American visitor has great time in Ballymoney

SIR - I would like to comment on what a GREAT time I had in Ballymoney during August and September. Hat's off to the lovely people of the area, because THEY are the reason my visit was so great!

This was my fourth trip to Ballymoney, and what keeps me coming back is the people. I am working on my family history, and I find it interesting that it is the help I find in the most unexpected places that makes it all worthwhile. I love making new friends each time I come and it is fascinating to see the places my grandfather walked or worshipped or played back in the 1800's. Even though he emigrated to the US, the place he finally settled looks amazingly like the Eden townland area where he was raised.

This particular trip was planned to coincide with the Family History weekend that the Ballymoney Borough Council sponsored, The Route Back Home. This event was held at the Town Hall the beginning of October. Keith Beattie and the staff at the Town Hall and Museum did a fantastic job on producing an informative and worthwhile convention. Most people in the area probably weren't even aware that this was going on. I know there were attendee's from Canada, USA, Australia, Scotland, Norway, and N. Ireland. We had a great time learning from the speakers and sharing our own journey thru family history with each other.

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The staff offered a list of very experienced and helpful speakers, wonderful food, great "craic" on Friday night with beautiful harp music, a "talk about the B'money Toon speech" by Alex Blair, wine with the Mayor Kennedy, and a lovely dinner.

Some of us also went on a bus tour of four of the older cemeteries with a talk about each one and time to look around, plus lunch in between.

They also offered a tour of the Ballymoney library and what it has to offer for researchers, and the Old Church Cemetery.

You can all be proud that you have such hardworking and personable people at the Museum, Town Hall, Borough Council, who are trying to help foster a growing interest in Family History. This can actually be a great "tourism tool", as there is an interest in family history all over the world.

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Many more descendants will to come to the area for this same purpose, and there are good resources of places to search at. The Route Back Home gave us the tools to know where to look.

THANK YOU all for showing your great side to your visitors. I organized a tour of NI with 11 of my cousins from the US, being their guide around the Six Counties and sharing with them the places of particular interest to our family. I'm sure many of them will return again with more of their family. They especially enjoyed meeting their "relatives".

Lastly, I thank all my wonderful cousins who have become fast friends with me since we connected "for sure" in 2008. They have welcomed me into their lives and their homes, and have given me such fantastic insite into life in the area, and I love them!

Mary Post, in Oregon, USA

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