Coffey Family, Texas
My Ireland Heritage was contacted by the Coffey Family from Texas when all they had to go on was some vague Internet information that the Family were from West Cork and may have had some connection going back to the Celtic period 500 BC in Ireland and the “Seven Heads” area around Kinsale.
The records in Ireland have many Gaps in them but Seán and the My Ireland Team explored the area before the Visit to make sure he spoke with Locals and sure enough found exactly what we were looking for.
During our trip in Ireland we were lucky enough to be given a historical heritage tour by Sean. I had contacted him only a couple of weeks before our trip to Ireland to see if he would be available to do a one day heritage trip. Sean was quick to reply and willing to prepare something for us although I did not leave him very much time. He provided us a wealth of knowledge on the Coffey family’s history as well as the history of Ireland overall.
He drove down to Cork to meet us at our hotel the night before the trip. He went over all the research he had accumulated and told us what he had planned for the next day. He was open to changing the itinerary if we were not interested in some aspects he had found. We decided to trust him and are all glad we did not change anything. The next morning after breakfast we headed out and immediately Sean began informing us on the history of the region.
There was not a dull moment where there wasn’t something to learn. It was evident that Sean had already done prior research on the area. He informed us that much of the information he gets comes from the locals. In order to find the exact location of the Coffey’s town lands, we needed to take many small country roads. If it weren’t for Sean we would of had no hope of finding these areas, so we are thankful that we chose to have him drive us. A definite tour off the beaten path.
Sean had visited all of the areas prior to our visit so there was no backtracking or getting lost. He allowed us ample time to walk around certain landmarks and take photographs. He showed us the town lands and graveyards where our ancestors resided in Desertserges. We were even able to find some graves dating back over two hundred years.
Our journey continued and Sean took us along the southern coast until we got over the mountains and past two lakes into the city of Killarney. He took us through a wonderful scenic route and we were able to see many beautiful landscapes while he explained their significance. Sean kept us entertained throughout the journey and was very patient with us given our limited knowledge of Ireland prior to our visit.
We ended our trip in Killarney after first stopping by Muckross Abbey in Killarney National Park. Sean had located some graves for us in his previous visit so we did not have to spend our time searching them out ourselves. He did a wonderful job tailoring the trip to our interests and was able to include additional stops that were relevant to the history of Ireland as well. He dropped us off at our hotel in Killarney for the evening and left for home.
Although we had not scheduled it, we later met up with Sean in Dublin where he provided us a quick historical tour of all the major monuments. In just a few hours he was able to show us many monuments and locations. We learned the significance of many parts of Dublin and how it impacted the country’s heritage over time. It was definitely better than a bus tour. Sean was always so accommodating and it really shows how passionate he is not only about his work but about his charity.
Our only regret is that we had only booked him for one day. In the future I would definitely schedule a longer tour. If we go back to Ireland, Sean will be the first person we contact. I highly recommend him to anyone looking for research into their heritage or anyone interested in the history of Ireland. He is the perfect model of Irish hospitality and overall just one of the nicest people we had the pleasure to spend the day with.
Thanks Sean for a great tour. You were my father’s highlight of the vacation for sure. He is already trying to make plans to go back.
Sincerely,
Tiffany
