Tonight I feel like starting...I'm uncertain how many of you are still
interested in hearing about our trip last summer, so I'll venture my first
step and we'll see how it goes....
Just remember, I'm not a writer...
25 Jul 2000:
After a few hours sleep and rising from the last evening's festivities at
Heraty's in Ballinalee, Co Longford, Ireland, my two friends and I threw
our belongings in the car and raced for Dublin. I was to catch the ferry
to Holyhead by 11 am and they the plane back to the States.
The two hour trip on the Dublin Swift was uneventful and once on land, I
was delivered my car. Unfortunately, it was not the size I had wished. I
had requested the second smallest car, but as I was the last to receive
what the company had brought to the pier, I was forced to drive away in a
black Mercedes which looked more like a cut-off mini bus! Oh what fun...I
knew the roads ahead weren't wide and this monster was top heavy. After
"climbing" into the driver's seat...nearly needed a ladder, I say!...off I
headed for Bangor.
I wanted to find a place close to the train station as I was to meet
Priscilla the next day. After driving around a bit trying to get to the
tourist information center and not finding it even with multiple
directions, I spotted a B & B above a pub (Angel Bar and Regency Hotel) and
across the street from the station! Works for me!
I tried again to find the tourist info center, but ended up driving around
the University on narrow one-way streets that were taking me off in the
wrong direction! I ditched the car in a Safeway parking lot and started
walking...much easier in that small town. With walking directions from the
workers at Safeway, I found the tourist info center by cutting through part
of the University. Of course by then the place was closed, BUT I also
found the library which would be open at 10 AM tomorrow! I continued up to
the town proper where I purchased that needed hair dryer! (Can't leave
home without one! <G>) On this part of the walk, I found the Bangor
Cathedral which, by the way, is the Cathedral Church of St. Deiniol.
Time for your history lesson --
St. Deiniol built his first cell on the site about 525 AD and when he was
consecrated a Bishop in ca 546, the church became a cathedral. St. Deiniol
was educated in Wales with other young men, including our ancestor Maelgwn,
son of the King of Gwynedd who later became King and died in 547.
Actually, Maelgwn gave Deiniol the land on which his church was built.
The name Bangor, as a noun, is the "binding part of a wattle fence." St.
Deiniol drove posts into the ground and wove branches between them to
enclose his land. Other monasteries were called Bangor, but only in honor
of this one. St. Deiniol's Bangor was known as "Bangor Fawr yn Arfon" in
the Welsh records and "Bennchor moer in Britannia" in the Irish records.
Fawr meaning Great and Arfon meaning River. Yn means more or less: of the.
St. Deiniol died ca 572. In 631 Bangor Fawr burnt per the Annals of
Ulster, and in 1073 the Vikings robbed and burnt the church. In about 100
Gruffudd (our ancestor) regained his kingdom of Gwynedd and about 1130 he
and the Bishop David rebuilt the cathedral in stone. In 1210 King John's
men destroyed it. The Cathedral was again destroyed in the Glyndwr
rebellion in 1402 and was being rebuilt in 1480. Some additions were still
being made as late as 1966-7 when the central tower was completed.
Gruffudd ap Cynan, father of Owain Gwynedd was buried in a place of honor
on the north side of the high alter. Owain Gwynedd who d. 1170 was buried
on the south side of the high altar of the Norman church, slightly west of
where the Bishop's Throne now stands. AND, Llywelyn ap Iorwerth (our
ancestor) who d. 1240 has his coat of arms along with those of the other
two here.
There are copies of three early 14th century tiles which were found during
the 19th century restoration. The fish one was an early Christian symbol,
but Medieval people believed it to be the emblem of the tribe of Coel Hen,
the tribe to which Deiniol belonged. (Coel Hen is our ancestor) The
others were a bird which may have been the "caladrius," a bird which
supposedly visited the room of a sick man. If the bird looked at the man
he would recover; if not, he died. The last is of a rabbit with a bow and
arrow: "Hunting the hunter" was a popular theme. (per Visitor's Guide)
Back to reality --
To describe the area around the Cathedral, imagine a couple of long narrow
streets which meet at an angle and both are consumed with shops.
Everything was closed by 6pm or so and a few people on the streets which
were pretty trashy. Mostly young teenagers headed to meet their friends,
it seemed. Where another small road intersects as the base of a T the
Cathedral lies to the right. The two roads creating its borders. On the
opposite side of the church is a small park and once you cross that park
(called a Bowling Green by locales), there is the Tourist Info Center and
other official buildings! I took another walking route to the B & B and
finally found how to reach the tourist center and library via my Mercedes BUS!
As the library and tourist center opened at 10AM and closed at 1pm and 2pm
respectively, I planned on visiting before I picked up Priscilla who was to
arrive about 2pm tomorrow.
SO, it was back to the Safeway to get that monster and pick up some dinner.
I wasn't up for pub food that night. Back at my room, I decided to see
what was on the Telly and found the Welsh Agricultural Show which Robin was
attending. At least I was able to see what a Welsh Black was! Picture a
black cow whose head is the size of a buffalo and who has the face of a pug
dog! (OR WORSE!) This is NOT a trim, beautiful Elsie in the old Borden
commercials!
I ran downstairs and called my husband who only knew that I had made it
safely in and out of Belfast a week earlier (He though I was nuts for
going, but knew I would regardless of what he said) and had taken many
pictures of the graffiti in the neighborhoods where the fighting
occurs...and had just stopped, again. He was excited to hear from me and
talked at length, then suddenly realizing what time it was in Wales
(12:30am) wanted to know how I was calling...from what phone both, I said
not to worry it's a booth at the pub, but everyone was gone! Knowing I was
by myself, he was a bit rattled until I told him the outside door was
locked and this was a lobby, more or less. Back to my room.
After viewing part of a documentary on Mankind's Responses to Fear ---a
topic to snooze by, I did! However, about 1:30 AM I heard men talking
outside and peaked through the window as my view was the street and train
station. I refrained from yelling "Priscilla, where are you???" as I was
astounded at what I saw! Remember that I thought the streets of the
downtown were a bit trashy?? Well, these two guys, chatting away as their
voices echoed off all the buildings, were washing the windows of the phone
booths outside the station! Back to BED!
At 2:30 AM, a car alarm sounded and as I peered out the window again (I
know understand why people poured the bedpan out the window in the old
days! I started searching for one, myself!), a young man (barely 20 or so)
kept telling me he was sorry and that he only touched the button. He had
set off the alarm on someone's motor cycle. There were about four of them
and I had run into the burley guys earlier...good thing they were heavy
sleepers! Back to BED!
From various noises, I woke up at least two more times....
26 Jul 2000:
Up for one of those wonderful (?) English breakfasts about 8 AM and then
back to the room to pack and load the car. I asked to keep the car at the
hotel until I found Priscilla. I hiked to the Tourist Info Center and had
to wait a bit for them to open. There wasn't much there, but I did grab a
map of Wales since I didn't want to cart one with me until I needed it.
Then over to the library which I'm sure had more info than my short visit
could find. I found some things to copy and made a list of books to see
sometime. (More on that later) I still had some time to hit a books store
and nearly went broke! <G> Thanks to Visa, I snagged an armful...and HEY,
I had a big car!
Priscilla was coming from Crewe, her last change of trains from Heathrow
and I had some time to wait so I walked back to the city center (town
proper) to see about getting some traveler's check changed to pounds. I
only carry a few dollars for a day or so as it is cheaper to get them in
the country, usually. I decided to wait as Priscilla may have needed to go
there anyway and I wanted to show her Bangor Cathedral, as well.
Back at the train station --about 10 mins. to arrival. Then, down the
platform walks this purple suitcase, just as she had mentioned. Attached
to it was the first Fron Goch cousin I would meet....about the size of my
mother and with the same spry step! Why not, this is my mother's line.
Hugs, hugs.
We loaded her bags in the car and drove to the Cathedral area and on to get
my dollars exchanged. I grabbed a quick sandwich for lunch as Priscilla
had eaten on the train and headed for Fron Goch...or so we thought! I
missed a turn a couple of times before he found out how to escape Bangor,
but we finally were on our way...to meet our other cousins!
To be continued......
Emily