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Clann Gathering Report 2002
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At 9.30 we rendezvoused at the top of the
town outside Ferns castle for a field trip to Kilkenny. I
was beginning to regret the warm clothes I had put on
earlier, for with each minute that passed the day grew
brighter and the temperature climbed higher. We set off
and before long took to the winding and rolling back roads
so that we could see for ourselves the land once known to
the English crown as "Kavanagh Country." Bridget
Kavanagh Dalton was our guide for she is a local lass and
knows intimately the nooks and crannies of Wexford and
Carlow. She brought the countryside to life with local
stories, folklore and gossip that cannot be found in
textbooks. But she didn't have it all her own way for
throughout the trip she was constantly heckled by the
Terrible Twins, who brought their own colourful
interpretations of Irish history to the tour. An enjoyable
dialogue ensued between all three of them until they were
more like the Three Stooges rather than three historians.
Many jokes and insults were thrown from one side to
another and this alone made the trip worthwhile.
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Oh Miss!....Miss!!
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Forgotten what I wanted to say now Miss...
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Once in Kilkenny we took a 15-minute break for
refreshments in the Café at Kilkenny Castle where I had a nice chat
with the brightly dressed Robert Cavanaugh from Peabody,
Massachusetts. Robert has been with the Clann since it's inception, is
a regular face at the gatherings and has already booked his
accommodation for the 2004 event! After the tea break we proceeded on
a guided tour of the magnificent castle itself. Although it was never
a MacMurrough or Kavanagh home it does hold links to our Clann as some
of our womenfolk married into the powerful Butler family who built it.
The purpose of the visit was to get an idea of how the "other
half" lived in bygone days and it appears that the "other
half" lived very well indeed. For a number of years a government
and EU program has been restoring the castle to its former splendour.
Each room is lavishly decorated with enormous carpets, unique
wallpaper and valuable paintings. When the official guided tour has
finished we were free to wander through the grounds. After Kilkenny
Castle we took an hour out for lunch and a visit to the craft shops
before moving on to Rothe House located on one of the busy shopping
streets. John Rothe, a prosperous merchant of the city constructed the
house in 1594 and today it provides a glimpse of what life was like in
the sixteenth century.
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Kilkenny Castle
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Rothe House
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