When we visited Cobh, Cork County, Ireland earlier this month we learned about the genealogy center in the Cobh Heritage Center and decided to do some research when we returned. First thing this morning we jumped on the opportunity to make a 3 PM appointment with the genealogist. That gave us a few hours for exploration so we engaged a private taxi and embarked on a tour that took us for a view of Blarney Castle from afar, a 12th Century castle that is a private home, a visit to a five-star resort, and St Fin’s Cathedral, glimpses at middle and high class neighborhoods, the university, and public housing in the City of Cork. Paul O’Sullivan kept up a running commentary on the ups and downs of life in Ireland, little known but important historical facts, and places we should visit when we come to stay for a week before returning us to the port in time for a spot of tea and an apple crumble before our genealogy appointment. The time that we spent with Genealogist Christy Keating was incredibly fruitful. We provided him with the names of two of Karen’s ancestors from County Tipperary and their approximate date of marriage and came away an hour later with a wealth of information including their exact date and place of marriage, names of their at least ten children, where they lived in Ireland, his occupation, their address in Cincinnati and the name of her brother’s son as well as more knowledge about the Irish history of their time.
My dad has a relative who lives in Cork. I’ll ask what her name is.