Dublin, 26.9.2025: Mellifluous Voice and Dublin's Fair City

Statue of Molly Malone by Jeanne Rynhart on Grafton Street, Dublin, photo by Wikimedia user Wilson44691

As we boarded our flight from Dublin to Chicago on the 26th, this happened:

We were in that long line that forms in a tunnel from the waiting room to the door of the plane, as people go through the plane door one by one, sometimes slowly, causing a line to form behind them.

Dublin, 25.9.2025: Tourist Tat and Famine Reminders

This is our transition day, the limbo day between, well, being in Ireland and going home. So we’ve taken it fairly easy and not pushed ourselves. I had read of a shopping center near Stephen’s Green that we hadn’t yet visited, so we walked there mid-morning, another pleasant sunny September morning. I enjoyed passing a row of brightly painted doors in Georgian townhouses that we’d passed before, and seeing them once again in the morning sunlight, bright yellows, reds, blues, pinks, greens beaming in the light.

Dublin, 24.9.2025: Oscar Wilde and Chicken and Ham Pie

Steve has gotten sick, just as he did when we went to Lisbon in December — a hacking cough, constant sneezing and sore throat, fever in the afternoon and evening yesterday. So we slept as long as we could this morning and when we got up with plans to go to the chapel at Dublin Castle so that I could see and photograph the carving of Brian Boru at the chapel entrance, he insisted we take a taxi.

Dublin, 23.9.2025: Grinning Faces and Ancestral Traces

One of many carved faces in doorways in the National Gallery of Ireland; Carlo Cambi was the artist who carved these.

(Writing on the 24th) As my previous entry notes, when we were in the National Library on the 22nd, I placed an order for three more Bessborough folders to be pulled for me on the morning of the 23rd, and on the 23rd, we returned to the library so that I could go through the folders. One of these was a set of payments to women for spinning and weaving flax for the Bessborough estate. I had known of the existence of these lists from something Jim Ryan published on his Ancestor Network website in the past. He had abstracted the names of the women paid for this work from the Bessborough papers and had noted which folder in the collection of Bessborough papers had this material.

Dublin, 22.9.2025: Old Manuscripts and Smithwick's Ale

The 22nd (I’m writing now in the 24th) was the day we’d set aside for a visit to the National Library, which is very close to The Mont, where we’re staying. I had made plans long in advance of the trip to go through the rent rolls and some of the other papers from the Bessborough estate of the Ponsonby family in County Kilkenny, from whom Ryan ancestors, in the earliest generation I can trace — John Ryan and wife Margaret Oates, both born, it seems, about 1785/1790 — rented land and for whom they perhaps did work. Using the library’s online website, I had ordered sixteen folders, eight for each of us, the maximum one can order in one day, to be pulled and waiting for me in the Manuscripts Reading Room at 9:30 A.M.

Dublin, 21.9.2025: Georgian Buildings and Psychics Sporting Red Bandanas

Today, our first full day in Dublin, dawned bright and sunny, and the sunshine held out through most of the day until intermittent showers — Irish weather — arrived in mid-afternoon. It was a gorgeous day to walk outside, so we left the hotel right after breakfast, a hearty and good breakfast in the restaurant inside The Mont Hotel, and walked to Trinity College to see the Book of the Kells.

Limerick, 19.9.2025: Piano Magic and Seafood Chowder

Friday, the 19th, was something of a rest day after the long day on the 18th. The website of Limerick’s Milk Market says that the place opens at 11 A.M. on Fridays and that there are food vendors, restaurants, and people selling this or that. But when we walked there, arriving about 11:30, the place was as dead as a doornail. There were people milling about — the area around the Milk Market seems to be a young folks’ hangout — but only a few tacky tourist-oriented shops and a bakery where we got a cup of cappuccino and a cinnamon roll. 

Limerick and Ennis, Ireland, 18.9.2025: Abbey Ruins and Beware the Bull

Thursday (the 18th) was quite a day. I’m writing now on Saturday. It was the day I’d made plans to go to the County Clare Library in Ennis to visit its Local Studies Centre. For some months, I’d been in touch with the librarian who oversees that Centre, Michael Talty. We exchanged emails back and forth as I explained to him my interest in seeing if any archival sources might have information about my Clare-rooted Linchy/Lynch/Lindsey family, whose DNA profile (among male descendants) shows that we belong to the Dalcassian families centered in Clare and related to Brian Boru. FTDNA reports to me that Brian and I share an ancestor about 650 CE.

Limerick, Ireland, 17.9.2025: Castles and Rivers and Fish and Chips

Since today (I’m writing on the evening of the 17th) was our first full day in Limerick and we’d begun to shake off a bit of the jet lag, we decided we needed to take full advantage of the pretty weather and do a meet-Limerick walking tour. To fortify ourselves, we had a hearty breakfast at the hotel restaurant, Harry’s. With our room fee, we paid an additional fee for breakfast daily. 

Limerick, Ireland, 16.9.2025: Restorative Tea and Cathedral Quiet

We arrived at Limerick on schedule about 7:30 A.M., having flown out of O’Hare in Chicago about 6 P.M. on the 15th. We’d gotten up about 3 A.M. to get to the airport around 5:30, so by the time we reached our hotel in Limerick, the Absolute, jet-lagged and starved for sleep, we did what travelers overseas are told not to do: we lay down and slept a good sleep for a number of hours. We had made arrangements ahead of time for a Limerick driver, Pat O’Connor, to pick us up at Shannon airport and drive us to Limerick. 

Languedoc-Roussillon, Cassaignes, Espéraza, Rennes-le-Chateau, 13-15.6.2025: Closed Churches and Breakfast Oysters

Church of Mary Magdalene, Rennes-le-Chateau Languedoc-Roussillon

And now our final day in Cassaignes arrives: I’m writing on the 16th, before W. and K. drive us after lunch to Toulouse, from which we’ll fly early tomorrow to Paris and then from Paris to Atlanta. On Friday (the 13th), we spent the day at home in Cassaignes, since W. and K. expected his cousin M. and wife K. for an evening meal and spent part of the day preparing that meal. W.'s grandmother and M.'s grandmother were sisters in Alsace, with M.'s grandmother marrying and going to Paris and W.'s marrying and going to Frankfurt — so that there are both German and French branches of their family now. 

Languedoc-Roussillon, Cassaignes, Espéraza, Coustaussa, Leucate, 11-12.6.2025: Cathar Ruins and Mediterranean Seafood

Château d'Arques, Languedoc-Roussillon, France

I’m writing now on the 13th. On the 11th in the morning, W. took us with him on a shopping expedition to the village of Espéraza, where there’s a butcher he and K. especially like. He has planned to make a lamb shank dish, lamb marinated in red wine and herbs, this evening and wanted to buy the lamb from the butcher in Espéraza.

Languedoc-Roussillon, Cassaignes and Limoux, 10.6.2025: Spring Water and Charcuterie Galore

Crémeux de canard, Prunier brand, E. Leclerc supermarket, Limoux, Languedoc-Roussillon 

(Writing on the 11th): A long and rather tiring day yesterday, in part, because it’s very hot here right now. W. and K. take a morning walk up the mountain from Cassaignes at 8 A.M. daily, and we accompanied them on that. Then to fill bottles with water at a springhouse in a village whose name I didn’t catch, possibly Rennes-les-Bains, at the bottom of the mountain and not far from Cassaignes. There are a number of spigots and sinks underneath a roof in an open-sided stone building, and anyone can take water from there. It comes from a spring or springs high in the mountains.

Languedoc-Roussillon, Carcassonne and Cassaignes, 9.6.2025: Sweet Gorse and Cathedral Windows

And so we’ve arrived at Cassaignes (I’m writing this on the 10th). We drove yesterday from Saint-Jean-du-Gard, a fairly easy drive in comparison to some of the ones we made in the days before, a drive that took us south and west in Languedoc-Cassaignes, past Montpelier. K. and W. took back roads instead of the interstate for most of the trip, and it was wonderful to see the countryside, which soon changed from the heavily wooded countryside of the Cévennes to vineyard following vineyard as the climate seemed to become hotter and drier the further south and west we drove. The plantings of Russian sage I first saw in Provence are everywhere in southern France, too, and in Languedoc-Roussillon, beautiful roses in many gardens and, in one village we drove through, framing a doorway and blooming so profusely that at first they seemed artificial.

Languedoc-Roussillon, Saint-Jean-du-Gard, 8.6.2025: Silkworms and Church Organs

Stevenson Fountain, Saint-Jean-du-Gard, Languedoc-Roussillon

Maison Rouge, Saint-Jean-du-Gard, Languedoc-Roussillon

Today (the 8th) was a day of visiting two more places in the region, St.-Jean-du-Gard itself and then Anduze. Both were very interesting, though I have to say that after the long, long drive on the 6th, when I had excruciating pain in my legs from sitting so long in the cramped back seat, I find myself more than a little tired, so that I didn’t pay as much attention as I should have done to what we saw.

Provence, Orange, and Languedoc-Roussillon, Saint-Jean-du-Gard, 7.6.2025: Huguenot Museums and Cassis Sorbet

Roman amphitheater, Orange, Provence, France

(Again, writing on the 8th): We started the day on the 6th with petit déjeuner outside at Les Buisses. It’s out in the countryside with a little pond and swimming pool, and with outside seating at tables for breakfast — which consisted of croissants, baguettes, butter, jam, yoghurt, coffee, and orange juice. 

Provence, Piolenc/Orange, 6.6.2025: Baby Carrots and Rosé Wine

Les Buisses chambres d’hôte, Piolenc, Provence, France

It’s now the 8th and I need to catch up on this travel diary. The past two days have been exceptionally busy and/or ones on which there was no chance to write in this diary, because we were traveling and my computer was packed away.

Alsace, Mulhouse, 5.6.2025: Black-Eyed Peas and Soupe à l'oignon

Marché de Mulhouse, Mulhouse, Alsace, France

Since W. was still attending his conference, Steve, K., and I walked this morning to the Marché de Mulhouse. The walk was longish, nearly two miles, but very enjoyable, with the skies sunny and a cool breeze blowing. Google maps provided courtesy of my iPhone kindly took us up this rue and down that one on a winding pathway until we finally arrived at the market. 

Alsace, Mulhouse, 4.6.2025: Storks and Strangers

Auberge du Vieux Mulhouse, Mulhouse, Alsace, France

There were thunderstorms in the night and the rain continued through the morning, so walking and taking photos today was not so easy. But we did manage to get a good walk in under umbrellas, and as we did so, I snapped photos of sights that caught my eye.

Alsace, Saint-Hippolyte and Mulhouse, 3.6.2025: Choucroute Garnie and Singing Blackbird

View of Black Forest through barn in Saint-Hippolyte, Alsace, France

Writing now on the 4th. Yesterday’s itinerary (i.e., the 3rd) was to drive from Würzburg to Alsace. We left Würzburg after breakfast, at 9 A.M. The drive was a fairly easy one, though I say that, of course, as a passenger and not a driver. As with the preceding day, W. and K. alternated driving.