Re: JOHN J. CARROLL, COUNTY KERRY
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In reply to:
Re: JOHN J. CARROLL, COUNTY KERRY
Susan Ness 7/09/05
Hello Susan,
Thank you very much for your kind email.
I hope you have much success in your search for the ancestors when you travel to Ireland. You'll find Kilkenny a great county with a lot of friendly people. Many thanks also for communicating with Denise, who had sent me an email about the fire. That is very kind of both of you to write. I wrote to Denise and mentioned that if you need any travel tips about getting around the country (especially if you are going by car) to please let me know as I have been driving in Ireland since 1988. If you are going to travel by car, order the car from the States and not in Ireland as it will be more expensive and take you longer to get out of a line at the airport if you order the car in Shannon and/or Dublin. If you are landing in Dublin, which is the closest airport to County Kilkenny, and plan to stay in Dublin for a few days before going to Kilkenny, pick up your car the day you are leaving Dublin. You won't need a car in Dublin as there is public transport all over the place. Also, Dublin is a nightmare to drive through as the city streets are extermely conjested with cars, buses, and pedestrians. You'll also save money by not having to hire a car rental until you leave Dublin.
I also had mentioned to Denise that you can pick up 100 Euros at your local AAA office in what is called a TipPak. You have to be a member of triple A to purchase the currency, but they don't charge you any commissions. Having a few Euros in your pocket when you get off the plane in Shannon or Dublin will mean you won't have to stop at an airport ATM machine, which can be crowded with passengers either just landing or on their way to departure.
If you go to Dublin first and would like to see if you can find the location of where your Kilkenny ancestors had lived, stop by the Valuation Office at the Irish Life Centre, Abbey Street Lower, Dublin 1. You could either walk there from the city center or hire a taxi to take you there. The staff at the office may be able to pinpint or at least approximate the places in Kilkenny where your ancestors had lived, as found in Griffiths Valuation. Make sure to bring copies of the Griffiths Valuation noting the ancestors so that the staff at the office can look for them in the Ordnance Survey Map records. Contact information for the Valuation Office can also be found at http://www.valoff.ie/contact.htmlhttp://www.valoff.ie/contact.html
It's amazing you haven't heard back from Sacred Heart after writing, and after your check has been cashed. I wouldn't wait on getting back to them. Give the church secretary a call and just mention that you had written for records a few months ago and that you haven't received a reply, and that you had sent a donation in the form of a check which has been cashed. You could always tell the secretary that you're concerned that your check got into the right hands and wasn't cashed by someone who wasn't in some position of authority at the church. That would actually be true as you really don't know who cashed it, especially if the check were endorsed by hand rather than by a machine or hand stamp.
Please don't hesitate to write back Sue to let me know how you are progressing with the research, or if you have any questions about traveling around Ireland. Are just you and Denise going or are you bringing other family members with you?
Thank you again for writing. It was most kind of you.
Best Wishes,
Dave
More Replies:
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Re: JOHN J. CARROLL, COUNTY KERRY
Susan Ness 7/18/05