This is the second part of my reflections about returning to one of our ancestral homelands. Various members of two families, the Hicksons and the Byrnes, left the County Kerry in the southwest of Ireland some 150 years ago to make new lives for themselves … Continue reading Back to Kerry. Part 2
Tag: Killorglin
Back to Kerry. Part 1
A good few of my ancestors came from County Kerry in southwest Ireland. They went by various names - Hicksons, Needhams, Ruddles and Byrnes. I visited Kerry for a few days in August and found myself thinking a lot about them, my forebears. I marvelled … Continue reading Back to Kerry. Part 1
Two nailors of Derryquin
William Hickson and George Byrne I have known for some time that William Hickson (1832-1899) of Killorglin, who later migrated to America and then Australia, was a nailor. It says so clearly on his marriage certificate: While looking through some records for George Byrne (1860-1929), … Continue reading Two nailors of Derryquin
Killorglin – the Hickson’s Kerry home
John Hickson and his twenty year old daughter Alice visited Killorglin in 1893 on their world trip. John wrote in his account of that journey: The old town that in early days to my youthful imagination seemed a city, remains with little alteration, its fairs … Continue reading Killorglin – the Hickson’s Kerry home
Sneem
While driving around the “Ring of Kerry” with my daughter Hanna in late August this year we passed through the colourful little village of Sneem. We had driven “the ring” counterclockwise and therefore came from the Atlantic coast where we had delighted in the beautiful … Continue reading Sneem
Forgotten tales 