My great-great-grandfather, Michael O’Donnell was born in Ballybunion, County Kerry, Ireland and emigrated to Québec, Canada at the beginning of the great famine. His daughter, my great-auntie Mae returned to Ireland several times and shared slides of her journeys. We used to tease her since she never married and how a man holds her by the waist as she is lying on her back kissing the Blarney Stone. She would get a good chuckle out of that.

I would love to visit my roots one day and check out the castle ruins in County Kerry. Maybe I would be inspired to write a fairy tale or two.

.ballybunion.ie

emerald eyes gleam
hanging on his every word
tales of yore

County Kerry castles thrive
now – mere stone walls here and there

claims royal heirlooms
ripped from his ancestors
at Blarney Castle

©Tournesol’16/06/20

Carpe Diem “Ireland”

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6 responses to “Irish eyes are smiling (haibun)”

  1. lensgirl53 Avatar

    I would love to visit my ancestral home of Ireland one day! It must be beautiful!!

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    1. Cheryl-Lynn Avatar

      Yes, I must check with my family who have been several times to get the places to see and as many of us older people, visit the graves of our ancestors too

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  2. lynn__ Avatar

    Thanks for sharing an interesting bit of your heritage…those smiling emerald eyes!

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    1. Cheryl-Lynn Avatar

      That would not be me (blue eyes) but my vision of an Irish lass but I think many behave like they kissed the Blarney Stone (chuckles)

      Liked by 1 person

  3. From My Forest Avatar

    Wonderful! You have the Irish gift of the gab, and it is so interesting how some big steps our ancestors did changed our lives.

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    1. Cheryl-Lynn Avatar

      So true..many Irish came to Quebec because it was known to be predominantly Catholic. In those days not only French Canadians were oppressed, many Irish worked the same menial jobs, struggled with large families.

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