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County Fermanagh is known as the Lakes District of Ireland. The River Erne & Lough runs diagonally NE to SW through the beautiful green countryside of fields, farms & little townships. We enjoyed returning to favourite places when here last time. Next to Riverside Farm is the village of Ballanaleck with it's thatched roof Sheelin Lace Museum. Across the river is Cleenish Island where we saw lots of pheasants last time as well as a very old graveyard & monastery ruins. When soldiers arrived back from WW2 the authorities thought it a good idea to build houses for them on the island. Only problem there was no bridge or boats to get to Ballanaleck! House ruins still there. We stopped at Cloonatrig our favourite lunch stop then over Carry Bridge to Derrybrusk. We had fun trying to find The Old Graveyard. We first lady we asked got us fairly close but we ended up on the Lough side outside a beautiful new timber & glass house. I told owner John Maguire the story & w...

When I started researching my g-greatfather Robert Collum, I found another Robert S. Collum who was the Honorary Consul for Portugal who lived in various Sydney (posh!) addresses - all called 'Enniskillen' where my Collum's came from! He ended up living on a poultry farm in Herring Road Marsfield/Eastwood where I grew up! He married Emily Suttor, daughter of the Bathurst MP & there is a photograph on them in Freeman's Journal in the Mitchell Library. His father was Dr Robert Collum, born in 1814 in Enniskillen, who married Flora Nightingale  SANDEMAN from Scotland. The Sandeman's were a very (wealthy) influential family whose descendants were huge 'multi companies' of importers & exporters throughout the world eg tea plantations in (Ceylon) Sri Lanka, wine in Europe, spices Far East. Dr Robert & Flora had 15 children who all had SANDEMAN as their middle name (according to Scottish tradition). Dr Robert was in the British Army then Physician fo...

When we were here 6 years ago we stayed in the self-contained cottage on Riversidd Farm, 2 miles out of Enniskillen the main town in County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland. I had been told about it by Vi Wiggins the very active lady on the Fermanagh Gold (genealogy) Interest List I belonged to. Molly & son Mark Fawcett who own the farm, B&B, caravan park, marina & are the most wonderfully warm & welcoming people. We stayed for 2 months on the farm in 2015 so coming back was like coming home! MOST of my Irish families lived within 15 miles of Enniskillen. We arrived on a Saturday afternoon just before my 'newly found' American (Boston) family! Carol is my 2nd cousin. She & husband Arthur & 3 adult children Paul, Cheryl & David were spending a week in Ireland seeing all they could! Carol's great-grandfather Patrick was my g-g-grandfather, Robert Collum's younger brother. When 8 of Robert's siblings went to America they changed their name to...

Friday 24 May we moved on from our B&B in Duleek. It is still cool (13 - 17°) wind very cold- but sunny breaks as well. We didn't have to travel too far today but I was keen to find as many townlands where McCollum  families settled. I had details of a number of siblings who were here in late 1700 to mid 1800s. We travelled via Navan, Kells & Bailieborough. All similar little towns with small 2 storey 'all joined together rows of houses along the streets & main street. The front doors seem so small to us. All have very big grey stone Catholic & Church of Ireland - stain glass windows & many with surrounding graveyards. Lots of pubs (not many serve meals these days), cafes, general shops. All have very narrow streets with cars having to give way to oncoming traffic. I love hearing the up&down lilted conversations- reminds me of my Grandma Collum. Cavan quite hilly - hills have m ore grouse bushes & fields tend to have hedges around them rather t...

More ancient sites around Drogheda. Monasterboice Ruins of ancient monastery with HUGE round tower, built to keep a look out for marauding Vikings & Anglo-Norman's. Now a beautiful quiet peaceful cemetery with beautifully decorative high crosses on each side with carved 'pictures' where the gospels were explained to the people by the local priests. Drogheda's Millmount Martello Tower was where Cromwell met his strongest resistance when he laid seige to the town in 1649. He had first attacked Mellifont Abbey & Moore House just outside the town. Mellifont was where the English Moore family from Beneden in Kent England  had been given a huge land grant. They became the Earls & Viscounts of Drogheda from late 1500s. Mary Moore the daughter of the 3rd Earl Sir Charles married Hugh Montgomery in 1648 at Mellifont. He was the grandson of Hugh Montgomery, the Scottish Lord who co-led the Plantataion of Ulster (1607); & son of Hugh Montgomery & Jane Al...

It was a 7 hour flight from Abu Dhabi to Dublin. As the plane was only half full & we had done a full days sight seeing, arrived at the airport at midnight & flight left at 2.45am!!!!! We were able to lie down on a row of seats & sleep for a few hour s. We arrived in Dublin at 7.30am. The 2 places I really wanted to visit were Phoenix Park & Glesnevin historical cemetery. We picked up our cute little Hyundai 110 & set off with a very general map of Dublin. Weather fine, sunny breaks & 15%. We FINALLY got close to Phoenix Park! Dublin street name signs (those streets that do have signs!)are written in tiny print & are 20' up the wall of a building! When just about there we were stopped by Garda everywhere with flashing lights, motor bikes, cars & fluro vests. We FINALLY found out there was a charity run on through PP & surrounding streets. We were at last able to drive up the centre road of the Park with side roads closed - more Garda - ...

The big day at last - Wednesday 15 May! We caught the train to the airport & Anne came to see us off! Our Etihad full flight left at 3.45pm; 14 hours later landed at midnight in Abu Dhabi - multiple meals (not over wonderful), no sleep; 3 movies. We stayed at the Crown Plaza Hotel on Yas Island; - lovely - not far from airport but 30 kms from city centre. Lovely breakfast overlooking golf course; Arabian Gulf! We bought a 2 day Hop on Hop off bus ticket. We caught the free shuttle bus to Yas Mall - HUGE, new, very wide walkways; opens at 10am until midnight. It was the 1st day of Ramadan so place virtually deserted. Ferrari World is on one side of Mall; new Skyway; Climbing Centre being built on other side. Nearby is Waterworks; Disney World theme park as well as world class racing car track; other sports arenas. Abu Dhabi made up of 7 islands all connected by bridges; tunnels to city one. Many of them still being developed with apartment blocks; 'themed' beautifully design...