Dublin to Kanturk, Co. Cork by Rail

My daughters and I plan to travel to Ireland in June 2020. We will fly to Dublin and spend a couple of days there. Then we would like to travel to Kanturk, Co. Cork, the birthplace of my maternal grandmother by rail. I understand one can purchase a rail pass and would like information on that. I have looked at timetables and see that we can probably get to Mallow and would then have to find transportation to Kanturk. Is there bus service or taxi service? While there we would like to visit Blarney and hopefully the Waterford Crystal Factory. What would be the best way to get to those places? We won't have a car. We are really excited about making this trip and I hope to do a bit of genealogy in Kanturk and maybe even find some living relatives. Thank you for any help you can provide.
Patricia Siler
Callaway, Virginia, USA

Hello Patricia, 

It is so exciting that you are planning on exploring the Emerald Isle with your daughters in the summer of 2020! I would love to provide you with some tips and information to help you plan the perfect trip. :)

Spending a few days in Dublin is a wonderful idea because you will be able to get to know this friendly city before you make your way to Kanturk. Here you can find anything from history, culture, music, lovely food to friendly people. Is there anything in particular that you would like to see or do?

Travelling by rail is a great way to sit back, relax and enjoy the view while travelling to Mallow. Once you get there you can hop on Bus Éireann's line 243 to Kanturk, and you'll arrive at your destination within 30 minutes. You can buy your train and bus tickets up to 3 months in advance, and usually you get an early bird discount when you book online. 

Have you thought about going on a tour to Blarney Castle and the Waterford Crystal Factory? The 243 service can bring you to Cork, and from there there are many options available. You will be picked up in the city and brought back at the end of a full day of exploring. :)

If you prefer making your own way around by public transport you can also travel to Waterford  (line 40) and Blarney  (line 215) by bus directly from Cork. 

It's also very exciting to hear about your Irish roots! Have you done a lot of research into your ancestry already? I'd be more than happy to provide you with more tips and suggestions for your research from home, as well as which archives to visit when you're here. 

I hope this was helpful, and if there is anything else you'd like to know, please don't hesitate to get in touch! :) 

Warm regards,

Melin

Dear Melin.

Thank you so much. You've provided just the information we need! I've been to Ireland and spent a couple of days in Dublin and can't wait to take my daughters there. I loved the city, the history, the people, the food, the music!

Thank you for the information on rail to Mallow and bus to Kanturk and the information on online ticket purchase.
I think the idea of a day tour to Waterford and Blarney would be perfect for us.

I have a lot of information on my grandfather's family from Co. Fermanagh, because many of his family live near where I grew up in Massachusetts and I'm in contact with some of them. The story on my grandmother is that she was born in Kanturk and had moved to Enniskillen with an employer. She was either a nanny or maid. She met my grandfather there during World War I. After the war, he went back to Boston, got a job and a place to live and sent for her. They were married three days after her arrival. My grandmother died shortly after her second child, my uncle, was born and my mother was raised by one of my grandfather's sisters. She saw little of her father and brother and was estranged from her father as an adult. I have a nagging feeling her family was never notified of her death and had no idea what happened to her. I've tried over the years to find records and perhaps living relatives. I feel that if I go there, I might have better luck. I could use some suggestions of where to look for records (church, library, etc.)

Thank you again.
Pat

Hi Pat,

What a poignant story! IIn order to see if there are still living relatives you would have to see if you can find a birth certificate for your grandmother for starters of course.

Kanturk is in both Co. Cork and a little bit in Co. Limerick. So records might be either in the county centre of Cork or of Limerick. A good place to start would be the Cork Genealogical Society. I would advise you to contact them by email before you travel, as they may well have records of members of your grandmother's family, or a good idea of where you can search for them. Cork City Council has a comprehensive guide online to help you find your ancestors.

What information do you have on your grandmother? Do you know a date of birth and perhaps the names of her parents, or maybe she mentioned siblings back in Ireland at some time that may have been recorded?

Cork to Enniskillen is quite a long way to travel, so it is most likely that your grandmother was in service and moved with the family. If you know of an approximate year, it may even be possible to search the census records to see if you can find someone by the name of your grandmother in Enniskillen at the time of the census.

Wishing you a wonderful day,
Cornelia

Dear Cornelia,

Thank you for your reply. I was unaware that Kanturk was also in County Limerick, which makes sense. She listed a sister in Limerick as her next of kin on the ship manifest when she came to the US. I need to look at the manifest and get her sister's name.

I do have my grandmother's birth date. She was Julia Cronin, born 31 March 1876. She was listed as a twin. Her father was John Cronin and her mother was Hanora (my mother referred to her as Nora) Buckley. Her father's birth place was listed as North Glynn. This is from Ireland Births and Baptisms 1620-1881. I will need to go back and see if I can find a copy of the actual birth certificate. I found this on FamilySearch.org in 2015.

Again, thank you!

Pat

Hi again Cornelia,
I realized that the record I was quoting on Julia Cronin is not "my" Julia. She was too old. So now I'm searching again. I'm surprised at the number of Julia Cronins there were/are in County Cork, even with parents with the same names!
Pat

Hi Patricia,

This is indeed one of the common snags of genealogical research, and trust me, we've all had it happen. :) Not to mention the family lines where parental or grand parental names are handed down through not one branch, but two or three or even more. Still, it's what makes this all so interesting (and sometimes quite challenging!).

If you're quite certain of the age your grandmother was when she died it's often possible to do a general search 5 years either way of the supposed year of birth.

The ship's manifest can be a great way to find the right one though. It all depends on what the shipping company wrote down on its passenger lists. Do you know where your grandmother landed? Ports of entry sometimes keep lists too, Ellis Island being a prime example of course.

Wishing you a wonderful day,
Cornelia