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On our way to Athlone we drove through the green Irish countryside along the narrow Irish roads (R460), coming suddenly to the ruins of Kilmacduagh Abbey. We stopped as it looked interesting, a tall tower overlooking the roofless Abbey and the churchyard, still in use. Founded in the 7th century by Saint Colman MacDuagh (hence the name) it was plundered in the 13th century but was in use probably for another 300 years. The round tower was a place of refuge for the monks in case of attack, dated to be from the 12th century. Legend has it that the Saint trained a rooster to crow to remind him when to pray, a mouse to stop him from sleeping more than 5 hours in 24 by scratching him behind his ears, and a fly to walk along the lines of his book to direct him where to read again by standing on the first letter of the next sentence. Really. Our reason though for visiting Athlone was to find my great-grandfather Isaac Steward's gravestone in Cornamagh Cemetery. He and three of his mates accidently drowned on the 2nd of July, 1881while sailing in nearby Lough (lake) Ree, the second largest of the major lakes on the River Shannon. An unexpected storm came up and overturned their boat. Great-Grandpa Steward was 31, a Sergeant in the 15th Battalion of the 60th Royal Rifles. His mates were Sgt. John Crowley, Color Sgt. James Thompson and Sgt. Major James Mitchell. We searched high and low for their gravestones but time and the effects of weather had obliterated most of the markings from this period and we couldn't find anything. The records though from the cemetery do indicate he is buried there somewhere. Our search will continue and hopefully one day these four graves can be identified. We did go to the Lough just to see the waters that had claimed my Great-Grandfather's life and I had a few moments to reflect on the fragility of man. At one point on our way there we took a shortcut along a farm road where it was necessary for Marie to get out of the car, open two gates across a 'live railway crossing' to let me cross with the car. Only in Ireland!
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| Kilmacduagh Abbey, County Galway |
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| Cornamagh Cemetery, Athlone |
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| opening first gate across the train tracks |
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| I'm through! Close the gates Marie! |
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| Lough Ree, near Athlone, County Westmeath |
We also stopped of to visit to Athlone Castle while we there and walked over to the nearby Custume barracks where my great-grandfather was billeted during his time here. It is so named after Sgt Custume, a hero of the siege of Athlone by the British Williamite army in 1691. It is still a military establishment where the 6th Infantry Battalion of the Irish Army are garrisoned. We talked to one of the soldiers there who suggested we check out the Collins Museum in Dublin for more information about the late 1800s time period we were interested in. Isaac Steward must have visited the castle while he was stationed here as it is only five minutes from the barracks but he probably didn't have to pay to get in as we did. The Castle, from the 12th century, details the heroics of Sgt Custume and others as well as the history of Athlone in eight exhibition spaces. Just a few minutes walk from the castle was Sean's Bar, the oldest pub in Ireland and another place where Isaac may have stepped in for a Guinness when off duty. Before leaving for our next Airbnb we picked up a few souvenirs of the town and turned our thoughts to our last stop tomorrow - Dublin. GWS
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| Sgt Custume |
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| Sean's Bar, oldest pub in Ireland |
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