Zombie Parent's Guide: Drumlish, Ireland

Going back to the ancestral home town (on my mother's side) of Drumish, Ireland, was not what I expected. It looks like most modern towns, with neat rows of almost exactly the same houses and a main street featuring a pub, a store, a church, a library, and a post office.

One little bit of history that survives is the Old Corn Mill on the edge of town. The mill was owned by the Rogers family and ran from the 1750s to the 1950s. It was used to grind corn and oatmeal. When the famine hit in 1846 and 1847, the local oat crop helped the town suffer less than other areas in Ireland. The mill was shut down in the 1950s and has recently undergone restoration. It is still not available for tours or wandering through, but I managed to get a few snaps through the fence.

The Old Corn Mill, Drumlish

Inside the mill

The walkway along the back

Good old waterpower!

Where the stream feeds from

Right by the Old Corn Mill is a nursing home with retirees aplenty. Across the way is a playground, which is a pretty smart thing to put next to a retirement community. The grandkids can come visit and have a fun time and the old folks can get out and enjoy the outdoors without going too far.

J and L loved the playground. An Archimedes screw is down near a small stream bed, which was unfortunately dry. Even so, a small puddle provided enough water for J and L to crank the screw and deliver a little water to the top of the screw. From there, the water could go down a trough and power a water wheel. Sadly, there wasn't enough water for the wheel to start going.

Water plus science equals fun

J screws around while L watches!

In the playground is a sit-and-spin that doesn't require the parents to put any effort in. That was awesome!

The playground also has some old favorites and new favorites, like a zip line and the spinning web (which did require parental power).