Moytura's Irish
Bookshop

We now have a chat club which I hope you will join and use. It offers the chance to share and answer questions about all things Irish. Perhaps some of you will have common roots, family connections - 

If you have enjoyed your wander through the site I'd love to hear your comments, good, bad or indifferent, perhaps you'd sign my GUEST BOOK. 
Or EMAIL me with any suggestions you might have.

Name: Sheelagh Welch
Website:
Referred by: AnotherSite Link
From: Jacksonville, FL USA
Time: Wednesday, January 13, 1999 0:26
Comments:

Love this site and you guys look like my kind of people,  I am, however 9 years older than you, dear.  What darlin' children.

I know it is fashionable for the people in the "old country" to laugh and be derisive about the feelings people sometimes 5 generations from the old sod feel about it , but I think it must come with the genes, kind of like red hair, freckles, blue eyes and bad temper. I feel real love for Ireland and don't understand why because I'm far removed, my feelings should be considered less valid. True, I have never been there, I only have listened to the tales and recipes that have been handed down over the generations, but along with that were also strong feelings about all Irish. Does anything make that less real?    I find it confusing when I get on the net and see some of the things written by people still there about those of us who are no longer.

Fondly  Sheelagh Welch

Name: Ann Wheeler
Website:
Referred by: Someone Sent URL
From: American Falls, Idaho
Time: Wednesday, January 13, 1999 at 18:52:10
Comments:

This is a fun place! My ggrandfather, Patrick Howe, was born somewhere in Co. Galway in 1835. I'm trying to track the town, and may be there this coming summer. Your site is a good way to get accquainted with the area - thanks for doing this. My son is an artist and is good at it, with an emphasis on Celtic art. He'll love this site!

Name: HARRY A. TAYLOR
Website:
Referred by: Someone Sent URL
From: HOUSTON, TEXAS
Time: Wednesday, January 13, 1999 at 19:11:16
Comments:

YOU HAVE A WONDERFUL SITE. MY WHOLE FAMILY LOVE TO VISIT IN GALWAY - MY FAMILY WAS FROM ARDRAHAN IN THE GALWAY COUNTY.

Name: Kathleen (Gallagher) Brearton
Website:
Referred by: Another Site Link
From: Troy, New York USA
Time: Thursday, January 14, 1999 14:58
Comments:

I have not viewed your entire web page, but enough of it to decide that you did a fabulous job with it.

I live in upstate New York (USA) and have visited Ireland twice with tour groups.  On our last trip (this past Easter) we went to Galway City, the Aran Island of Inishmore, up to Sligo City and Donegal.  Your photographs of the area are wonderful.  Unfortunately, when you travel with tour groups, you only see a little of bit of many places.

I have just begun accessing the Internet to obtain tips on genealogy. As far as I have been able to determine, my grandparents on both sides of the family originally came from Ireland.  My maiden name was Gallagher, my paternal grandmother's name was O'Meara, my mother's maiden name was McCarthy and my maternal grandmother's name was Magrath.

I may be retiring next year around this time (I am employed as a secretary at a local community college in Troy, New York) and I plan to spend a lot of my time attempting to find out about my ancestors. Unfortunately, I never knew my grandparents on either side since they all died at a young age.  My father died when I was one year old and his siblings are all deceased as well; therefore, I have no firsthand information about his family.  Like most people, when I was young, I wasn't interested in any of that and never asked any questions.

Web sites, such as yours, are very helpful to people like myself.  I intend to bookmark it on my computer and refer back to it from time to time.

You have a beautiful family and I enjoyed seeing their photographs.

Name: Johnny Coghlan
Website:
Referred by: Just Cruised On In
From: Dublin/Westport
Time: Thursday, January 14, 1999 16:44
Comments:

What a fantastic page on Doolough. I like you am awe inspired every time I see this place. My Father is a native of Newport and we bought a house in Wesport about 4 years ago. It's my second home at this stage. I surf on a beach about 5k past Louisburgh (Carroniskey) and the view from the sea back over the Sheffries and Mwellrea and into Doolough as the sun sets on a still summer evening is unconveyable through words. I've even seen Dolphins stop and stare!!  Makes you think of higher things. Anyway before I get too emotional - congrats on a truly fantastic site. - I'm about to take the rest of the journey. regards and best wishes - Johnny Coghlan.

Name:
Name:
Website:
Referred by: Someone Sent URL
From: Fresno, CA U.S.A.
Time: Thursday, January 14, 1999 17:12
Comments:

Beautiful job.

Name: Joan Tramer
Website:
Referred by: Someone Sent URL
From: Clifton, NJ. USA
Time: Thursday, January 14, 1999 19:07
Comments:

My sister Lillian visited Ireland July 1998 for a Waldron family reunion.. Your article bought back great memories as I drove to these sites..

Name: Ellenjane O'Grady LaSorsa
Website:
Referred by: Just Cruised On In
From: New York, USA
Time: Thursday, January 14, 1999 18:55
Comments:

My grandfather was from Westport and it was great to see the beautiful picures. Also loved the music. Keep up the good work.

Name: Shane King
Website: The King Family Homepage
Referred by: Just Cruised On In
From: Aberdeen Scotland
Time: Thursday, January 14, 1999 20:29
Comments:

Fantastic homepage, thanks for the call
regards, Shane King

Name: Andrew Forde
Website: The Forde Family Homepage
Referred by: Just Cruised On In
From: Aberdeen Scotland
Time: Thursday, January 14, 1999 20:31
Comments:

Fantastic homepage. Thanks for the voice calls to Shane King and Andrew Forde

For those who have just joined me on this page why not go to the beginning of our travels and see some of the places in The Start of Our Journey through the West of Ireland. 

My Place Amongst the Stones gives the history of my company name, Moytura - a celtic heritage going back thousands of years. 

We journey to my own parish of Lackagh - a small village just 12 miles from Galway with a mighty big history. Learn all about the Battle of Knockdoe - one of Ireland's bloodiest of conflicts in the 16th century.

We then move on to take a quick jaunt around Galway City; and then to the heart of Connemara - with its wild and wonderful beauty. 

From there we journey south into County Clare and see The Burren - a place that has lain undisturbed since the Ice-age and of immense botanical, ecological and archaeological importance.

Visit Ireland's finest early monastic heritage centre in Clonmacnoise, County Offaly; and to my favourite of all the early Christian Church locations - Clonfert, South County Galway, with its beautiful tiny 12th century Cathedral of Saint Brendan. Come with me around the grounds and see the Bishop's Palace and the 1000 year old Yew Walk. 

While on the Clonfert pages, you can learn a potted history of Saint Brendan the Navigator, possibly the first European to set foot in North America in the 6th. century. And join me in the celebrations when this tiny cathedral was listed in the World Monuments Watch 2000 most endangered monuments.

Come with me on my 'Famine Journey' which starts in Westport, and moves to Sligo, my Dad's County and the departure port for many of the 'Coffin Ships'. This part of my journey ends in Grosse-Île on a tiny island east of Quebec City. 

On this page you will learn some of the history of our Famine Refugees and find the final resting place of over 6,000 of my country folk who died within sight of their first freedom in over 300 years. This is where many of the Irish roots in North America started.

Our Journey moves on to other places on that visit to Canada where we see Quebec City and some of Ontario's lovely places and then to two of Canada's famous Catholic Shrines - Saint Anne de Beaupré and to Cap-de-la-Madeleine.

Finally, join me on my pilgrimage to a peaceful haven in a war-torn country in Medugorje in Bosnia-Hercegovinia. The other areas of my Web site can be found in the drop-down box below.

I have added links pages of other places related to the places we visit, links to leisure activities in Ireland i.e. golf, fishing, horse riding, sailing in Ireland, festivals, entertainment etc. and some of my friends' home pages. 

Don't forget to bookmark this page and return to take up on more of your journeys with me. Oh .. and please sign my Guestbook if you have enjoyed your travels. Go raith míle maith agat - thanks a million

For those of you who are interested in tracing family links contact the Genealogical Society of Ireland