About 5 years ago, Ms B3n and I were house hunting, looking for the ideal location where we could set up home together. We had decided that we were going to live in Drogheda. I'm from Drogheda and it was a relatively easy commute for both of us to work. While we were saving for the house we were living with her parents in the countryside about 25km from Drogheda.
One evening, we went to look at a house for sale in Drogheda. From the outside it looked like an ordinary end of terrace house built in the very early 1900s. The inside was, however, unlike anything we had seen so far. A young architect had owned the house and was in the final stages of renovating it, but had run out of funds. Among the improvements she made was to build a two storey extension on the back of the house that was bigger than the original house. The interior was roomy, airy and had a great sense of space but was completely unfinished. The extension wasn't rendered, the sitting room had no floor, there was still quite a bit of work to be done. Both MsB3N and I instantly loved the place and decided that this was the one for us. We put an offer on the house and then let the slow, arduous process of buying a house take it's course.
Over the course of the next few of months as it was looking increasingly likely that we were going to be successful in our bid, we made several visits to the house. We had quite a bit to do to make it livable and we were getting the various quotes from the various tradesmen for the work. It was after one of those visits that we called up to my parents who still live in Drogheda.
After a couple of minutes the conversation went thus:
My Ma: What are you doing in town?
Me: We're looking at this house that we have an offer on.
My Ma: Ahh very good. Where is it?
Me: Merchant Street.
My Ma: What Number?
Me: 15
With that me Da piped up from watching the T.V.
My Da: 15 Merchant Street?
Me: Yeah.
My Da: I was born in that house.
Me: Really?
My Da: Yeah, and your granny was born in that house too.
As it transpires my father moved out of that house when he was five years old to the house that I know today as being my Granny's. A couple of months later MsB3n and I moved in to what we originally thought was going to be our new house but turns out to be my old family home. My Granny is still alive, she's eighty nine years old and has been in our house several times. A while ago I was also presented with a photo of my great grandmother standing at the front door of our house, It was badly cracked but I'm working on it in photoshop. I don't know what it is but from the very first visit to this house I have always felt comfortable here
My Great Grandmother at my doorstep.
9 comments:
Destiny? Karma? Fate?
Some thing just seem to be meant to happen. And that house was obviously meant for you.
That's amazing! Not just the house but that you've actually got an old photograph! I know what you mean though, some houses have that lovely familiarity, the smell or the placement of things exactly where you would have them. They have to 'feel' right. How lucky are you?
Grandad, I always try to look for the scientific reasons behind things. It's the big skeptic in me. I'm guessing that with 3 generations of my family already living in the house, something must have carried over to my genes. That and pure coincidence that the house came up for sale at the same time I was looking for one.
Cheers Baino, the photo was given to me by my uncle. For the time that the house was for sale, various family members were thinking that someone out of the family should buy it, not realising that I was and didn't know the history.
What a wonderful story, B3n. Think of all the warm memories imprinted there for your family now.
It's like something out of a film.
Funny how these things work out! I've been chipping away at the family tree for a while now and I'm always amazed when I find new detail, no matter how small!
As someone with a great interest in my past, I love this story.
Thank you for sharing it
Medbh, I don't think that even Stephen Spielberg could write a script that would make the six month house buying process in Ireland seem in the least bit interesting but many thanks for your comment.
Hey Swiss, my Da is currently researching our family tree. He has us back to the early 1800s so far.
Thanks a million Grannymar, everytime I meet my Granny she always asks, 'Well have you seen any ghosts yet?'. MsB3N has barred her from telling us if anyone has died in the house but I have a sneaky suspicion that my Great Grandfather died there as my aunt told me that she chipped a piece from his gravestone and pushed it into a cavity in the bricks.
Wow.
History repeating itself maybe? What an amazing story!
I love this story! And the old photograph as well.
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