Page 196 - WDT MAGAZINE IRELAND ISSUE WINTER 2018

suited for the show’s medieval-type settings, and shot fied the very farm where my grandmother was born
footage at several locations. and spent her early childhood, in a tiny place called
So in recent years Northern Ireland has attracted two Drumharvey. And he made a remarkable discovery: that
kinds of pilgrims: offspring of Irish emigrants seeking this same farm was still in Swift family hands, and a
out their Irish roots, and fans of “Game of Thrones” cousin of mine still lived on the property.
paying homage at the show’s sacred sites. Our pilgrim- These discoveries added an air of excitement to our
age was of the first variety, but that didn’t stop us from travels, and we hired Vincent to act as our guide to
crossing over into the second. show us around Northern Ireland
I had done considerable and arrange a visit – if at all possi-
online research on my Irish fore- ble – with my cousin. We would be
bears from my California home on a tight schedule, as we planned
and eventually hit a wall. I had to spend just two days and one
established that my grandmoth- night in Northern Ireland and then
er, Susan Burge, nee Swift, was travel by bus from Omagh, Tyrone’s
born in Ireland, and her father, county seat, to Dublin.
Edward Swift, had emigrated When we arrived in Belfast it was
to the United States in 1867. a bright April day. Belfast is a for-
Edward, called “Ned,” (Just like mer major shipbuilding center that
Ned Stark in “Game of Thrones,” what a coincidence!) fell into decline and has recently seen a resurgence.
married an Irish immigrant lass, Bridget McBride, who It was the epicenter of the Troubles, and there remain
gave birth to their first child, Mary, in New York in 1876. Belfast neighborhoods that are best avoided. Regard-
However, their next child, John, was born in Ireland a less, because we were pressed for time we bypassed
year later, meaning they went back to their homeland the city entirely.
in the interim. It wasn’t until fourteen years and several Our first stop was of the second kind – a “Game
more children later that they left County Tyrone again of Thrones” location, The Dark Hedges. These are
and returned to New York. My grandmother was 6 or columns of centuries-old beech trees that form a
7 years old at the time; she married my grandfather, canopy above Bregagh Road in County Antrim. The
Charles Burge, and they had three sons, including Ed- trees’ boughs intertwine to form a sinewy tunnel over
ward, my father (who was never known as Ned). the road, casting an eerie shadow even in bright Irish
My stateside research prompted as many questions daylight. It was easy to see why The Dark Hedges was
as it did answers, so to fill gaps in my ancestral his- chosen as the location for the Kings Road in “Game of
tory I hired a certified genealogist based in Northern Thrones,” as it wouldn’t take much computer enhance-
Ireland, Vincent Brogan, who works under the banner ment to transform this narrow passageway into an
“Tyrone Roots.” I knew hiring a genealogist an ocean otherworldly scene of dread.
and continent away was risky, but Vincent turned out to Soon afterward we stopped at Ballycastle, a town
be a stellar find. He unearthed obscure records in Irish that factors not at all in “Game of Thrones,” but is a
archives to clear up questions regarding my grand- quintessential Irish harbor town, complete with wa-
mother’s original family; he put an end to a family myth terfront shops in pastel hues. It is also the eastern
– that my grandmother was named Bridget at birth and gateway for the Causeway Coast, which stretches for
later changed her name – by finding her birth record, 30 miles along Ireland’s northeastern shore and rivals
which indeed listed Susan as her name. And he identi- any in the British Isles for beauty.

196 WDT MAGAZINE WINTER 2018