The last time my grandpa had visited his father’s family in the small town of Kilkeel in Northern Ireland, it was 1956. His cousin recalls seeing my grandpa run through the fields when he was 16, which was 65 years ago. In 2019, I had the privilege of joining my grandpa on a trip to Europe where we spent the first week in Ireland and he saw his father’s hometown once again.

Monday, May 27

We arrived at Dublin airport at about 8:30am, having left Vancouver at 3:20pm the day before. In our time zone, it was 12:30 in the morning but where we were now, it was early morning and there was a full day ahead of us. This day felt like a dream.

It was the first time I had ever been to Europe, or anywhere outside of North America for that matter. After dropping off our luggage, we were immediately brought to a handmade market event in a small community for adults with learning disabilities. This community works with farm animals and gardens, and practices with hands on activities such as weaving, laundry, woodworking and beekeeping. It is meant to offer people with special needs a holistic life experience. While exploring this community, there was a sudden burst of rain and sunshine. I can’t even begin to describe how much this incredibly green and damp, early morning environment felt; it was unlike anywhere I’d ever been before.

Not to mention the incredible people. Everyone in this small town was so friendly, waving and greeting everyone we passed like we knew them, even though they were strangers. Life was very different than what I’m used to in this small community in Northern Ireland, yet it was very familiar. I felt that a lot of my family traditions were very strongly connected to this area, from the food and furniture to people’s attitudes and small habits.

This first day, as we were being driven around to see important areas and meet people, I had a very interesting conversation with the woman who was hosting our stay, Pamela, about green textiles. Her hobbies include crocheting and sewing with scrap fabrics, and she showed me a bunch of her projects. A week before coming on this trip, I had taken a two week condensed course on mending and had recently gained all these new skills and a stronger appreciation and interest in textiles. Pamela had made the comment that neither her nor her husband would ever think to throw cloth in the landfill. Around there, those habits are not learned. It became clear immediately that there is a much deeper appreciation for history and material objects, and a much more environmentally-friendly mindset.

Tuesday, May 28

The second day was spent travelling around Belfast, about an hour and a half from Kilkeel. Here, I learned a lot about the history of Ireland. Most notably, I learned how big the linen mills were in Belfast from 1784 and into the industrialization period when the city became the linen capital of the world.

Wednesday, May 29

Travelling all around Northern Ireland, we visited many places this day. Here are some photos of the experience:

Thursday, May 30

Driving down to Dublin for a day trip, we went on a detailed city bus tour after visiting a giant cemetery on the way down. This cemetery was very full and very old. There were different shaped and sized gravestones butt-up next to one another over a huge piece of land, unlike anything I’d ever seen before. We visited this site because there was a stone made fairly recently in memory of my great-grandfather, along with some other notable soldiers from WW1. It’s amazing to see that things are still being done in their memory, even 100 years after the war. Beside this cemetery were some amazing greenhouses; I still think about them today.

In the city of Dublin, I found the architecture fascinating, with stories attached to the buildings dating back hundreds of years. Here are some photos of the city:

Friday, May 31 – June 3

These days were spent learning about my family history and meeting many distant relatives. I had the privilege of learning details about my great-grandfather from a perspective other than my grandfather.

This week was one of the most inspirational and eye-opening weeks of my life. Growing up in Canada, I have never been so connected to my family’s history. There is no better way to gain an understanding of where you came from than to go to the exact place your great-grandfather grew up and fully absorb yourself in the lifestyle of those who still live there. I can’t thank my grandparents enough for giving me this opportunity, it is an experience I’ll never forget.