Today was a long awaited day for Kerry. I know I promised on numerous occasions to find her ancestors graves in Limerick….it’s been a few weeks since her request…snow ….floods …rain….general life got in the way….but today I found myself along with my wife and kids going through every back road in the county of Limerick to find her ancestors graves. There were moments when we thought that we would never find this place but eventually and with the help of local people guiding us on our way …we stumbled across this beautiful cemetery in the hills of Kilcolman….a cemetery in the shadow of a foreboding church with a wonderful view of the surrounding lands. We were greeted with a very well tended cemetery….headstones and lawns well cared for. This was a cemetery that the people were proud of. Anybody who was laid to rest in this place knew that they would not be forgotten in the afterlife.
Our task was to find the headstone and grave of the Quilty family….a family I had never heard of up until January of this year. All I knew was that this man John Quilty had been born in the early 1800’s and was married to Ellen O Shaughnessy. I expected to be looking upon a dillapidated twisted headstone with unreadable writing on it. This can be the case for many headstones especially if the family have left the area. This was not the case for the Quilty family. They obviously are a proud family and have not forgotten their roots. This grave was in perfect condition with the most wonderful aspect over the surrounding hinterland.
I hope that Kerry and her father don’t mind me posting such a personal and heart rending story…a story that reaches back many years to the homeland that they came from. Some went on to other lands with no other choice in the matter and others stayed behind to tend the land …..but one thing is for sure they can be very proud of their heritage…..I hope you like the pictures I have posted….
View from Church of Cemetary
Kilcolman Church
Quilty Grave
Graveyard with Church in Background
Inscription on Headstone
My 3 ladies
View from Grave
End of Era 
Well my friend, you have really bridged a gap in this big old world! I had just heard from a distant cousin on Prince Edward Island( a Quilty lass!) and then I recieved your heartwrenching message. It has even taken me away from the Canadian men’s Olympic hockey game (sorry Johnny!). I am still in a state of high emotion and truth be told, tears ran down my cheeks while I read of your adventure…the fact that you made this journey at a simple internet request has instilled in me the faith of how kind and generous people are. The photos are AMAZING and it looks like the most peaceful and restful spot to be. So I will raise my glass to you and your beautiful family…be proud…they are all so sweet and you are so lucky to have one another. I’m glad you shared this with them. I think, when I do return to Ireland, a trip to this place as well as Cork (to meet you all) will be number one on my list….cheers to you and yours…
Slainte chugat.
P.S…Hope you don’t mind but I sent a link to this post from my blog..Cheers again!
What a beautiful person you are, doing this for Kerry!
And your lovely words about the loss of her sister…
Nice to meet a wonderful soul!