[citation needed] His encounter with a migrant group he called ‘the descendants of Cain’ outside the town of Heraklion (Candia) in Crete is probably the earliest surviving description by a Western chronicler of the Romani people in Europe.
Starting from Clonmel, he did not say how he left Ireland, but the fact that he entered Wales at Holyhead makes his departure via Dublin a near-certainty; even today, Dublin–Holyhead is an active ferry route.
From Clonmel, the road went north to Roscrea, and then Fitzsimons could follow the Slighe Dála ("Way of the Assembly") east to Abbeyleix, and then northeastwards through Naas, Tallaght and Dublin.
They continued south across France to Paris, then down the Seine to Châtillon, crossing overland to Beaune and then down the Saône and Rhône to Marseilles.
During his journey through Eastern Europe, Symon Semeonis started to pay more attention to inhabitants and local customs, which led him to mention and briefly describe Romani people who he encountered in Crete.