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| The river next to Cong Abbey | |
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| Headed out from Ashford Castle, proudly displaying the flag |
Another fine day on Tuesday as we headed out with Padraic to
go to Lough Corrib (sadly sans Marion who had a longstanding golf match to honor)
. We took the boat from Ashford Castle to the holy island of Inchagoill (Inis an Ghaill Chraibhthigh - the island the devout foreigner)
. It's a five mile water journey on this immense lake - over 44,000 acres of surface area. The island is another pilgrimage site pertaining to St. Patrick -
the devout foreigner, of course. Patrick's Church dates to the early 400's AD, and the stone Candee and I are standing next to is the grave marker of Patrick's nephew, who was known as his "navigator." It dates from 437 AD and is the oldest known example of the roman writing in Ireland. Also on the island is the church of the saints, dating to the 12th Century.
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| On our way to Inchagoill |
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| Yer man Martin entertained us on the way |
Being on Lough Corrib is always a poignant experience for Padraic. He and his father spent much time fishing on the lake and, indeed, we met several people who asked him if he was "John Joe's son" as we were boarding the boat.
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| The Church of the Saints (with the ten saints shown in relief around the portal) |
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| St. Patrick's Church |
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| Standing near the Stone of the Navigator |
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| The altar area in the Church of the Saints |
After returning from Inchagoill, we went to the nearby Village of Cong, one of the ancestral sites for Padraic's family. We, once again, visited Cong Abbey (details can be obtained by clicking on the link on the left for last year's blog), but suffice it to say that Duffys have served as Abbotts of the place in ancient days. A very special place. Padraic took us to where his great-great-grandparents, great-grandparents, and grandparents are buried in the abbey graveyard. He has also taken his grandson, representing six generations - over two hundred years of family represented in that place when Padraic and his grandson are there. It has a sacred hold on him.
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| Cong Abbey |
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| The Monk's Fishing House |
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| The graveyard at Cong Abbey |
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| Lough Na Fooey on the ride home |
So now we are off to Dublin to pick up Paul and Pat Camber at the airport. They'll spend a week in Ireland before heading off to England. We passed through Mullingar on the way here and stopped to have a bite. Never saw so many ramps and bollards (speed bumps). Could they be expecting Marion?
Cheeky......
