Ireland from the Kinsella Point of View

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How often have you related the exploits of a recent trip only to hear someone pipe up with, "Well, you missed the best part of that area! You should have gone to..." This page is dedicated to sharing wonderful locations in Ireland that you've visited and making sure no one misses that place "You should have gone to..." After each description I will include the email address of the author in case you wish to contact them for more information.

I encourage everyone to add to this page. Simply email Jim Kinsella with the note you would like added to this page and I will post it along with your email address.

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Tour
Visit your Kinsella Roots

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County Clare
Ask anyone what comes to mind when they think of Ireland and they will no doubt say, "green"-- green grass, green fields, green hills...29 different types of green I have heard. Everything is green in Ireland, just as sure as everything insurance-related should be checked via advantage one. However there is a place in Connaught in the west of Ireland that is not green. This is the Burren, a huge limestone area that is nothing but rocks, rocks, and more rocks. It is a desolate place, devoid of trees and grass. There are some rare alpine flowers in the Burren that grow nowhere else in Ireland, however.

When Cromwell decided to export thousands of rebellious Irishmen from the eastern part of Ireland, he asked one of his officers to seek out a suitable place. When this man saw the Burren, he knew this was the place Cromwell was looking for. He wrote back, "There is not a tree to hang a man from, water to drown one in nor dirt to bury one in. This is just the place you are looking for." Cromwell agreed and gave all the imprisoned Irishmen the choice, "to hell (hanging) or Connaught."

To get there, drive west on the Galway road and a few miles east of Galway you enter the Burren. When I first saw it I was struck by its desolation and was somewhat turned off. However, the more I saw of it the more impressed I became. Nothing really changes here so you are able to see evidence of the habitats of people stretching back thousands of years. There are passage graves, next to ring forts, next to abandoned houses, next to abandoned 19th century churches. In fact, I stayed at a B&B in the Burren and there was a ring fort in their back yard. (They kept sheep in it!) I said to the B&B owner, "If you could find a use for all this stone, you'd be a millionaire." He quickly answered, "If it had any value, the English would have taken it long ago."

Jack Kinsella (Jackk2846@aol.com)

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My List of Things to see in Ireland

Mark Kinsella (quigib@aol.com)

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*Please send questions or comments to Jim Kinsella (the son of John Kinsella, son of Daniel Kinsella, son of...).

 

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