Gooood morning 👋
Hope you’re having a fab start to the day!
I want to do something a little different for today’s blog – I want to take you on an adventure. I want to tell a story. The story of the Sweeney family, and a little bit about where we came from, all those years ago.
Hello and Welcome to Sweeney’s Blogs!
I couldn’t think of a better way to start this blog than with the following photo:
This is the old Sweeney family farm.
Found near Fintown, in Glenties, Donegal, it’s where my grandfather, James Edward Sweeney, was born and raised.
A small little house, he shared a room with his three brothers (Paddy, Mickey and John) and his three sisters (Annie, Kitty and Rosie). They were raised in a very simple life, with not much money, but a farm and a home they loved. Grampa used to walk miles to school every day (when he actually went, that is 😂), walking without any shoes on and a single potato for his lunch.
My grandfather was a remarkable man. Leaving school at 14/15 to fully work on the farm, he was called “the bull” by a lot of people – due to his strength, determination and commitment to the work that he did. Leaving Ireland to first go and work up in Scotland, he eventually moved down to Wales, where he met my grandmother and started a family of his own.
Coming from a small farm in Ireland, Grampa went on to have four children – his four boys. The four boys went on to provide nine grandchildren for Nani and Grampa, and he always said it with such pride how all nine of his grandchildren went to and graduated from university.
It is marvellous when you think of it. Grampa didn’t have any Christmas presents before coming to Wales and meeting Nani. They didn’t have the money for stuff like that, yet, in his lifetime, he made a family and shaped a legacy that will never be forgotten.
Even after moving to Wales, he’d still return to the farm every summer to help out with all of the work. He didn’t have an easy life, but he worked hard, and, no matter what happened, he always had a smile on his face. I had the pleasure of going back to Ireland twice with Grampa, and seeing the look on his face when he was out there was second to none.
Hearing how he’d chat about his upbringing and all of the stories he had was a sheer pleasure. Grampa was a character, through and through. His life was never boring – filled with all sorts of trips, adventures and conversations that you can’t help but look back on and smile.
Getting to return to Ireland a couple of weeks back, for the first time following his passing, was certainly a different; however, it wasn’t a time to feel sad.
It was a chance to connect with the past – where our family came from – the present – where we all are today – and look ahead to the future, and whatever it is that’s going to have in store for us. The farm will always be a key part of our history. What makes us the Sweeneys, and that’s something we can always cherish, even if the farm is no longer owned by our family.
That’s all for today’s blog. What do you think? Do any places hold a special place for you and your family? Where is somewhere you love to visit?
I’d love to hear what you think 😊
Thanks for reading, and I hope you have a lovely day!
James
Sweeney's Blogs 