My sisters and I are doing a Rick Steves' Ireland tour in September and prior to the tour we are going to Sligo to visit the area from which our grandmother left to emigrate to the U.S. Does anyone have experience with or a recommendation for a driver in the area who we could hire for 1-2 days?
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TN, USA
2158 posts
If your hotel or B&B in Sligo does not have a driver to recommend, I would suggest checking with Peter at Eden Villa in Tubbercurry, which is approximately 20 minutes from Sligo. You may even want to stay at Eden Villa, and you can check out reviews on www.tripadvisor
Peter and his wife, Mary, who own Eden Villa arranged a great driver to take us from Tubbercurry to Bunratty, so we would be positioned for a taxi the next a.m. to go to Shannon for our flight home. My cousin wanted to drive us there, but it would have been such a long drive, I just arranged the driver instead (since the cousin was so kind to show us around the day prior). I cannot remember the lady's name, but she ran a driver's service that might have taken people for doctor's appointments or something like that, but she personally drove us that day. Everyone knows everyone in that section of Ireland, so likely (if she is still driving) it would be easy to locate her. Her name MIGHT have been Helen, but I really do not remember. Peter will, no doubt, remember us and how he arranged the driver for us. It was about five/six years ago.
Peter is sort of a local expert on ancestry (I learned by reading reviews about his B&B on-line), and I emailed him to see if he may know who my cousin is (based on just a first name and our original family name). Amazingly he connected us...her daughter taught their grandson at the local school, and he connected us before our trip.. It turned out that we were able to meet my cousin and her family, and they took us around to see the remains of the old family cottage in which our grandmothers were raised (I had an old photo from childhood), family churches, graves, etc. I will always (and I do mean always) be thankful for Peter. It was our delight to return the favor by staying at their nice B&B.....the least we could do.
Their B&B is modest (we had come from Ashford Castle the two nights prior, where my cousin met us to take us to County Roscommon and then up to her home in Tubbercurry (sligo county), but Eden Villa is nice, clean, comfortable and a delicious breakfast. They both really do know the area and would likely help to provide any info that may be helpful as you tour around. If you have not tracked down local relatives still in Ireland, who knows...Peter may be able to tell you who is still there that may be related if you share your grandmother's maiden name, etc. with him. It was truly magical for us, and we still stay in touch with my (previously) long lost cousin.
It was cute, she referred to us as "coming home" and said they pray for the immigrants (us) in her church.
If you know specifically in which townland your grandmother was born, you will likely find old handwritten census records on-line. If she came thru Ellis Island, you can likely find a ship record. Local churches are also a wealth of info. But,likely you have researched all that and are ready to roll. I have to admit, it was a very surreal experience walking the fields where my grandparents had farmed and seeing the modest little cottage in which so may kids were raised.....very humble beginnings on my family tree.