Hello, Susan. I apologize for not answering last year. Valentia was my honeymoon and we didn't have much time for anyone else! So sorry.
It was my first time to Valentia and it was almost like being in a dream after hearing about it most of my life from my mother and grandmother. I knew my great-grandmother, Hanora (Nano) O'Sullivan (daughter of Ellin O'Neill and John "O'Sullivan) until she died when I was 5, I knew they lived in Tinnies and/or Chapeltown, and knew her siblings names, but I had no idea of how rural, simple and treeless the island would be. It is my vision of heaven, and I loved it, but I could also understand why, 130 years ago, with no prospects for earning a living besides farming and fishing, she and all but one of her siblings would leave for America. It seems they, and most other islanders, were incredibly poor. Now, I wish I could return there, buy a cottage, ans stay there until I die. It truly is a magical, beautiful place.
One of the things that took me by surprise were the reminders of history all over the island. Standing stones, 2 wedge tombs, remains of ancient settlements, forts, graveyards and terraced fields were there if you looked for them. I had no idea. What I would like to know is how long my own family lived there, but it seems that it's only a few generations back before all records are lost, or never even existed. My National Geographic DNA test says my matrilineal line came from Africa through Turkey, Eastern Eaurope, up through Scandinavia, and through Scotland to Ireland. So maybe my mother's line were women who came to Valentia during the Viking era. I don't know if we'll ever know.
We met Teddy Kennedy, who is a distant cousin through the O'Neill side, who is a tour operator and very friendly and helpful. If you go to Valentia please look him up. He is eager to share what he knows. The people were warm and friendly when you actually encountered them, and the little Heritage Museum has a wealth of information. They refused to do any geneological work during the summer, although this year they may relent on doing summer geneology searches since there will probably be no tourists.
The little village of Knightstown is pretty and charming. Beyond that I was suprorised to see that most of the homes were new, and the old cottages in ruins. But they lie their ruins, which they preserve as reminders of the Great Hunger and the oppression of the English. This is true in all of Ireland, I believe. So I could not find my great-grandmother's house, although I found two ruins in the vicinity of The Lotts that might have been theirs. I don't know if there is a way of findng out.
My best suggestion is to go in the month of May, before tourists inundate the island, and spend a good 3 weeks exploring, going to the museum, and just asking around. Teddy would be a wonderful resource, but there must be many more. It is very difficult to get information unless you are actually there. Perhaps we'll find that we are distant cousins, too!
Please write if you have specific questions. Who were your ancestors there, and do you know the village they lived in? So much to learn. Stay safe. Stephanie Morton
