Return to Mullabrack

Sunday, 28 July 2013

It was back to Mullabrack on Sunday for church and to have another look at the records. Some of the records we photographed were ones we already had from PRONI, but the copies are so much better.  The lines from the microfilm show up so badly on the printouts that it makes it hard to read, so we were glad to get photos of the originals.  

Our group being
greeted by
Rev Neville Hughes
at Mullabrack Church

Once again we were made to feel so welcome at the Mullabrack Church.  The best thing about Ireland has been the people; they are friendly and kind.  Reverend Neville Hughes gave another good sermon, which we enjoyed, and it was good to see the folks we'd met the previous week.

One of Rich's favorite comments of the trip was spoken by Lewis Singleton, one of the parishioners at Mullabrack.  He said that all Americans want to know where they came from, and Rich asked if he thought we were mad (crazy).  Lewis responded, "No, just insecure."  But he also said that it makes them curious about their genealogy.  So, we are a good influence, even if we ARE insecure!

After church, after copying records, after a very quick lunch, we met with Lewis Singleton.  He shared information about his Singleton family and then took us to meet his Aunt Freda and Uncle William. 

Lewis Singleton and his aunt,
Freda Singleton Mulldrew

 His aunt has done family history work on the Singleton family, and we wanted to learn from her.  We had a wonderful visit and felt very blessed to be in their home.  It's hard to describe how warm and inviting people are here.  They are so willing to take time, and we have truly benefitted from that.  When we left, we felt that we were leaving family.

The McKenna kids
playing with their friends
in an impromptu session
in the streets of Dromore

After our visit, we drove to Newtownsaville to see if we could speak with Eugene Hackett about burial records and Brandon McKenna about the McKenna land. Neither one of them were home, and so we went on to Dromore to visit with the McKenna family band who had played on Friday night at the rally.  The kids were performing at a big music festival, and their mother, Mary, had invited us to come if we were able.  The competition was over by the time we arrived, and we learned that they were winners for all of Ulster.  They will now go on to compete in the All Ireland competition.  It is a really big deal.  Pretty cool, eh? The kids played music in the street with their friends, and it was so fun to watch!

Lots of driving yesterday, and lots of talking.  Liz said that the hallmark of this trip has been meeting and spending time in people's homes - making connections.  We think she is spot-on.

We will know whether Quinn is reading this post if he comments.  We have created a new word in his honor; it to "to quinn."  To quinn means to speak authoritatively when making an educated guess on something you know relatively little about.  Quinn has said that if you speak like you know something people will believe. So, we've been "quinning," and we have all been "quinned."  We've acted "quinnly," and we've felt a sense of "quinness."  And we've had a TON of fun with our new word.  Here's to you, Quinn!