Thursday, March 15, 2007

Slievedooley and the "Reidy Side" of County Clare

mmmmooooOOO!

After spending some time in Dingle, we headed back up County Clare to finally visit the "Reidy Side" of Clare. We decided to take the more direct route back to save time and minimize the fingernail scratches on the inside of the rental. We didn't quite time our arrival on the return ferry ride as well as the way down, so we found ourselves simutaneously pressed for and, killing, time.

Dr Barrett's hours posted outside his office

Gino discovers more hard evidence supporting a relocation to Ireland

This headstone is marked for Martin Reidy, our great-great grandfather, Thomas's brother. It is likely that many other of our ancesters from Crossderry are buried here. Click on the picture for a full size, legible version (most pictures will do this, by the way).

The grave just to the left is where Patrick Reidy from Slievedooley is buried. Patrick was our great-grandfather Michael's (the "Mick" I refer to in the title of this blog) half brother. Michael's mother died, presumably in childbirth, and his father, Thomas (brother to Martin, above), remarried and had at least five more children.

Patrick's son, Thomas, is buried at the foot of Patrick's. It was this Thomas Reidy that was the last Reidy to live on the Slievedooley farm. He died in late 1995, little more that two years before Joe's & my first visit and initial "discovery" of the farm in 1998. He was a batchelor farmer and had no family to leave the farm to so he left it to the children of his neighbor, John Finucane, who were like family to him. For those of you keeping score, Thomas would have been our grandfather, Joe Reidy's, first cousin, making him our first cousin, twice removed.

The close proximity of the Crossderry Reidys and the Slievedooley Reidys may indicate that the burial plots have been in the family for some time, and if so, many of our ancestors would be buried here.

Kilfiddane Cemetery



Three headstones mark Reidy graves in a prominent place just outside the church.


A view from inside the Abbey ruins at Kilfiddane Cememtery


Katie achieves the space suit look.
I think someone told her that ghosts don't mess with aliens.


The home at Slievedooley



The house on the left with adjacent sheds center and right.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hey guys: I wanted to contact you all and say thanks for the blog. The tombstone of Martin Reidy really sent chills down my spine. He is my great-great grandfather.

My line:
Me (Kevin Reidy)-Jerry Reidy-Daniel Reidy Jr.-Daniel Reidy-Martin Reidy-Michael (Mickey) Reidy (b.1800, Crossderry).

I'd like to contact you further as I want to travel back and find the present day Martin who runs the farm at Crossderry.

Thanks again.

Kevin Reidy

Edward J Reidy Jr said...

Kevin,

Great to hear from you. I'd be happy to get you in contact with all of your Reidy cousins back in Co. Clare.

Just shoot me a note at ed@reidyclan.com and I can get you all the information you want that way.

By the way, based on the line you gave me, you and I would be 4th cousins. You are probably a 2nd cousin, once removed from the Martin Reidy that runs the family farm now.

Keep checking the site for new posts on older trips as well as the completion of this latest one.

Ed Reidy

Unknown said...

My name is Deirdre Mc Geehan, I went to school in Bellewstown Co. Meath. My headmasters name was Frank Reidy, I had remembered that he was from Clare and thought this might help you track down more of your family.

Anonymous said...

JUST AWESOME!!!!!!Gr888 Job…