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This report is of a passed event. |
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Gathering 2007 Report The Fitzpatrick 2007 gathering was originally planned to last two days and three nights at the Newpark Hotel but the reality is that it slotted into a three week window of arriving, visiting family and friends, chatting and comparing research notes before departing for home. Most got to see and experience a bit of Ireland while they were here including Ireland’s magnificent traffic problems. Some also visited Trinity College and the Leonardo Codex exhibition in Dublin. Others had sufficient time to do some touring after the event in Kilkenny and elsewhere. We had two days of great presentations concerning MacGiolla Phadraig / Fitzpatrick history, folklore and migration together with updates on the Fitzpatrick DNA study and the crests, arms and mottos of the Fitzpatricks. Tony started the presentations with MacGiollaPhadraig / Fitzpatrick Historic Sites and explained about castles and burial places associated with our clan. Geoff took the second presentation slot with FITZPATRICKS OF COUNTY DOWN and explained about the migration and distribution of Fitzpatricks in Co. Down in the north of Ireland. After the mid-morning break Colleen updated us on the progress of the Fitzpatrick DNA study. Brian started the presentations on Sunday morning with My FITZPATRICK search and explained his continuing changing landscape resulting from the wee p, the big P and the hyphen. Catherine presented on MacGiollaPhadraig / Fitzpatrick Folklore and especially on the local pronunciation of place names in her neighbourhood. Ronan made the final presentation with an update of the crests, arms and mottos of the Fitzpatricks. Fitzpatrick history, heritage, culture and tradition are now being addressed as clan research topics and listening to conversations I’m certain that some new research topics have been identified for presentation at future gatherings. During the weekend a number of posters were on display. These provide reading about Fitzpatricks and their history, heritage, culture and tradition. There is a section on Ancestral Search and this year a posting from the USA submitted to the 2000 gathering attracted the attention of an attendee who recognised very similar names and naming patterns in his own research. This attendee was also able to share his research about Fitzpatrick migration in Ireland with another attendee’s research about Fitzpatrick migration in Australia. Tony organised our afternoon site visits and for Saturday afternoon he arranged for a coach to take us on a tour North of Kilkenny into the area of Upper Ossory. We visited Grangefertagh, Cullahill, Agaboe and Ballaghmore Castle. Our convoy consisted of the coach and three cars. For Sunday afternoon he arranged a guided tour of St Canice’s Cathedral in Kilkenny and we then travelled south where we had another guided tour of Jerpoint Abbey. On Monday, Fitzpatrick visitors were still to be seen taking guided tours in Kilkenny. And the weather was kind to us too. It rained a little over the weekend, but we were indoors when that happened and it did not prevent us from visiting the sites we wanted to. Forty-two Fitzers/Fitzies attended the Saturday evening dinner in Gulliver’s dining room at the hotel. At our previous gatherings Frank Meehan always wore the Fitzpatrick kilt and continued to encourage, but unsuccessfully, others to wear it too. This year he was rewarded when Ryan Fitzpatrick from New York also wore the Fitzpatrick kilt. Might this be the start of a trend? Good conversation was available over evening drinks and at breakfast. Between the Friday evening, Saturday and Sunday some sixty people attended. They travelled from New Zealand, Australia, France, Scotland, England, Northern Ireland, the United States and Ireland. Over the weekend we had visitors and representatives of other clans which included the Maloney, Dalton and Butler clans. No matter how much planning, organising and preparing that is done for a gathering all comes to nothing if people don’t attend. So, it is only right to salute all who made the great effort to come from far and near. We must also salute those who planned, organised and prepared to be there but at the last minute had to change their plans. In the words of those who have attended all gatherings this was the “best gathering to date.” In the 1540s Sir Barnaby Fitzpatrick’s native tongue was Irish, his father surrendered and received a re-grant of his lands in Latin, Barnaby was King Edward VI’s ambassador to the French Court and English was the spoken language of many. So, in the languages of Sir Barnaby it is fitting to say,
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