Aug-Sept./09 Ireland: Belfast; In The Footsteps of my Ancestors(Newry); Megalithic Sites: Newgrange, Knowth;Malahide Resort

I went on to Belfast, Ireland by myself to continue my search
for my roots. I spent the first 2 days in archives trying to
find records and I came up with a marriage agreement of
my great-grandfather to his lst wife, a marriage certificate
of his marriage to Annie Porter who became my great-
grandmother and his, William Cummin's will. I then made
contact with my relatives whose grandfather and my
grandfather were brothers. I had a super time with them
& they could not have made me feel more welcome!

Dov went to the central part of England to visit with
a friend from childhood he had not connected with for
39 years. He also had a fabulous time!


I had a great time taking photos of the statues around Belfast's city hall. This is yet another ferris wheel similar but smaller than the London Eye.

Loved the effect of these candles in a Roman Catholic

Church where I too lit candles for my journey and

friends, family back home.

Wonderful guest house which is unfortunately being

turned into office space. A few photos of my time

there in my tiny single room which I loved!

One of the brothers (Gordon David) to my
grandfather, William (Billy) Cummins. They
looked very similar. Billy emigrated to Canada
and helped sponsor this brother too.


This would be Willy's uncle who wanted my
grandfatherto become a minister of the
Presbyterian Church. Willy wanted to be a
doctor but was told he was to study religion.
So he left for Canada..and
became a farmer in Chilliwack where he married
my grandmother and had several children, one
of whom was my birth mother, Eileen Cummins.



My great-grandparents, William Cummins
and Annie Elizabeth Porter. Williams first
wife died childless and 18 yrs. older than him.
By law he inherited a sizeable farm, a big issue
between him and her family. He was a farm
labourer at the time of the marriage.With Annie,
shown here, they had 7 children. I was able to
obtain a copy of their marriage certificate from
the City Hall at Newry, N. Ireland.





This is Annie's mother making her my great-
great grandmother....Porter side. Will include
names when I recover from storage.




This is my other great-great grandmother on my
Cummins side...being William Cummings mother.







The name is in storage in London but I will add
when I return to Vancouver. This is my
great-great grandfather on the Cummins side...
the father of William Cummins who inherited
the farm and the grandfather of my grandfather.





























and....this is my great-great-great grandfather Cummins!

This is a view into the pantry and kitchen where Louie

still works. She is about 85 yrs and has a great memory

still. She lives here with her son, David, who is about late

50's. He and his brother own the farm here.

Where I sat with my new relatives and looked at

photos and had tea and goodies made by Louie. Louie is the

widow of David Gordon, the same generation as my mother,

Eileen.

See above.

I love this photo of Louie and I. She went out of her way

to make me feel very welcome. She did her very best

to bring out photos and any other records of family.

David, Louie, (the mom), David's sister, Sheila?, Alister

and me. They never knew I existed until I phoned the

day before I showed up by taxi.

Where Louie and David live on a very large dairy farm that

he also owns with Alister. Both Alister and his daughter

work the farm as well.

Silvia, (daughter of Louie's and sister to David, Alister &

Sheila) and her husband, Kenneth who live about l hr.

away.

An absolutely wonderful welcoming visit with Sylvia and Kenneth.

This is their atrium, breakfast room and spread fit for a queen.

The night before I was treated with them to a lovely

dinner at

the local golf club.

Dinner out at the golf club.

Part of the diary farm owned by David and Alister.

Loved this photo....sheep on many hill sides.

Ringclare Road where my grandfather, William (Billy) was born,

one of several children. It sits right next to a very narrow

country road not far from where Louie and David live. The

house, seen here, was lived in at this time. Even at this time

it appears to be sinking into the ground. The following

photos show the building barely showing under the over-

growth of trees, bushes and ivy.

To the far left is the front door which you will see later overgrown.

Annie Cummins, my great grandmother again.

She is standing by the front door where there

was a garden. This same area is completely

overgrown and I had a photo of myself taken

in this same spot.

As close as I could get to the same front door! An

amazing time for me! I love the

shot of the trees and road as a portal..

The front door.....

The red brick area was the pantry and kitchen, quite

separate from the living and sleeping quaarters.

Looking out at what the old farm used to look like. It spread

down to where the trees are on the right. Now owned by

another family but the same crops....as if it were yesterday.

The family had a vegetable garden in this area as well.

If only buildings could talk...

By the back door where poison thistles now

grow. To the back is the kitchen area.

Slate roof which is now very expensive.

Yes....where the past walks.

An opening in one of the walls of an outbuilding.

The garage and the chicken coop area.

Stitchery made by Mildred many years ago.

Close-up of Mildred, a senior beauty. What a girl!

And still does not use glasses at 94!
Mildred, widow of Cyril, who was the eldest son of the

daughter of William Cummins.

A young spirit in an old body. Mildred made me very welcome

even over the phone when I phoned her the first day in Newry.

She shared tea and ham/cheese sandwiches in her parlour in

her very big home in Newry. She was as spry as a tiny

sparrow and did not miss a beat!

Here she is ready to hike down the hill to the fish market to

bring back fish for herself and a friend. She politely refused

my offer of a ride in a taxi. Off she went....

Mildred in her home in Newry. A big place for her to

keep up...but she is doing very well.

She found in the bottom of the piano bench an envelope

with some of the best of photos of great-great Cummins

and kindly lent them to me to get copies.

Thank you, Mildred...you are a gem!

Driving to Ringclare 'old farm'.....

A distant relative to the Cummins at parade

day when I was in Newry. A couple of times

a year this Protestant group makes a showing to the community of their presence.

Following is a respresentation of the Roman Catholic cathedral in Newry. Very unusual in many ways and surprisingly lovely.

Newry itself...a river divided into two canals.

Where Don, David's brother, lives. He went with Grace and I to the Cathedral and also to the cemetery.I really enjoyed his sense of humour.

At the bottom is the name of Annie Cummins who was a Porter before she got married.

Don and I at the Porter family plot.

One of the Presbyterian Churches in the area. This is where

Don's wife is buried. He was left to raise 4 girls.

One of the original buildings of the area across from the

church. It was used as a

Sunday school.

In the family's church this silver cup was dedicated to the father, William Cummins and Annie, his wife.

This table as well.

This is the Presbyterian Church where my great

grandparents attended. This is also where they

brought the children, one of whom was my

grandfather, William (Billy) Cummins.

I stayed for 2 nights at Grace and Alister's which was

very kind of them. Grace was a huge help driving me

to Newry with Don and also to the graveyards as well

as to catch my bus when I did leave this

community. The last night I was with them, Grace &

Alister treated me to one of the best dinners for a

very long time at the neighbourhood pub! Wow!

Grace, Alister, Don....great, great people!

Alister, Don's grandfather and my grandfather who came

to Canada were brothers.

A school that all the Cummins kids went to,

across from Grace and Alister's.

Grace's garden

A lovely door on her outbuilding.

A beautiful old outbuilding at Grace & Alister's.

Back at David's where Louie and he live. He

and his father made these steps.

Following are some photos of around the farm.

Alister with his daughter, who is in her mid 20's.

The pathway to the Centre where you catch a

shuttle bus to Newgrange, a Megalithic shaft

burial mound/astrological edifice in the Boyne

Valley area of Ireland. Built 3200 BC it is

older than the pyramids of Egypt.

It, along with Knowth, photos to come, was

built to tack time calenrically and astronomically.

The cruciform chamber of Newgrange is at the end

of a l9 metre shaft. It is 6 ft. higher than the ground

at the entrance and it is world famous for the shaft

of light that finds its way through the entrance right

to the centre of the chamber at Winter Solstice...

illuminating both passage and chamber. It is

estimated that it took a work force of 300 men , 20

years to complete Newgrange.

Newgrange has 47 kerbstones surrounding the

structure...from this we get curbstone! These

stones have spirals mainly on them....a symbol

of continuity and infinity.

The entrance to Newgrange. I was loaded with my pack-

sack and roller bag. It was pouring with rain and windy

and my old umbrella turned inside out continuously. I

could not take my roller bag through this shaft to the

burial site but had to 'store' it outside. Part of the way

through this shaft you have turn sideways to fit through.

The 'spiral'...symbol of infinity....on huge boulders all

around this megalithic structure, 1000 yrs. older than

the pyramids.

Knowth, another of the 3 principal mounds of the Boyne

Valley. Could we possibly get our word 'know', 'knowledge'

from this? This passageway is illuminated from winter Oct.-

end of February as the sun in a progressive manner makes

its way into the passageway and chamber.

Knowth has 2 passageways coming in from the

east and the west. The west passage is 34 metres

long and the east is 40 metres long. Knowth

has 124 kerbstones and also contains lunar

etchings.

Many earthern mounds...18 of them.

A wonderful exterior pathway climbing over

the main chamber of Knowth.

Malahide Resort on the coast of

Northern Ireland after visiting Newgrange and drying out from the day. A wonderful view and a great supper!



Always...pathways found in Nature

The view of the Thames River coming into the City Airport from Dublin, Ireland.