Program,  Saturday, July 1st

10.00 am - 12.30 am, Genealogy... Powerpoint and Screen

Family History and Genealogy with Veronica Williams and Frank Roofe.

Veronica Williams, a member since 2008 presenting her Family History research and explaing DNA, then Frank Roofe giving tips on Genealogy research.

1.30 pm - 5.30 pm Bus tour of scenic and historic places of interest including; Enniskillen Castle Museum,

Ardess Famine Graveyard and Cassidy Ancient Rath, guided by Frank Roofe.

8.00 pm: Old fashioned Céili House with three members of the Blackwater Céili Band; 

International story teller, Eamonn Keenan and Jaff the Piper telling many tall Tales from Ireland. Singer Tina Cassidy and our talented visitors.

Fear an Ti, Noel Cassidy.

Part of Veronica Williams' presentation.

Veronica has now volunteerd to oversee the Clan's DNA Project.

If anyone is interested in having DNA research done, please contact Veronica for information.

Her e-mail address is on the first screen in this album.

Veronica's presentation was folowed by a very interesting presentation by Frank Roofe.

Frank is a local historian and genealogist and is an Honorary lifetime member of the Cassidy Clan.

He has helped many people with researching their family history.

One of the good tips Frank gave us was the Irish Genealogy Site.

This is a great help with searching for records.

If you would like a real challenge, try it in Gaeilge!

Frank was later our tour guide on a bus trip visiting some interesting sites in the area.

Arriving at Enniskillen Castle, previously owned by the Maguires until the English confiscated it and their lands.

Enniskillen Castle

The weather suddenly worsened, so we moved inside and were able to view the castle from the large windows in the museum.

The museum has many interesting exhibits from the surrounding area.

A pictoral description of the attack on the castle.

An arial view of Devenish Island. The water level in the lake was lowered by about two meters.

One can see the original shore line in this photo.

These are various information plates in the museum.

Part of our tour of the castle with Frank explaining the life of the Maguires.

Our tour then continued and we passed through Bally Cassidy, which is just after the airport heading out of town on the northern shore of Loch Erne.

This is a modern pallet sawmill at Bally Cassidy

Approaching the bridge at Bally Cassidy with the old post office on the left. This was taken on Thursday with our rolling home parked in the bus stop.

The old Bally Cassidy post office as it is today.

An older photo with the Post Office sign still mounted.

The Bally Cassidy corn mill , built in 1810 on the site of the old mill. At one stage it employed about 100 people.

To the rear of the block, the present owner is building himself a new home. It is on the site of the previous mill building, which was seven stories high.

When the water level was higher barges used to come up the stream to load and unload at the mill.

The rings to tie up the boats are still in the walls.

Bally Cassidy House, a funeral parlor.

Travelling to the Ardess Church to view the famine graveyard and some old Cassidy tomb stones.

Ardess Church

Frank again informing us of the past.

A Cassidy tombstone

Ardess Famine Graveyard

The mass grave used at the time of the famine.

More Cassidy tombstones.

The chalk was applied by Frank the evening before, to make the text readable.

IHS  Here Lyeth the Body of Bridget Cassidy Wife of Patrick Cassidy who Departed - - - - - 14th of - - -

Unfortunately the date is not legible.

On the road to the Cassidy Rath

The turnoff to the Rath

I almost missed the photo of the sign marking the turnoff as it was behind a tree.

The road got even smaller.

But we made it, even in the 60 seater bus. This is the path leading through the Cassidy Wood to the Ancient Cassidy Rath.

Coordinates for this spot in case you are trying to find it,    54°27'43.16" N,  7°39'06.28" W

The track through Cassidy Wood

The track and the Rath had been cleaned up for our visit and the wood chip had been laid on the track.

This is the stile leading through the trench and over the mound to access the Rath. It is deeper than it looks in the photo.

Elisabeth climbing over.

Inside the Rath with the mound visible at the rear. Note the cutting just visible to the right.

The relatively flat raised area in the Rath. The Cassidys who lived here many years ago would have built their huts inside this protected area.

In this photo the edge of the mound is visible dropping off to the left to the dry moat and in the background one can see a cutting which would have been the main entrance.

This would have had a gate and there would have been a wooden wall along the top of the mound.

The clan members inspecting the Rath

I walked out onto the farmer's field to take a photo of the Rath.  From here it just looks like a group of trees.

The location of the Rath on Google Earth.

The site of the ancient rath is so overgrown that it is difficult to envisage what it was like.

Here is a sketch of a typical rath, much smaller than the Cassidy Rath, but of similar style.

Our Rath would have had room for quite a few more huts and it was situated on the crest of a gentle hill.

Noel explaining the Rath to clan members. Noel helps to keep it clean and accessible.

A view from the ridge of the rath through one of the few gaps in the trees.

Noel Cassidy wearing a Cassidy Clan Aran pullover that Nuala knitted for him.

Elisabeth and I joined Noel in our Aran Pullovers, also in the Cassidy pattern.

These are available by mail order from the Aran Sweater Market:  https://www.aransweatermarket.com/clan-aran-sweaters

If you are handy, you can also buy the wool and the pattern to knit it yourself!

Looking from the mound down in to the trench. Oliver Cassidy looking up.

This gives an idea of the depth of the trench. Oliver is standing in the bottom of the dry moat.

Oliver and Noel

Elisabeth about to exit the Rath.

Walking back through the wood.

Elisabeth and myself holding the sign at the entrance to Cassidy Wood

The surrounding area taken from the bus.

Back at the Killyhevlin Hotel for a rest before dinner.

After dinner we had the Céili House in the conference room.

There were some organised performances, here Eamonn Keenan

and Jaff the Piper

and some impromptu presentations from members. Tina Cassidy

Elisabeth even sang a couple of Swiss folk songs, but I was unfortunately away getting drinks at the time and missed most of it.

Four Cassidy sisters

Imelda Mooney, Tina Cassidy, Nuala Cassidy and Sheelagh Kavanagh.