Someone once asked me after last year’s Ireland excursion, why I write every morning while I am here and why I chose to share it with everyone via a blog. I could just post a few pictures to social media every few days with a brief description and be done with it. I suppose it is a solid question. I do not write every day while at home, nor do I post the majority of my thoughts to social media on a regular basis. I responded with a shrug and a half smile because I was unsure as to how to answer the question; Partly, because I was confused as to the meaning behind their question sparking numerous questions of my own; Did they not like my writing? Did they feel I was showing off? Did they find it annoying? Is it too much? I had so many questions… The other part of of my minimal response had to do with not really knowing the answer myself. Why am I writing at all? I had close to a year between that question and now to try to come up with an answer and it is honestly quite simple. I write in Ireland because I chose to. I wanted to and as strange as it may sound, I feel inspired to write while I am here so, I do it. Most importantly, I wanted to give my children and my husband my personal thoughts and a written account of our journey together, to revisit, when I am no longer here to do so with them; to remind them of how beautiful our life has been together. As far as why I share it on a blog and post it to social media, the simple answer is much the same. I chose to and wanted to. I also wanted a simple means of keeping in touch with family and friends back home without having to make regular phone calls, to allow them to share in my family’s journey while we explore new things. So I wake up in the dark, stumble around the cottage trying not to wake anyone, sit with my cup of tea, pull my thoughts together and I write.

Yesterday was a day full of history as we made our way into County Wexford to visit Johnstown Castle, Gardens, and Agricultural Museum. The castle and grounds first opened to the public in 2019 and I did not know much about its history prior to yesterday. The castle was originally built by the Esmonde family after the Anglo-Norman invasion in 1169. The Esmonde’s were important land owners and held onto the property for centuries until they were banished from Co Wexford by Cromwell in the 17th century. The estate then became the home of the Grogan family in 1682. Cornelius Grogan developed the land further and played a heavy role in the building of the Wexford bridge; a bridge he would later be hanged from in 1798 by the British for his involvement in the Irish Rebellion of 1798. Not only was he hung from the bridge he built, but his head was removed and placed on a spike in front of the courthouse as a warning to others and his body left in the river. His body and head were secretly recovered by his personal servant and buried in an unmarked grave in the family cemetery. The Crown then took the estate but eventually returned it to the Grogan family after a hefty fine was paid. The family continued work on the property and resided within it until the early 1950s where it was handed over to the state on the agreement that the state would continue to use it for both its beauty and agricultural research and development.

We spent the first part of our exploration of the the Johnstown estate visiting the Irish Agricultural Museum. The girls took quite an interest in the farming equipment of yesterday and were astonished to learn more about the devastation of Ireland during the potato famine. The exhibit was not only extremely informative but enormously heart-wrenching. We then took to the outdoors to explore the grounds and gardens with a walk around one of three lakes on the property. We were greeted by a plethora of pigeons and peacocks which we were able to feed thanks to the gift shop that sells small bags of food to share with the birds. The guided tour of the castle, which is in exceptionally good condition, was lengthy but extremely informative. It was remodeled in the early 19th century in the Gothic Revival style and has one of the longest servants’ tunnels in the country spanning 86 meters. The castle, grounds, and museum are all managed by the Irish Heritage Trust and a large portion of the original property is still used for Agricultural research and development.

We exited our tour of Johnstown castle via the servants tunnel and made our way over to the Irish National Heritage Park where we ate a quick lunch at their onsite restaurant before proceeding through more Irish history. The park has sixteen reconstructed sites to see and learn about. We followed the map through a Middle Stone Age campsite to a New Stone Age farmstead, explored a Megalithic tomb and peered into a Bronze Age grave. We walked around a stone circle, studied an Ogham Stone, explored an early Medieval ringfort and Christian Monastery. We discovered how a corn drying kiln works and after passing by the water mill, panned for gold that we later turned in to receive congratulatory buttons on our gold finds. We traveled through a Viking boatyard and a Norman Castle, which now is the home of the parks falconry center, and spent some times with the birds there. Audra made friends with an owl named Einstein. After greeting each bird and a quick stop at the playground, we concluded the journey through history high on a hill at a round tower that was built in 1857 from remnants of an old castle to commemorate the men of Wexford who fought in the Crimean War.

After a quick stop at the gift shop, we journeyed back to the cottage, admiring the views along the way. Dinner consisted of pizza at home and an early bedtime. Ellery loved the Irish National Heritage Park. There were a lot of hands on activities to try out and she did every single one. Audra enjoyed the birds at both locations.; from feeding the peacocks to visiting with Einstein the owl. It was a long day but well worth the journey. Today looks like it will be another day full of sunshine but in Ireland, that is subject to change at a moments notice. We planned to have a more relaxed day today but like the quickly changing Irish weather, I might change my mind, but only after I finish my cup of tea.