Killoran "Relig", Sligo

I decide to seek out the Killoran graveyard (Relig) where my MacDonagh grandparents – Eugene and Anne (Hayden) MacDonagh are buried. From reading Daddy's manuscripts at the reference Library in Sligo, I have discovered not only are my grandparents, Eugene and Anne, buried there but also great grandparents Patrick and his wife, and great –great grandparents James and Betty.

I wander around the countryside, up and down lanes and dirt roads, back and forth looking for the Killoran site. There are no signposts. Finally spotting a farmer unloading his tractor, I pull up the car next to him. We chat for a good ten minutes during which time he has given me directions not only once but several times. "Ah, sure you're alone, are you?" he asks and then goes on to tell me I am great to be doing this by myself!

Arriving at Killoran, I find many of the graves are overgrown with weeds, ivy, undergrowth. I am dissapointed I can’t locate them. Daddy did record in his manuscripts that the MacDonagh sites are located beside the O Hara alcove. The O Hara alcove is marked with a placque put up by family members. Taking a black stone I have carried with me, I place it on a ledge there in remembrance and as a connection between me and my family buried here. I stop and pray for the elders and all who are buried here.