I had the opportunity to visit the remote farming town of Derra, Co Mayo, and explore the land lived and worked by my Irish Grandfather John Hogan.
My grandfather and I held a close relationship until his death of cancer now many years ago. Most weekends would be spent at Grandads house listening to Irish folk music, playing cards and attending church which gave my parents an opportunity to have a social life. I was very young when he died and although I can still remember the time of his death I was not allowed to attend his funeral and this has left me with a long-held feeling of a lack of closure.
The trip gave me the opportunity to visit the ancestral home (now a storage area for animal feed and no larger than a double garage), to visit his school and experience a part of Ireland that has not changed much since the late 1920s and the withdrawal of British troops from Ireland.