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An American in Ireland by The Yank

Finding Richard Nixon in County Kildare

Posted on Friday, April 22, 2011 at 12:28 PM

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Yesterday I experienced something that is all too common for visitors to Ireland: I drove around aimlessly trying to find someplace. I knew I was close to where I wanted to go, but I couldn't actually find the right spot.

I had to go to County Kildare yesterday and when I was done doing what I had to do I decided I'd drive to a few places I was keen to see. One of those places was Bodenstown Churchyard, where Irish nationalist hero Theobald Wolfe Tone* is buried. Wolfe Tone's grave is one of Ireland's national shrines. Or so I thought.

I didn't know where I was going, but I did a quick check on Google Maps to get a good idea and then entered Bodenstown into my GPS as "my destination." Soon I was in Bodenstown, but there were no signs telling me where to go next. At a crossroads I went right and drove for about five miles along a narrow twisty road. Eventually I realized I'd gone wrong and decided to abandon my search for another day when I'm better prepared.

I blame myself for not having sought out the GPS coordinates for Tone's grave before I left, but really I still believe there should be signs especially as I now know that I was only 1,000 yards from the graveyard when I took my wrong turn.

I also wanted to see St. Brigid's Cathedral in Kildare town. As well as the Cathedral, I'd hoped to see the Round Tower that is on the Cathedral's grounds. The Cathedral and tower constitute of one of the prime attractions in the area.

I knew I was going to be near-by, so I figured I go there. Mistake. The Cathedral {photo} is run by the Church of Ireland and they only open the gates to visitors from May through September. I can't say I was devastated when I discovered this, but I sure as heck was happy I hadn't gone far out of my way to visit either. Another day. Maybe.

The last stop on my itinerary was the one for which I had the lowest expectations: Timahoe, Co. Kildare. I had no idea what I might find there, but I knew President Nixon had gone there in the early 70s to visit the home of his Irish ancestors.

Timahoe, like Bodenstown, is not a big place. Village would be overstating things. For that reason I wondered if the local people would acknowledge the Nixon connection. It didn't take me long to realize the answer was 'No'.

I drove from one end of Timahoe to another and saw no mention of Nixon. Seeing as this took less than two minutes I turned around and headed back and took the one turn-off I passed. I drove along an extremely narrow, twisty road through farmland when I came across a "Quaker Cemetery".

There was still no mention of Nixon, but I knew he was a Quaker and thought I'd take a look. Just inside the gate, stood one stone in a small field. The inscription on the stone read: "In Memory of the Irish Quakers of Timahoe, dedicated on October 5, 1970 by Richard Milhous Nixon, President of the United States of America whose maternal ancestors are resting here."

Sure Nixon resigned and all that, but he was President of the United States and the fact that he found his way to Timahoe to dedicate this stone in a field demonstrates that Timahoe meant something to him. He also named his Irish setter King Timahoe. A little reciprocation is in order.

I can't understand why the people of Timahoe don't provide a few signs pointing the way to the Quaker Cemetery. It is a place of at least some interest to Americans. What harm could it do to show people the way? Of course, if the people of Kildare are none too keen to point the way to the burial sites of a national hero I suppose I shouldn't expect an American President's ancestors to get better treatment.

{* Tone's son William served in Napoleon's army. Following Napoleon's defeat at Waterloo, William Tone went to America where he served in the American army. He's buried in Brooklyn, as is his mother Matilda, Wolfe Tone's widow.}

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garydubh | May 08, 2011, 08:20 AM EDT

abhainn - you will know what this means so: 53 19 30.66N, 6 48 53.20W ? As for School children understanding Lat & Long - not really and before you contest this again - I'm in the Navigation business, have thought school children as well as adults and have done related research - and you are absolutely wrong! Most children have great difficulty with the Grid References they are taught in school let alone Lat and Long! Loc8 Codes are being used by over 150,000 people in Ireland already and by couriers , emergency services, service providers and some state agencies and you will find Loc8 Codes on many tourism/hospitality websites. But feel free to continue with ill conceived comment like "ignorant, jabbering and balls" - they do not really portary you as someone that is well considered, researched and knowledgable on the subject about which you are broadcasting!

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abhainn | May 08, 2011, 12:38 AM EDT

garydubh, will you stop your jabbering. Every primary schoolchild in the world knows how latitude and longitude work, despite your unbelievable claim to the contrary. 53.32517N, 6.81478W means more to people than the meaningless M35-14-X52. You're reinventing the wheel and making a balls of it, just to promote some website.

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garydubh | May 03, 2011, 04:33 AM EDT

Coincidentally a Lecture On President Nixons Visit to Ireland and matters relating to the Quaker Stone in Timahoe: at 8 pm. at the Glenroyal Hotel, Maynooth on 11 May 2011. The hotel is at Loc8 Code: NX7-63-6BJ - view on map at loc8code.com/NX7-63-6BJ In October 1970, Richard Milhouse Nixon, President of the United States visited Ireland and unveiled a plaque to his Irish Ancestors in a cemetery at Timahoe, county Kildare mapped the Loc8 Code here: loc8code.com/M35-14-X52 His maternal ancestors the Milhouses lived in Timahoe in the early 18th century and were members of the local Quaker community. The Milhouse family emigrated to America in 1720. Nixon was the second serving American President to visit Ireland and although it was not as memorable as the Kennedy visit seven years previously, nevertheless, it was a tremendous occasion for the tiny community of Timahoe and county Kildare. The President was accompanied by his wife Pat Ryan who also had Irish ancestors. They received a tremendous welcome from local people in Timahoe and afterwards the Presidential motorcade toured the countryside passing trough a number of Kildare towns on the way. Afterwards in Dublin, President Nixon had a meeting with the Taoiseach Jack Lynch and also with the President of Ireland Eamon De Valera at Áras an Uachtaráin. President Nixon enjoyed a long, eventful and at times controversial political career, initially serving as Vice President between 1953 and 1961, before his election as President in 1969. The lecture is presented by Seamus Cullen a recognised Irish Authority - all queries to declanpoconnor at gmail.com

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garydubh | Apr 29, 2011, 03:41 PM EDT

Hi John, all explained at Loc8code.com/help . Most the population does not understand the many variations of Lat/long around and that's why Loc8 (modern form of zip/postcode) has been introduced for Ireland on Garmin (USA) devices and for iphones. So finally we now know The Nixon Quaker Stone is at Loc8 Code: M35-14-X52 - enter it at loc8code.com and see the exact location on official Ordnance Survey of Ireland Maps. For the benefit of map readers;- that is at WGS84 Lat: 53.32517N, 6.81478W or in ITM grid at: 678957E, 731201N So now no more need for directions/signposts - just use any of the above to view on a web map in advance of travelling to get your bearings or in your Satnav or GPS enabled phones which will guide you there.....

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TheYank | Apr 28, 2011, 07:30 PM EDT

garydubh,

I don't want to be rude, but I have no idea what you're talking about. My GPS uses longitude and latitude to pinpoint places. I don't know what a 'loc8' code is.

Here's a link to the google map of the Nixon site in Kildare.

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garydubh | Apr 26, 2011, 04:21 PM EDT

I can see why you were afraid to ask for directions "TheYank";- the silence is deafening - waiting for you to go wrong again so they can tell you what they would have done or did 20 years ago!!! Can't believe that know one can tell us if the Loc8 Code for the Nixon stone is correct or not?

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garydubh | Apr 25, 2011, 01:54 PM EDT

could this be the elusive Nixon Quaker stone at Loc8 Code: M45-74-FJ5 - try it at loc8code.com - I am not fully convinced myself but this is an old graveyard - TheYank what do you think - does it look right?

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garydubh | Apr 25, 2011, 01:51 PM EDT

Could this be the location of the elusive Nixon Quaker Stone - not fully convinced myself yet! - TheYank does this look right? Loc8 Code: M45-74-FJ5 go to loc8code.com/maps/find_code8 and enter it - view the map and let me know?

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garydubh | Apr 25, 2011, 12:32 PM EDT

pilib04 and others - someone must be putting the "All Talk" Leaf in your tea - Bodenstown is no longer hard to find - its at Loc8 Code: NY3-61-R03 - just go to loc8code.com and the "Map a Code" page - enter it and there it is on a web map. Also enter the code on your Garmin the Iphone App called point8 and just get there. No need for long winded directions and "La Cois Trá" descriptions! But what about the Nixon Quaker stone - does nobody know what the Loc8 Code is - TheYank what about you? is it that we much prefer to talk about the probelms getting to places in Ireland rather than actually solving them - can nobody tell us the Loc8 Code for the Nixon Quaker Stone?

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pilib04 | Apr 25, 2011, 11:31 AM EDT

The anonymous author "the Yank" seems to be a little bit confused after his forray into Kildare. First off, Bodenstown Cemetary is difficult to find. When I was there in 1983, we came by way of Sallins. We got there early because it was his anniversary and Gerry Adams was to address the multitude (I believe the official count was 20,000). We drove to Bodenstown and could not find the cemetary. We stopped at the Church of Ireland in Bodenstown and got directions to the cemetary and a welcome to join them in their sunday service. We declined, viewed the cemetary and then returned to Sallins to join the march. It was awesome. The large turnout filled the cemetary. Adams, of course, did his usual best in addressing the crowd. As for Richard M. Nixon. What a despicable fellow. Arrogant as all get-out. Willing to Lie, Cheat, Steal and murder. Finally forced to resign with the threat of being found guilty of high crimes and misdemeanors by the U.S. Congress. He should have gone to jail!

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garydubh | Apr 25, 2011, 05:37 AM EDT

TheYank - you found the Nixon stone in the end didn't you? - you should be able to identify the Loc8 Code for it? Why not get it and post it here so that others can benefit in the future

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TheYank | Apr 24, 2011, 04:46 PM EDT

slainte39,

Funny. That's why I went looking for Bodenstown so unprepared. 17 years ago I was driving from Clane to Sallins and saw the signs for Bodenstown. I turned off and pulled up at the graveyard. Unfortunately the rain was pouring down that day & I had on my 'goin to meetin' clothes & shoes and didn't want to wade through the mud to see the grave.

It was because I'd found it so easily that day that I set off with little thought that it would be difficult last week. No signs on the route from Kill, however.

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garydubh | Apr 24, 2011, 06:04 AM EDT

I need help with Nixon Quaker stone - any idea what the Loc8 Code is?

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garydubh | Apr 24, 2011, 06:04 AM EDT

Cathedral Kildare Loc8 Code: R5Y-38-WT8 Round Tower Loc8 Code: R5Y-95-XT8 view on web map here: loc8code.com/maps/find_code8 Supported on popular Garmins and Iphone App called point8

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garydubh | Apr 24, 2011, 05:54 AM EDT

Bodenstown Graveyard Loc8 Code: NY3-61-R03 View it on web map here: loc8code.com/maps/find_code8

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