A Famine Ship and the Emigrant Flame

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From Parsons Green we drove north through the Knockmealdown Mountains which runs east and west between the counties of Tipperary and Waterford. We had a beautiful drive through the mountain range passing through 'the Vee', a V-shaped turn on the road which leads to a gap in the mountains. We had panoramic views from this pass which lies some 2,000 feet above sea level. We could also view the Galtee mountain ranges. Wild rhododendrons were prolific on the sides of the roads with many in flower. We also stopped and explored some old ruins along the way. We then went on to Waterford. We had visited the crystal factory on a previous visit so didn't stop on this occasion. I remember driving through Waterford and being completely stressed out. We kept coming across signs with 3 ton limits (our van was 4 tons) and narrow, one-way streets. Eventually we managed to find our way out of the town and drove towards New Ross, which is a port town situated on the River Barrow. Scenes from the soap opera 'Days of our Lives' were set in New Ross in January and February 2008. Here we saw the 'emigrant flame'. This was first lit from the Eternal Flame from the graveside of President John F Kennedy in Arlington Cemetery, Virginia, USA. The flame was bought over 3,700 miles by land, air and sea to New Ross exactly 50 years after President Kennedy's visit to the town of his forefathers. The flame now burns permanently in honour of all emigrants throughout the world. Kennedy's ancestral home is at Dunganstown some 4 miles south of New Ross. Another tourist attraction here is a full scale replica of a 'famine ship' which would have taken many emigrants across the sea to their new homes. Do you have ancestors who emigrated to begin a new life?