After her great weekend with Sam & Mary, Vynette then traveled to Fermanagh. Regular readers on the Fermanagh Gold Web site will be very familiar with the name 'Viola Wiggins', Vi as we call her, is such a mine of information, she has engrossed us all for years with her story's of childhood memories and her Knowledge of growing up in Fermanagh , from recipes to history, Viola knows her stuff and I were to chose a person who would be ideal to accompany Vynette and show her the sites, Viola would be my first choice every time!

This turned out to be what happened, Viola had arranged to meet up with Vynette and show accompany her on her adventure. It was great that she should do this and she also posted messages for us all on the Fermanagh Gold website, keeping us informed of all their great adventures.

On the following pages I am going to show you copies of Vi's emails and also include some great photos that were taken at Enniskillen town hall, where Vynette was to meet up with the chairman of the Fermanagh district council & the the chairman of the Fermanagh Family History Society.

Hello Everyone,

Frank Roofe and myself met Vynette off the Bus at 1-30 and we took her for lunch. Frankie had a folder full of Ancestors for her and went through it explaining it all to her.

I then took her to the Hotel to book in and drop off her luggage, I drove her up the main Street and showed her where everything was and as she wanted to have a rest, dropped her off at the Hotel again for a couple of hours. I picked her up again at 6.15pm and as the Encore Steak House is closed on Mondays and Tuesdays, took her to Mahon's Hotel in Irvinestown for the meal.

Before eating I borrowed the Key to the Tower Graveyard and we spent about 45 minutes looking at and photographing some very old MIs. Then we went to eat but I had contacted Breege who joined us for coffee and took us for a tour of the OLD Parts of Irvinestown, Famine Graveyard memorial, and Necarne Castle [Breege is an ERNE Tour Guide] before she took us back to my car. I dropped Vynette off at the Hotel, promising to pick her up at 9-15am in the Morning to go to Newtownbutler with Frankie.

When I got home there was a message from Frankie to say there was a death in his family and that he would meet us in Newtownbutler around 10am. So I will need my skates on in the morning.

Good Night for now, Full day tomorrow.

Hello All,

This morning I woke at 6 am to bright sunshine. Phoned Frankie to arrange where we would meet up as he was going to Clones to check some records at the Library before we met up.

I picked Vynette up at the Hotel at 0900am and we went directly to Newtownbutler.

It is a long long time since I coped with School buses and workers going to work so I had allowed extra time but the gods were smiling on us and we cruised through the traffic to Newtownbutler arriving around 09-40. Parked where Frankie told us to and I noticed a Red vehicle pull in behind us. A grey haired man got out and approached our car so I put my elbow on the button to lock all doors. And lowered the window a crack. He asked my name and I said Wiggins. Turned out he and Vynette MAY be related and Frankie had told him to meet us and accompany us on our tour of discovery.

By the time Frankie arrived we had a convoy of 5 Cars, the other two cars were camera crew from a new community TV station to be launched in the near future. So our Vynette is to feature in the opening days of it, and the photographer from the Impartial Reporter.

We convoyed out to Killykirk and parked at the farmyard gate and walked up the hilly lane about 3/4 of a mile to the summit. The skylarks were singing in the bright sunshine and the cattle grazed in the fields beside us. The original house has been bulldozed away by the present owner of the land but Vynette could walk the paths her ancestors had taken in 1840 when they went away and [roughly] stand and gaze across the valley as they had done all those years ago.

We spent about ninety minutes there taking photographs, filming pointing and looking towards where the neighbours lived etc. Mr Boardman knew the area well and could fill in some information. He is a bachelor and was quite excited to meet Vynette and myself as he has followed the interest through Fermanagh Gold Archives.

When we returned down the lane the farmer and his brother had been awaiting our return to move the cars so he could gain access to his cattle sheds. OOps!! But he was OK really and welcomed Vynette.

We then convoyed to the Church in Newtownbutler where the family had been baptised and Vynette saw the actual records. The lady there could not do enough for the media coverage and us but she did not want to be included in the pictures.

We found a Foster/CROZIER marriage in the Index!! I wonder????

The media men, and mr Boardman left us at the church and Frankie led us to meet Barbara Chapman at her home where she had prepared a beautiful lunch. Vicky Herbert joined us while we were there and invited us to visit St Roanan's School later in the day.

Frankie went off to Clones Library and to His relatives home where there had been a death so Vynette and I stayed on chatting to a Mrs Loane from Ballinamallard also joined Barbara and us. I already knew this lady and had met with her many times. What I didn’t know was she lives at Crocknacrieve, where the Cooneyites [Dippers] originated about 150-200 years ago.

I have promised to keep in touch with her.

Barbara handed me a letter to read from her school friend Monica Jackson. Her father was the C of I minister in Killesher when I was going to infant's School.

SMALL WORLD INDEED. [Yes Sue I felt we were being guided and destined to meet.]

We eventually made our way to the school just as the children were going home but we went in and were made very welcome.

The 11 year olds had created models of what their imagination of the old cottages were like.

It was brilliant and one in particular was outstanding. It was exactly like to house we used to go to to get the tea made when my father took me to the bog with him 68 years ago. Some of the wee houses had loose roofs, which could be lifted to show the baby in a cradle and the fireplace. Absolutely exactly as it would have been. Vynette had left her camera in the car. So no Photographs TODAY. But we may get some tomorrow. I left Vynette off at the Hotel for an early night at 5pm

I will report again tomorrow night, as I am her escort tomorrow too.

Viola