Day 17: Sligo and Great Grandparents Devins

I spent most of today in search of the graves of my maternal great grandparents on my grandmother's side of the family.

My grandmother was born Norah Bridget Devins in 1904, the fifth child of eight, to John and Bridget Devins. They resided in "house 24" in Ballyscanell (Lisadill North, County Sligo.)

I found no way to locate the house because none of the homes in the area are assigned numbers these days and the locals I spoke with were not able to help.

After finding several Devins graves in the closest community cemetery, none being those of my great grandparents, I started to inquire among a few locals I came across in the very rural and small community.

An elderly gentleman told me the area was "loaded with Devins", and that my kin would have been buried in Ahamlich Cemetery in Grange, about 6km away. He was also somehow related through marriage.

And, that my grandmothers family would have attended nearby Mary Immaculate R.C. Church (built 1908).

I eventually found the cemetery and the gravesite containing the remains of my great grandfather, John Devins, died August 17, 1932 at age 71; my great grandmother, Bridget Nevins, died April 18, 1934 at age 67; my great uncle, John Devins, died December 19, 1976 at age 73; and, my great aunt, Katherine (Kate) Devins, died May 30, 1970 at age 72.

I love this note from the pastor on the entrance to Mary Immaculate Roman Catholic Church in the Village of Grange. If only all could be this inclusive and welcoming!

We extend a special welcome to those who are single, married, divorced, widowed, gay, confused, filthy rich, or dirt poor. We extend a special welcome to those who are crying newborns, skinny as a rake or could afford to lose a few pounds. You are welcome if you are Old Grange, New Grange, Not Grange, or just passing by.

We welcome you if you can sing like Pavarotti or can't carry a note in a bucket. You're welcome here if you're "just browsing", just woke up or just got out of prison. We don't care if you're more Catholic than the Pope, or haven't been in church since little Jack's christening.

We extend a special welcome to those who are over 60 but not grown up yet, and to teenagers who are growing up too fast. We welcome keep-fit mums, football dads, starving artists, tree-huggers, latte-sippers, vegetarians, junk-food eaters. We welcome those who are in recovery or still addicted. We welcome you if you're having problems or you're down in the dumps or if you don't like 'organized religion". We've been there too! If you blew all your money on horses, you're welcome here. We offer a welcome to those who think the earth is flat, "work too hard", don't work, can't spell, or because grandma is in town and wanted to go to church.

YOU ARE WELCOME HERE

Fr. Christy

Time and energy did not permit me to complete the Wild Atlantic Way drive all the way to the northern tip of County Donegal. But, I got pretty close, having started all the way from its southern point in Kinsale.

Two months of physical therapy, up until the day before I left for Ireland, did a great deal to make this trip possible for me. But, the benefits are steadily waning and its clear to me that I'll have to resume therapy again soon.

Tomorrow I will return to the Celtic Nest in Ballinasloe. I will travel southeast as far as I can to skirt the crowds and traffic heading into Knock tomorrow to see Pope Francis.

On Sunday I will go to a hotel on the outskirts of Dublin. Making it all the way into the city would be next to impossible considering over 500,000 people will be there for the Pope's outdoor Mass in Phoenix Park.

Monday morning, before my return to Trinity College, I will be given a private tour of Mountjoy Prison, where my grandfather, Peter B. Clarke, was held by the Black and Tans in 1924.

I enjoyed wonderful Irish music, with colorful locals, this evening at the Harp Tavern, where I was very warmly welcomed and made to feel very much at home. Jaws drop when I tell them of my ancestry and they are thrilled I am spending time. I am humbled by the legacy of respect left in this land by my grandparents and those before them.