island east of Quebec City.
On this page you will learn some of the history of our Famine Refugees from 1845 - 1849 and find the final resting place of over 6,000 of my country folk who died within sight of their first freedom in over 300 years. This is where many of the Irish roots in North America started.
Our Journey moves on to other places on that visit to Canada where we see Quebec City and some of Ontario's lovely places and then to two of Canada's famous Catholic Shrines - Saint Anne de Beaupré and to Cap-de-la-Madeleine.
Finally, join me on my pilgrimage to a peaceful haven in a war-torn country in Medugorje in Bosnia-Hercegovinia. The other areas of my Web site can be found in the drop-down box below.
If you are interested in Irish history or anything to do with Ireland why not visit our new additions where you will find a large selection of genuine Irish goods as well as Irish reading, music & viewing material!:
Moytura's Irish Store, Moytura's Irish Bookshop, Moytura's Irish Music Store, and Moytura's Irish Video Store I have added links pages of other places related to the places we visit, links to leisure activities in Ireland i.e. golf, fishing, horse riding, sailing in Ireland, festivals, entertainment etc. and some of my friends' home pages.
Go raith míle maith agat - thanks a million
Beannacht Dé Ort - bain taitneamh as do thuras.
God Bless and Enjoy Your 'Journey'Oh, I nearly forgot......come and meet me and mine HERE
See some of the awards received for this site HERE.For those of you who are interested in tracing you family ancestry these pages might help, just hit the banners to go directly to each site or check out our Trace Your Ancestry pages first where you can see some of the vast numbers of data base lists and try out an on-line search for yourself.
Every now and then people send me stories, poems, or URLs to other Home Pages that I find very touching or uplifting, they can be found at the links below. Some will make you smile, maybe even laugh, some may make you cry or a little sad - but all will leave a little bit of a mark, if only for the few minutes you spend reading or listening to them. Enjoy - I call this section:
"PRAYERFUL THOUGHTS & THOUGHTFUL PRAYERS"
CIRCLE THE WORLD WITH PRAYER
Could you DONATE just 10 minutes of your time a day?? If Yes then- GIVE IT TO GOD! Great rewards and long-term benefits! Invitation open to ANYONE, ANYWHERE, ANY RELIGION & NONE!!
Check out the WHY, WHERE, WHEN & HOW here: Circle of Prayer Then ask yourself the question - WHY NOT?!?!
Celtic Women International
Celtic Women International is a young and vibrant organisation founded by Jean Bills, a woman with Irish roots living in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. It is now in growth phase and expanding membership throughout the whole world for ANYONE (yes, even the guys!) with Celtic roots. It's purpose is to honour, celebrate and promote our Celtic Heritage. In the near future we hope to be a resource for all things Celtic with databases of other Celtic Organisations, Support Bodies, Music & the Arts etc. Membership, for only $25!!, incorporates a quarterly newsletter with the finest of articles related all things Celtic.
Our annual conference brings together some of the best advocates of Celtic Traditions as well as musicians and artists representing the recognised Celtic Nations of Ireland, Cornwall, Scotland, Wales, The Isle of Man, Brittany and Galicia and Asturia in Spain. 2002 sees the conference on the move and will be held in New Orleans, 2003 in Toronto, 2004 in Pheonix and 2005 in GALWAY, IRELAND! Please help us to grow this wonderful organisation by joining us as a member. All are very welcome and your presence can only enrich us. Learn all about us at:
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Moytura's web site currently has 12 definite and individual sections which can be found below:.Choose a Location
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WEB DESIGN & HOSTING
by MoyturaMoytura Graphic Design offers the complete Internet solution for your company or business. We design, host and market your site, regardless of how small or large it needs to be.
You can learn more about our service by following the link to:
IT'S JUST THE IRISH IN YOU! If you are Irish or have an affinity with Ireland, Moytura also has an Irish Book Shop, Irish Video Store and Irish Music Store, stocked with all things Irish or Irish-related. Just hit the buttons below:
Books
Music
VideosINTERNET MARKETING
by MoyturaHere are hints and tips about all aspects of marketing your business on the Internet.
Get your FREE Search Engines Tactics e-book when you subscribe to our monthly newsletter:
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Get a Free Family Coat of Arms Ancestry.com has the greatest databases in the world for those in North America who are trying to trace their ancestry. Hit the banner to the right to see the some of the extensive lists available and while there why not do a search from their own database search engine?Just hit the banner to the left.
Are You Drawing Up Your Family Tree?
Moytura now has a brand new Irish shopping site online, so why not go and have a mooch by hitting the logo!
Here you will find a vast selection of Irish products in the following categories: Ancestry, Art, Books, Collectors items, Crafts, Crystal, Dancing, Fashion, Foodhall, Fragrances, Gifts, Heraldry, Houseware, Jewellery, Maps, Music, Names, Sportswear, Travel and Videos. All our goods are from genuine Irish suppliers.Email addresses are used for one purpose only - to send on your newsletter.
They are given to NO OTHER third party.
HOME-BASED
BUSINESS OPPORTUNITY
Moytura Graphic Design has expanded enormously since it's humble beginnings just a few years ago and has taken a new business venture which can be operated from home on a full or part-time basis. You can learn about this work-from-home opportunity here.TELECOMMUNICATIONS INDUSTRY The telecommunications industry goes from strength to strength world wide, especially with de-regulation opening up most countries to healthy and cost-cutting competition. The company, for which we are Independent Consultants, has been so successful since its European start-up in 1998 that it has now expanded from the UK to Ireland Belgium, and the Netherlands, with the USA opening in Feb 2002. It plans to expand even further in the very near future - to:
If you, or anyone you know, living in any of these countries would like to start a home-based business, the opportunities are enormous as this company is only just beginning and, as Independent Consultants, everyone will be in at the very ground level. E-MAIL for details or check out the WEBPAGE.
Contact Mary Mullins, Moytura Graphic Design, Cregmore, Claregalway, Co. Galway, Ireland. Ph: +353 91 798407
© 2000 Moytura Graphic Design
