NENAGH

Here we are on the last leg of our trip. Had a beautiful B&B at Milltown Mal Bay after a long wet drive through narrow lanes with hedges on every side. At San Antone we looked out from our bedroom and the dinning room over the Atlantic Ocean and great green paddocks and little white houses and the sea. Now the big quest for Mullins relatives....We fronted up in heavy rain to the parish office in Milltown Mal Bay to find that there was no Mullins baptised there between 1831 (the start of records) and 1900. The priest said there were Mullinses in the parish of Ennistriven some 7 miles up so off we went. Here the priest (none too fussed about helping!!) said there were Mulllinses even today and definitely none with the parentage and None called William. Ray had about had enough so we went to the Clare Heritage centre at Corofin to the museum hoping to find some traces of Mullins. In the rain we went to front and back doors. It was closed until nexxt Monday!! So Ray succumbed to paying money and went to the Clare Research Centre, to find his grand-father Michael who always said he was born in 1865 was born on 5/10/1861 and the sister Catherine who was supposed to be younger was older and there were also a number of others, namely Matilda and (I lost count). James and William Mullins, Michael's brothers, who Desley found were born after official government records were held in Ireland. Anyway we are going to get a full run-down with birth and death certificates copied and records of any land held and any relatives still living in Ireland.
Today we came over on the Shannon Ferry and went to Ballybunnion on the sea, drove up the Shannon river and have now a beautiful new B&B for this evening owned by Siobohn and Betty. However, I have phoned Biddy and Christie 3 times and the phone is always engaged. So they could be going to miss a couple of great Aussie Relatives if they don't stop talking!!
Great to hear you are home Amanda...and that you have new trainers. KOBI - best of luck for the cross country. Hope you recover from jet lag, Jim. Much love, Mum and Dad
PS Gerard look forward to seeing you at the airport Sunday morning. We don't have the itinerary right here but you should have one and the others do have one also.