Ireland from the Kinsella Point of View

ow 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.

Tour
Visit your Kinsella Roots

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)

My List of Things to see in Ireland

BOOK OF KELLS in Trinity College, Dublin
W.B.YEATS GRAVE in Drumcliffe, Co.Sligo
SHRINE at Knock, Co.Mayo
BUNRATTY CASTLE in Co.Clare...also a must see is DURTY NELLYS BAR
KING JOHN'S CASTLE in Limerick
KANPPOGUE CASTLE in Co.Clare
WATERFORD CRYSTAL FACTORY in Waterford
VALE OF AVOCA. The meeting of the two rivers, Avoca and Wicklow
STATUE OF DANIEL O'CONNELL in downtown Dublin
FERNS CASTLE. Ruling site for Hy Kinsella and where Enna Kinsella grew up. From this Enna in the 1100s, all the Kinsellas descend.
ENNISCARTHY CASTLE MUSEUM in Co.Wexford
JOHNSTOWN CASTLE near Muirtown, Co.Wexford. Has beautiful gardens.
HERITAGE PARK FERRYCARRIG in Co.Wexford
YOLA FAMILY FARMSTAND in Togoath, Co.Wexford. This houses the Wexford Genealogy Center.
SLIEVE COILITE SUMMIT, overlooking Kennedy Park in Co.Wexford and Co.Waterford, near New Ross, Co.Wexford
HOOKHEAD PENINSULA near Churchtown, Co.Wexford at Celtic Sea that has oldest lighthouse in Europe. It was built in 1172 AD and is still in use.
ENTRANCE TO DUBLIN BAY at Howth just outside Dublin. There is a spectacular view of Ireland's Eye Island at the entrance to the harbor.
CLIFFS OF MOHER in Co.Clare. Great view and shear drops of 600 feet.
KYLEMORE BENEDICTINE ABBEY at the base of 12 Bens mountain range in Connemara, Co.Galway.
NEWGRANGE PREHISTORIC TOMB dating back to 5,000 B.C. in Co.Meath
BOYNE VALLEY where King James II lost the Battle of the Boyne to William of Orange in 1690, Co.Meath.
GLENDALOUGH, the site of St.Kevin's 6th Century Monastery in Co.Wicklow.
MUCKROSS CASTLE at the foot of Lakes of Killarney just outside Killarney, Co.Kerry.
BLENNERVILLE WINDMILL in Blennerville, Co.Kerry. Here they have a museum which is dedicated to the emmigrants during the time of The Famine; the information about the Coffin Ships is very interesting.
MARRIAGE OF AOIFE AND STRONGBOW painting in the National Art Gallery in Dublin. King Dermot MacMurrough, father of Enna Kinsella, is shown giving his daughter, Aoife, away.

Mark Kinsella (quigib@aol.com)

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

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