European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - April 5, 2007, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Thursday april 52007 stars and stripes Page 27 Ireland has an amazing and Long history and some of it is even True Barbara cant Els wife of one of the brians brians from Page 26 that was medieval mining Everard said we told Everard about our heritage quest he said he knew there were cant Wells buried at the Church we told him wed already looked just up the Road but  cant Wells be Catholic he asked that s the Church of Ireland up the Road the Catholic Church is the other Side of town of dumb yanks he must have thought what kind of Irish were we not knowing protestant from Catholic after lunch at bollards pub including half a the Barman term for my Glass of Smith weeks Kilkenny made jobs wife Ruth guided us to the nearby Village of Clogh pronounced where we heard wed find cant Wells and we hit pay dirt in the graveyard of St Patricks Catho Lic Church wandering beneath Clouds like mildewed dish rags we found a John Cantwell a Richard a Martin even a Maria no Way of knowing if they were our Bloodline though Tob soon called me from across the cemetery not one easily discouraged Ruth had knocked on the rectory door and persuaded the priest to let us comb his records we soon sat around a table with father Tim Bollard a kindly Gray haired Man in Navy Cardigan and wire rimmed spectacles now these Are marriages from the 1800s Onward he told us thumbing through computer printouts we searched for names from family tree charts wed brought but it was like looking for a Shamrock in a sheep pasture few records exist from prior to 1800 too Many churches and courthouses burned in accidents and uprisings and As i was to hear from a researcher for the Kilkenny archaeological society often How much you can find depends on the Parish priest and How conscientious and organized her was about keeping records or whether he just didst care father Tim seemed the caring Type wishing us Safe journeys in a Lovely Brogue As we left and we didst go away empty hand de Ruth discovered a baptismal record for one of her husbands ancestors meanwhile in the churchyard Kevin had met a Man who told him some cant Wells were hanged after the 1916 easter uprising a Pivotal revolt against the English and buried behind a nearby pub formerly called Cantwell now we were talking Hows that for a family legend so we piled Back into our rental cars and zigzagged through narrow lanes till we found the pub closed we knocked and persuaded the owner to give us a tour out Back was a Lovely Yard and Flowers the owner or Kavanagh knew nothing about Graves in his Gar Den As my wife Barbara summed it up Ireland has an amazing and Long history and some of it is even True on our Way Back through Cash Decomer we found More resting peace cant Wells in the Catholic churchyard that night in the nearby City of Kilk Enny we enjoyed a rousing evening of Irish music and free flowing Beer at Andrew ryans pub Happy to be among the living the next morning we climbed the Rock of Cashel in neighbor ing county tipperary the ancient Hillock and Castle is one of Ireland top archaeological Sites and Ruth had scouting reports from a relatives prior visit of cant Wells buried there and a can welts pub nearby and did we score among throngs of tourists Tob and i got our pictures taken at the Gravestone of another Brian Cantwell just outside the rocks 12thcentury Chapel then looking for lunch in town we stumbled on our eponymous pub weve got to have a guinness Here Tob declared we had traditional Irish pub sandwiches toasted cheese with Ham and onion prepared by proprietor Mick Cantwell a veritable Mountain of a Man at some 300plus pounds our visits first and it turned out Only living breathing Cantwell his Grandfather opened the pub in 1910 Nice fellow no direct relation from Cashel we drove Back to county Kilkenny and Thomas town named for Thomas de Cantwell variously described As a Welsh mercenary of the 13th Century and As one of the lords of nearby Kilrane Thomas the son of Tob was jazzed at Kilrane a tiny sign pointed into quiet Woods to our final destination the ruin of Kilrane Church Home of a famous Stone effigy known in gaelic As the Cantwell Fada in a bit of Irish magic we had the place All to ourselves inside a roofless Structure stood the startling 7foot Stone figure of a Lone Knight reputed to be Thomas de Cantwell him self standing with one leg crossed Over the other he held a shield bearing the Cantwell coat of arms unknown to me until that Day four Large rings next to five pelts of Ermine the latter representing nobility go Fig ure the crossed leg is believed to mean that a Knight went to the crusades we were amazed to find a Knight bearing our family name its an artefact of such importance that a plaster cast is in the National museum in Dublin yet Here stood the real thing unguarded and unprotected from the elements Ireland is like that too much history to be contained by museums Castle Comer Ireland was the original Home of both Brian Joseph cant Wells great grandfathers both of whom were named Patrick Cantwell act know go do your Homework Long before booking a trip to the old country research your family history talk to older family members and gather information from family Docu ments marriage certificates and burial plots web resources such As roots Webcam and ancestry com can help including online Access to Federal census records indexed by surname if possible go with this information in hand 1 name of your ancestor who immigrated to the United states 2 their approximate Date of birth 3 their town District or Church of Ori Gin 4 their religious denomination 5 names of your ancestors parents 6 name of your ances tors spouse and Date and place of marriage hire some help if you dont wish to spend your entire vacation on re search hire a professional re search service professionals can carry out All or part of your research before you leave the us allowing you to plan your itinerary in Advance visiting places associated with your family in Ireland Irish genealogy Ltd  is the umbrella organization for professional research services for other countries try a Google search of genealogical re search for that nation or try contacting the nearest consulate for referrals ask a librarian in Dublin the National Library of Ireland genealogy advisory service is a Good place to Start if s a free service if you visit in person visitors Are provided with an overview of Irish genealogical records offered expert advice on their specific family research and Given Access to reference material such As Micro form copies of Griffiths primary valuation of tenements land valuation records from the tithe apply Tenient books like a tax record of Farmland fees collected by the Church and most roman Catholic Parish registers up to the year 1880 find More information at wow for the record records often of use in re searching family history include civil records marriages Church records census records and land and property records sources tracing your ancestors in Ireland pamphlet published by faille Ireland and Northern Ireland tourist Board information tourism Ireland provides visitor information on the Republic of Ireland As Well As North Ern Ireland the web site  com Brian Cantwell we photographed the modern Day Thomas posing next to the 13thcentury version then Lillian led us on a climb up a Claustrophobic spiral staircase to the top of the Church Tower As we strolled Back to our cars Kevin declared weve had a Good Day of Cantwell sightings Barbara chimed in yes weve found the Long Cantwell and the Large Cantwell every one laughed added Ruth you know its been fun visiting All these Cantwell Sites with someone else who cares and everyone agreed