I was at work the other day. Coach O'Connor came in with his wife for grocery's. He was my English Teacher in High School 35 years ago. He asked me about our trip to Killaloo this fall and how the plans were going. I mentioned that I had been corresponding with Alan McKinny about my reasoning for going during the Rainy Season and how I began doing the numbers on my ancestors arrivals and departures from NI.
About half of my ancestors left from Moville, Co., Donegal.
The other half left from Liverpool England.
Map showing Principle Steamship Routes.We had planned to visit Moville on or about the 14th of October. Thats just the way things worked out.
Robert Gilmour arrived at Castle Garden on 11 November, 1857. November 11th eventually became my Father's Birthday in 1925. (68 yrs later). Then it became Armistice Day in 1919 and eventually Veterans Day in 1954. My Dad always got his Birthday off so I could never forget this day. Dad died 62 years later. I alway thought it would have been weird if he had lived th 68.
Robert Gilmour arrived at Castle Garden on 11 November, 1857. November 11th eventually became my Father's Birthday in 1925. (68 yrs later). Then it became Armistice Day in 1919 and eventually Veterans Day in 1954. My Dad always got his Birthday off so I could never forget this day. Dad died 62 years later. I alway thought it would have been weird if he had lived th 68.
October 1857
S M Tu W Th F S
1 2 3
4 5 6 7 8 9 10
11 12 13 14 15 16 17
18 19 20 21 22 23 24
25 26 27 28 29 30 31
November 1857
S M Tu W Th F S
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
8 9 10 11 12 13 14
15 16 17 18 19 20 21
22 23 24 25 26 27 28
29 30
Counting back 28 days (the average length of a Steamship Voyage from Ireland) from that date gives me.... October 14th! I swear to you we had no conscious idea that we were doing this at the time.
Standing in the rain on the pier is just what I need to do to write what I can't seem to do from here. All the research I have done just can't substitute for the actual experience. The Wetter and the Greener the better.
But when I was E-mailing Alan McKinny, and I did the numbers, well, I realized we would be there 151 years TO THE DAY!
Standing in the rain on the pier is just what I need to do to write what I can't seem to do from here. All the research I have done just can't substitute for the actual experience. The Wetter and the Greener the better.
But when I was E-mailing Alan McKinny, and I did the numbers, well, I realized we would be there 151 years TO THE DAY!
Kismet? Well....
"You have to write this down." said Coach O'Connor. I always do what Coach says now-a-days. I didn't back then. But I do now.
obeedúid~
21/june/08
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