Notes from Dermot 18.04.09.

Yesterday John Coughlan from Clonfert was telling me that while working near Clonfad Church he saw his first swallow this year. His nephew Padraig Coughlan was with him and he told us that he heard the Cuckoo on 14th April over near Woodford. Talking to Frank Henry, Clonfinlough last night, he told me that the swallows are back in Clonfinlough since early last week. Frank says that they are up in the clouds. The level of the river has risen in the past week; some say up to a foot. Paddy O Halloran, 80, from Clonbur, near Cong is a sheep farmer. He owns three small islands on Lough Conn and has sheep on these islands. At this time during lambing season some relatives from Oregon come to Ireland to help Paddy with the lambing. Today five of the cousins on their way to Clonbur after visiting the Cobh Immigration Center and the Rock of Cashel stopped by in Shannonbridge. One of the cousins Cindy Holmes told me that she had never heard of Clonmacnois but had a good look at the village bridge. I persuaded them to take a visit to Clonmacnois. I told her that a Tom O Holleran had once lived at Templedew one mile from the village. ThisTommy came originally from County Clare. He married a Rose Claffey and they had five children Lily, Kathleen, Gretta, Billy and Jack. Kate Thornhill is home after spending some time in Central America. On the Aer Lingus flight home she watched the Ireland Waterways as her inflight entertainment and was interested to see Clonmacnois and shots of Shannonbridge. The cameras showed Killeens Pub and people in the back lounge including some of Kate’s family. Some months ago The Philadelphia Enquirer had a story titled “Lookingfor cousins, finding Ireland” written by a Kathleen Healy for the Enquirer. There was a picture of the writer’s mother with a barrow load of turf sods taken on the Bog Rail Tour. My brother in New Jersey gets the Enquirer daily and he e-mailed a copy of the story. At a meeting one morning I showed the copy to a group.This week I was surprised to hear that one of the group had made contact with the women in the article and had spoken to them twice in the past week. They are cousins. And the American cousin told her Irish cousin that she looked like other family members. No photographs had been forwarded but the Americans had come up with a picture thanks to a Google search