Prompt: Witness to History                                                                                 January 18,2024

World War II, indeed, was a global conflict that had a profound and lasting impact on the world we live in today. From 1939 to 1945, millions of people were killed, cities were destroyed, and the political landscape of the world was forever changed.  

The war was fought on land, sea, and air, with major battles taking place in Europe, Asia, and Africa.  Some of the most well-known battles include the Battle of Iwo Jima, the D-Day invasion, and the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

We've all seen movies, read books and heard stories. But there were those who lived and partook in this history. 

Biagio "Bennie" Philip Vampatella was 14 when the war started. Born in Connecticut on the 4th of July 1925, he was the first son of Philip and Antoinette Vampatella. As the naming pattern of Italian families go, he was named after his paternal grandfather. 

I imagine the family huddling around the radio and listening with anxiety and anticipation to the distant news of the day. Bombs, air raids, captures, injuries, and deaths occurring across the Atlantic and Pacific. Family discussions regarding the role of the United States and its allies against fascism, the role and the power of democracy and freedom. Bennie's father reminding his family what life was like in Sicily and how much better life was in the U.S. because this country heard the voices of its people in making laws and decisions and voting in the leader of the country. This is the "land of the free and the home of the brave".

In 1943, 2 days before he turned 18, Bennie enlisted in the navy. He was assigned to the U.S.S. Arkansas, a dreadnought battleship. The Arkansas was initially used to accompany occupied forces to Europe but help was needed on the sea to assist in the war effort.  The ship needed some repairs and updates. When they were completed, her first mission was June 6, 1944 off the northern coast of France - D-Day! 

Arkansas (BB 33) (navy.mil) - More Information about the U.S.S. Arkansas

Bennie was in the Gunnery Department along with many other men. The sailors would have been dwarfed by the sheer size of the 12-inch guns they toiled to load. These behemoths, towering like steel sentinels, were capable of hurling shells weighing over a ton, each one a monstrous harbinger of destruction for the enemy lines.  

Imagine the scene: Bennie, his muscles straining under the exertion, heaving on ropes thick as his arm to drag a shell up the loading ramp. his comrades, faces grim with determination, would be manhandling other components, their synchronized movements a desperate ballet against the clock. the Guns themselves, their dark bores glinting with malevolent purpose, would dominate the space, their every shudder a portent of the violence to come.

General Eisenhower lead the initiative of the allies to storm the beaches of Normandy. D-Day!!  The ship was located about 4,000 yards off Omaha beach.  All the men were aware that their goal was to bomb the hell out of the Germans in hopes of softening the enemy before the land invasion. The intensity of their mission was felt throughout the ship. This was the do or die moment for the allies. Bennie along with his fellow gunners, loaded those barrels and started firing about 6am for about 40 minutes before the assault troops landed on the beach.  The sounds of the guns were deafening, the acrid smell of cordite, the smoke and sweat burned their eyes as these crew members worked tirelessly to aid in the landing of the troops on Omaha Beach.

Bennie's father, Philip Vampatella writes in Passeggiata: When the firing ceased, "the forward part of the wooden cover over the steel decking of the Arkansas was torn up and in splinters, not from enemy shell hits but from concussion or vacuum created by her own blasts. That night Ben left the gun turret, found a spread tarpaulin on a section of deck, crept under it, went to sleep with his head resting on what appeared to be a sea bag. On awaking he found the ship heading westward and the object he had used a a pillow, the rigid body of a dead shipmate". 

Meanwhile, back in Great River, Long Island, New York, Ben's mom and dad listened to the radio and heard the first radio bulletin on NBC - 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K9xk9GaV0NE

The Arkansas's job continued the 25th of June bombarding Cherbourg attacking the German fortification of the port.  The allies won!

From the end of June to September, Bennie and his fellow crewmates helped the allied forces in Oran, Algeria; Taranto, Italy; southern France; and Sicily then headed back to Boston for repairs. 

Bennie's little brother Philip was 4 years old when Bennie got leave.  Philip writes, "Now I really don't know if he had called ahead or if it was a surprise... but one day, big brother Ben appeared at the front door. He had gotten some time off while the ship was in port.  I remember jumping for joy, but most of all, I remember my mother, his mother, and her reactions. she grabbed him and wouldn't let go. she cried, she laughed, she loved, she kissed him. I never before (or since) seen such consummate joy in a human being as I saw in my mother that moment. But that's when the trouble started. Mom when she had collected herself, asked 'how long are you home for'? 'For a little while,' he said and I, a four year old, had no idea what a "little while" meant.  Was it minutes? Was it hours? all I know is that I broke into uncontrollable sobs because I thought he was leaving right away. As it was he was home for a week or so." 

The war continued and Bennie was now headed to the Pacific via the Panama Canal. The Arkansas was situated off the west coast of Iwo Jima in February 1945. The goal - the take the island and its airfields from the Imperial Japanese Army. They bombarded the Japanese resistance so the Marines could land on the island and take it over.  

In March of the same year they headed to Okinawa. For 46 days they bombarded the beach while the kamikaze's attempted to attack the Arkansas without success. A testament to the tenacity of its crew, who under Bennie's watchful gaze, kept the guns spitting defiance in the face of impossible odds.

Bennie's desire to fight for his country, defend against tyranny, and support a democratic way of life lead him into some of the most important battles of the war. He witnessed war firsthand and watched the tide turn in favor of the allies.

As Bennie stepped off the Arkansas at war's end, he carried within him the scars, both physical and emotional, of his wartime experiences. He had seen the face of evil, felt the sting of loss, and tasted the bitter sweetness of victory. But he also carried the unwavering spirit of a man who had stared into the abyss and emerged, forever changed, but unbroken. 

 

Prompt #3 FAVORITE PHOTO                                                                              January 15, 2024

Who is that elegant woman walking down the boardwalk in Atlantic City? It’s clear everyone wants to know. Look at them all turning to look at her! She walks with dignity and grace. People can’t even get close to her because she’s so special. She wears a wide brimmed hat to shade her from the hot sun which protects her silky-smooth skin. Her white gloves scrunched down to her wrists for a fashionable statement. A string of pearls encircles her neck. A simple dress for a daytime stroll, with hose and heels. 

Who took this photo? The photographer blurred the boardwalk’s throng into a haze leaving only this lovely lady to be the star.  Is she a celebrity, a socialite, a wealthy individual or even someone of royal descent?  She looks off and wears a Mona Lisa smile. What is she thinking? Who was she thinking about?

 

 

This is no celebrity, no socialite, no one of royal descent.  This is my great grandmother, Angelina Beccherini nee Bianchi. Nona was born in Treviglio, Italy on the 3^rd day of July 1883 and died in Islip, New York on the 4^th of December 1965. I remember playing a card game with her - “Steel the old man’s pack”. Nona was a tiny lady.  I remember being about 6 or 7 years old and being the same height as her.  Her curly hair was her gift to me. Her speech had a strong Italian accent pronouncing her words with stress on different syllables - for example comfortable was "comFORtable"

Angelina, along with her sister Arturina, arrived in New York on 4 June 1904 on the S.S. La Lorraine. They had $100.00 and they were going to their "brother Bianchi" on 78 Charlton St. New York. Her nationality was Italian, but her last permanent address was Havre France. 

She married Carlo Beccherini on the 14^th of October 1907 in New York City at St. Vincent De Paul and their original marriage certificate is written in French!  

She was very close with my father whom she called “Sonny”. Nona was a very special lady and I'm glad I got to meet her. 

 

 

PROMPT: Origins                                                                                     January 5, 2024

When I was a little girl, I was always curious to know where in Italy my family came from.  Both grandfathers, it was said, came from beautiful sunny Sicily – my paternal grandfather from Palermo and my maternal grandfather from Siracusa.  My paternal grandmother’s family was from Milan and my maternal grandmother’s family was from Naples.  As with most of us, even today, many times when someone asks us where we are from, we tend to give them the nearest largest city.  Although I didn’t realize this in my early years, I did learn this as I was doing my family history. 

Years later, I set off on a quest to find exactly where in Naples my maternal great grandfather, Sebastiano “Steve” Rapuano was born. His date of birth was November 2, 1877.  I was armed with Grandpa Philip’s memoir, “Passaggiata”. The book painted a vivid picture of the man who would eventually become his father-in-law, Steve Rapuano. Philip tells of the time that he and his father Biagio were at the humble home of Sebastiano and Mariella Rapuano in New Haven, Connecticut for the first time. 

Philip writes, “It did not take long for the two fathers to get chummy after revealing each other’s family history. It appeared that Steve migrated from Puglianello, near Naples and landed in New Haven when he was in his early teens.”

Puglianello is a comune or municipality in the Province of Benevento in the region of Campania.  Puglianello is about 60 Km(37 miles) north of Naples. 

 

The search for a birth record for Steve started.  Antenati.cultura.gov.it, is an online treasure trove of Italian vital records.  I searched in Puglianello and in various years of birth without any luck.  This was a painstaking search that ended in disappointment. My search broadened to other comunes in the Provence of Benevento and stumbled upon Sebastiano’s birth record in a quaint village nestled in the mountains called FAICCHIO!! What a find!! Not only did it match his birthday, I learned the names of his parents! Angelantonio Rapuano and Mariantonia Friso or Freso – my great great grandparents – the people who are some of the reason I sit here today writing this story. I want to know more!

 Faicchio is 8.6 Km (5.3miles) north of Puglianello.

San Salvatore Telesino is 5.9 Km from Faicchio (3.6 miles) and 5 Km from Puglianello (3.1 miles)

Angelantonio Rapuano was 31 years old in 1877 so I took an educated guess that he was born about 1846 in Faicchio.  The search was grueling, always ending in disappointment.  As I was perusing through ancestry.com, my curiosity was piqued by a man who had a huge Rapuano/Rabuano family tree. The “p” and “b” have similar sounds and many times they are interchanged in the records. Tom was good enough to answer my messages and lo and behold, we are very distant cousins along the Rapuano line. His thorough and extensive research had me focus on a very ancient village called San Salvatore Telesino.

BINGO!! Angelantonio was born 25 September 1846 in San Salvatore Telesino to Sebastiano Rapuano and Maria Grazia di Brigida!  I am now dancing throughout the house and yelling, “I found it!” to anyone who would listen! (My poor husband Mark).

Tom’s research has led him to discover some of our oldest Rapuano/Rabuano ancestors, two of whom are Nicola and Cleto who were born in the late 1500’s.  It is unknown how they may be related, but it is likely they are our 10^th Great Grandfathers. 

Without Tom’s expert experience, I may never have found the origin of my Rapuano/Rabuano ancestors.

 

 

Prompt: FAMILY LORE                                                                                          JAN 5, 2024

Little Vincent Huneke born Dec 3, 1901, in Brooklyn, New York, loved playing with his grandfather, Anthony Rush born Nov 16, 1835 in Roscommon, Ireland. Vincent was living at 334 39^th Street, Brooklyn, New York with his father, George Huneke, his mother, Margaret, his siblings, Helen, Bernadette, Lillian, and George C and his grandfather, Anthony Rush and his uncle Patrick J. Rush.

They were getting ready for winter and Vincent was out with his granda chopping wood.  At 75, Anthony had a little loss of hearing and a touch of senility. That didn’t stop him from telling his grandsire stories of his antics in the Civil War.  With his strong Irish brogue, he told Vincent of the various battles that Company C of the 78^th New York Regiment Infantry engaged in.  I Imagine it went something like this:

Aye, the memories of war, lad, they cling to you like the scent of gunpowder and sweat.

I remember it like it was yesterday. It was a hot day that August of 1862. We were at Cedar Mountain in Culpepper County, Virginia. There were rolling hills that reminded me of my home in Ireland.  But the forest was thick and that helped us battle those confederates.  So many were wounded and died, but I survived.

Just a month later, on an early September morning, the battle of Antietam occurred in Maryland. Now that was a battle to end all battles, but it didn’t! The air was thick with smoke and the sounds of canons. We were able to push those confederates back. But that damn Lee refused to retreat, and the battle continued into the evening. We were all exhausted!!

Aye, then there was that Battle at Chancellorsville. That was three days of hell in May 1863.  We marched in with numbers on our side, a tide of blue against the rebel gray. Yet, Lee, the old fox, outsmarted us. He slithered through the thickets, flanking us with whispers of steel and smoke. The union was outsmarted, and we had to retreat. 

Aye, this damn lumbago!! It’s a brutal beast that has caused me so many problems since that bullet caught me. I was shot by some johnny reb in Chancellorsville.

Vincent, a rambunctious little boy, rolled his eyes at the blarney his granda was giving him. He had heard the stories before, and the ailments Anthony complained about. Finally, after hearing enough, Vincent says, “Well, you wouldn’t have been shot in the back if you weren’t runnin’ away!” At that, Anthony picked up his axe and hurled it at Vincent missing him by a hair.

This family story led to years of research and the truth.  Anthony was in those battles, and he was shot at the Battle of Chancellorsville on May 2, 1863.  His left hand near his index finger had a bullet through it. Per his deposition to the special counsel regarding pension Anthony says, “…he looked at my hand; three or four other doctors were busy amputating and the hospital steward – don’t know his name – washed my hand. The doctor bound up my hand and I remained about two days around camp when we got (unable to read) away. Doctor took out splinters of bone; I didn’t go to hospital; the troops fell back about the 5^th of May and I joined the regiment….”

It always made the family proud that their ancestor was fighting for the union army and they would chuckle to think he was running away when he got shot.  He wasn’t running – he was fighting!!

 

Prompt: “Should have been a movie”                                                               May 4, 2023

The Case of the “Hobby Horse” was a real whodunnit what should have been a movie.

https://www.heartofconeyisland.com/steeplechase-park-coney-island.html

In the late 1800’s and early 1900’s Coney Island, New York offered much fun and relaxation for the rich and poor alike.  The beaches, the delicious new Coney Island Hot Dog, and the Steeplechase ride! This ride was invented by George C. Tilyou who was looking for ways for people to have fun.  He had started with the Ferris Wheel and then built this magnificent structure in 1897.   The ride was gravity-powered, and the six horses made of steel, wood, and wheels could go up to 25 miles per hour on six parallel rails.

Each horse held 2 people.

 https://www.heartofconeyisland.com/steeplechase-park-coney-island.html

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steeplechase_Park

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IRiwXzgCaVQ -video of the Steeplechase Ride at Coney Island

On a sunny day in August 1897¹ the amusement park was packed with people. George Huneke and his friend John Walters wanted to experience a thrill-seeking adventure on the Steeplechase. They probably stopped for a hot dog and maybe a beer and got on the ride.  John and George paid the 25 cents and John sat on the front of the horse and George on the back. On the horse next to John and George was a young woman.

 After being on the ride for about 30-40 feet, George says, “(I) experienced a sudden jar which threw (me) violently forward and to one side and then off the horse. The horse proceeded and (my) leg was mangled”.² George went right to the hospital and that night had his left leg³ amputated from above the knee. (The 12 Mar 1903 newspaper article “Mounted Horse in Court” says it was his right leg that was crushed-we cannot be sure which leg was injured,)

Having only one leg must have caused hardship for George, his wife Margaret (nee Rush) and their children: Marguerite, Helen, Bernadette, Ester (who died at 2 weeks of age) and their newest child, Vincent born 1901. As a Mercantile clerk, he couldn’t earn much to support his family. George likely used a prosthetic leg such as the one in the picture.

In March of 1902, George decided to sue the West Brighton Amusement Company, who owned Steeplechase, and George C. Tilyou, one of the directors, for $30,000 .  It became known as the “hobby horse case” because the steeplechase horse stood in the middle of the courtroom during the trial.   After a week and a half of testimony, Justice Betts awarded George $25,429.24. WOW!! This was one of the “heaviest verdicts ever rendered by a jury in Kings County”. That was a lot of money in 1902!! This much money could have offered the Huneke family a nicer home, clothing and maybe a better prosthetic leg!

By July 1902, the West Brighton Amusement Company still had not paid a cent and George started another judgement against the Company, In February 1903 the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court reversed the earlier judgement and the case was sent back for another trial. According to The Brooklyn Daily Times⁴, during the first trial, the jury was instructed to “Infer from the accident having occurred that the defendant (West Brighton Amusement Company) was negligent”. Justice Bartlett, who was now proceeding with the current judgement said,

“It seems quite clear to my mind that in a case like this, where there is a square issue upon the proof, as to which of two actors, the plaintiff or the defendant, caused the fall which injured the plaintiff, it is error to tell the jury that they many infer that the defendant is the party responsible therefor simply from the fact that the accident occurred.”

The defense, West Brighton Amusement Company, gave up interest in the steeplechase ride in April 1902 and  the property now belonged to George C. Tilyou.  Tilyou says that all the equipment on the Steeplechase was working well on that summer day in 1897 but George was “skylarking” (horsing around – no pun intended).  They say he was leaning over to interact with the woman on the next horse trying to grab her reins when his leg got caught under the hind leg of his horse and his leg was mangled. 

In trying to prove a point, Stephen C. Baldwin, George’s attorney, mounted one of the steeplechase horses that was in the courtroom and per the Brooklyn Daily Times and said:

“Gentlemen of the jury,….you notice that my legs are long. The defense set up is that Huneke was skylarking and leaning over to catch the bridle of another horse ridden by a young woman, and that his leg went under the body of the horse and was caught by the horse’s hind leg and a stanchion.  Gentlemen of the jury, I am now leaning over.  As I said, I have long legs, yet you see that it would be impossible for even my long legs to go under the horse and be broken and torn as was the leg of Huneke”.⁵

The jury could not agree on a verdict. There was talk of another trial, but I was unable to get any court documents regarding any of the trials .  One can only imagine what really happened on that day on the steeplechase ride. 

 

1. “Verdict of $25,000 For Loss of a Leg”, The Brooklyn Citizen 14 Mar 1902 page 11

2.  “25,000 Verdict Set Aside” Brooklyn Times, Brooklyn, New York,  Friday February 13, 1903,  page 1, column 2.

3.  “Verdict for $25,000.” The Brooklyn Daily Eagle, Brooklyn, New York, Friday March 14, 1902 page 12.

4. ”$25,000 Verdict Set Aside” The Brooklyn Daily Times: Brooklyn, New York, Friday, February 13, 1903 page 1.

5. “Mounted Horse in Court”, The Brooklyn Daily Times; Brooklyn, New York; Thursday, March 12, 1903 page 4.

 

 

 

 

 

 

“Starts with a vowel”                                                                                                           


   
April 2, 2023

Anna and the Airplane

I would like to Announce to you my “Starts with a vowel” prompt and my mother - Anna Dolores Golden nee Vampatella, born May 26, 1930 and died January 7, 2012.    Anna had a lot of Admirable Attributes and some interesting ones.

Anna’s Artistic Acumen was Astounding! She loved to sit in her chair watching TV and sketching whatever came to her head. When sketching, her preferred Aesthetic was focused on the Awesome beauty and Allure of women and nature. She especially loved sketching women – their faces, their hands, their beauty.  Her Artistic interest moved to painting with oils and would Aspire to be like Bob Ross and Absorb his tips on painting landscapes.  Only once do I remember Anna taking an Adult Ed Art class with my Aunt Marie, her sister. When she was younger, she created a mermaid made of clay. Not only did she sculpt the mermaid but she painted her.  I remember loving that mermaid. I know the mermaid broke but I do not remember if I was the culprit or was it just due to time. I was Astounded as a child as I am now to think of the Affinity for Art that lay in her fingers.

This was one of her "doodles"!! 

Anna Adored her children, grandchildren and all her family – they were everything to her! The Admiration went both ways – we loved her too!

Anna had an Addiction to Alcohol and cigarettes.  She Attached herself to Alcoholics Anonymous to help with her Addiction to Alcohol. When she died, she had more than 40 years of sobriety!! Her courage to battle this disease was Amazing and Admirable.  Cigarettes was a far more difficult Addiction to Abandon and she smoked for more years than I will ever know.  Emphysema was the Aftereffect of smoking and she Agonized with each breath. She became Attached to her oxygen. 

So, what does this have to do with the Airplane?  Nothing, I just wanted to Acquaint you with my Amazingly Awesome mother Anna.

The Airplane: There was a time when my brother, Charlie who lived in Arizona and had some Ailments. Mom, my brother Robbie, sister-in-law Ronnie and I decided to go to Arizona to see my Ailing brother. 

Anna also had some Anxiety. Anxiety that Affected others. One of her Anxiety related issues was to Airplanes. Not the Airplane itself but flying on Airplanes. 

In Anticipation of the Airplane flight, Anna got a special oxygen tank that could be used on an Airplane. The Apprehension of the flight to Arizona only Augmented the Anxiety.  Robbie and Ronnie sat behind us.  Mom was on an Aisle seat and I was in the middle with her oxygen tank under the seat in front of me. Mom’s Angst made her do some very funny things.  I’m laughing as I write this. 

 As we started taxiing, I was trying to Avert mom’s Attention by talking to her about Anything I could think of.  I’m watching her and I notice she is leaning into the Aisle and staring straight Ahead but I kept talking to her.  She is not Answering me but I kept talking hoping to Alleviate her Anxiety. She finally turns to me and Annoyingly Announces, “Would you please stop talking, I’m trying to help the pilot fly the plane!” ….. Oh, Mama!!

Anna’s Absence has Affected me dearly, but her Antics will Always be Adhered to my heart.

 

“Lucky”                                                                                                                                                  March 15, 2023

This week’s prompt is LUCKY! I’m guessing it’s because St. Patrick’s Day is coming up and everyone knows the saying, “The luck of the Irish”! So, let’s talk about those Irish!!

Picture it – Ireland, March 2020, just before the world shut down from a Covid-19 Pandemic. I’m sure that conjures up a great deal of words and memories for those of you reading this, the least of which “lucky” is NOT one of those words, but we were in Ireland looking for more ancestors of the Gallagher clan.  Our trip was planned for March 8- 20^th. Here we go!!

We arrived in Dublin early in the morning Monday March 9^th, 2020 – the red eye flights suck! We were tired but rented a stick shift car that drives on the left-hand side of the road and drove into Dublin during morning rush hour.  Getting to our hotel was like going through a maze making all left turns when our hotel was on the right.   Silly us, we thought we had to follow the rules of the road and continued making left turns, until we made a U-turn in the middle of the road and finally made it into the hotel.  The question was, would they let us in so early in the morning when check in was about 4pm? We got LUCKY – our room was ready, and we got some sleep.  

We were in Dublin for 2 days, went to the National Library of Ireland and did some research. LUCKILY, we were able to find the civil marriage record of Mark’s great grandfather, James Gallagher and his great grandmother, Margaret McGloin which had the names of their fathers!! This was a great find!

The saying, “March comes in like a lion and goes out like a lamb” seems to hold true for Ireland.  It was cold and rainy and snowy.  We left Dublin for the town of Bundoran in the county of Donegal to find our B&B. Driving was a bit of a challenge when it was snowing and the roads were narrow.  Mark kept getting stuck in 1^st gear. After a while I just started laughing at the whole situation.  We safely made it to Bundoran.

By Wednesday, we started getting notifications from our daughters that this Covid thing was getting bad and we needed to be careful. Word was it was highly transmissible and caused death.  I felt we were pretty safe. Who in their right mind goes to Ireland in March when the weather is this bad!! We were the only ones in our B&B – we even got to pick out which room we wanted.

Thursday, March 12, we went to St. Patrick’s Church in Ballyshannon – the Gallagher’s hometown in Ireland.  The church is in Kilbarron Parish and it was beautiful! And right in the center of Ballyshannon, so walking around was easy.  The Parish office was on campus and we walked in and found a young man named Ray who was in charge of digitizing church records.  We explained to him that we are in search of Gallagher ancestors.  He was able to give us the baptismal records for Mark’s grandfather, Charles Francis Gallagher as well as his siblings and the church marriage record for James and Margaret!! How LUCKY is that!! Now off to the Abby Catholic Cemetery in Ballyshannon, we were sure to find some Gallagher’s there, right???

If I were Steven King, I would have the right words to describe the Abby Cemetery on March 12^th in the afternoon. So, instead I will say, “It was a dark and stormy” afternoon! The wind was whipping through us and the rain was cold and almost horizontal.  The cemetery was very old and the older graves were towards the back of the cemetery.  The graves were right next to each other all with rocky boarders wet with moss and dirt. Since Mark’s family would have been buried there in the late 1800’s we had to trudge over these graves and read each one to find a Gallagher or McGloin.  We did find some, but none of the names looked familiar.  Mark gave up quickly – it was not a pleasant experience.  I want to go back. He says he’ll never do that again.  We were LUCKY there were no ghosts!!

We also found a museum in a small section of a department store and met two men who were self-

proclaimed historians of Ballyshannon. They were a wealth of information.  We knew of a public house that Mark’s Uncle Pat McGloin had on Eastport called the Railway Hotel in the 1800’s. The day before we walked up and down the street looking for what might have been Pat McGloin’s public house to no avail.  The guys in the museum picked up the phone to find out who owned the Railway Hotel and who owns it now. That’s how we found the “Bullfrog” Bar – the current name! This bar was named for the “Bullfrog Blues” by famous rocker Rory Gallagher. No direct relation.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3GvQ5gNKsQ4

Another LUCKY find!!

We were able to see a wee bit of Ireland but realized that the United States would be issuing a travel ban starting March 13.  We were not able to reach anyone to change our tickets despite Mark being on the phone on hold for hours, but we were able to purchase one-way tickets back to the US for Saturday, March 14, 2020.  We left before sunrise to drive across the country from Bundoran to Dublin.  We dropped off the car and got into the airport only to find the line to go through immigration and customs for the US (in Ireland you go through customs and immigration on their side when coming to the US) was about ½ mile long.  No masks, no distancing, just a lot of confusion and thousands of wayfarers trying to get home, all huddled in narrow security lanes.  We finally get to immigration and I passed through without any problems. Mark is pulled off into a closed room and I’m waiting outside that room unclear what was going on.  After about 30-45min he finally comes out and says that he was quizzed as to what other countries he was in this past week.  He let them know it was only Ireland, but they wanted him to PROVE it.  LUCKILY, he had pictures on his phone everyday we were in Ireland – including when we went to the Beleek factory which is a stone’s throw from the Republic of Ireland and is technically in Northern Ireland – supposedly a different country.  They finally let him out and we were able to catch the plane which was delayed due to the backlog at the airport. 

WHEW!! What a trip!! Although it was a whirlwind, we had a good time and were LUCKY to find the info we found and to get out safe and sound without covid!!