Achill Island

This weekend, I had the opportunity to tag along with some family friends, and visit the part of Ireland where my (Patten) family originated. It was such a magical, beautiful place. I am so proud to have any shred of connection to such a staggeringly gorgeous part of the world. I'm also so grateful to the Agnew and Kitts families for including me in this part of their vacation. It was so meaningful for me to visit this part of the country.
I've been living in Ballyvaughan for just over a year now and had yet to see my surname anywhere. This island by contrast, was overflowing with Pattens. It was so surreal to see my name all over the place. It's safe to say I've never experienced that anywhere I've gone in the world. It was especially nice to introduce myself and have people recognize my name as a "strong Mayo name". I went a little crazy documenting it every chance I got, especially in the graveyards. I've never been so excited to see so many deceased people who share my name.