Friday, July 2, 2010
Top Ten Things I Learned on This Trip
The "Troubles" in Northern Ireland
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
The Weekend
Friday Malcolm and Irene Hewitt, who are very active in the Ulster Project, took me to a very nice restaurant for lunch. I was involved with the Ulster Project since it's inception in Memphis in 2001. I also served on the board for several years. So, through the years, I have developed a relationship with some of the leaders in Derry. At this time we do not have an Ulster Project in Memphis due to lack of funding and difficulty getting host families. Malcolm and I discussed the possibility of renewing the project in Memphis. Roberta and I spent Friday afternoon visiting her relatives.
Roberta called me several months before the trip and was very excited that a group, called the Indians, would be playing at a club the Saturday night I would be there. Her mother, aunts, and cousin all came up for the event. The Indians dress up in full costume with one of them wearing the long headdress. They played polka, country/western, and Irish songs. Needless to say, it was a little bizarre. I thought there is no way I can dance to that, but I tried. It was a long night - I finally got to bed around 3:30. The house was full of a lot (7 people spent the night) "happy" people.
Sunday, Roberta and I got up early and went to a car boot sale. Instead of garage sales, they drive their cars into a big lot and sell things from their boot (trunk). It was quite interesting. We got take out Sunday lunch with cabbage, ham, turkey, peas, carrots, and two kinds of potatoes. That afternoon, I went to the Ness which is a very cute tea/garden shop with Melanie, her sister, and her mother.
My flight left from Belfast, so Monday morning we drove there. The weather has been unbelievable. The only time I really got wet was walking into the airport at Belfast. I had already packed my raincoat so I just got wet. I have actually come back from Ireland with a suntan. The highs were consistently in the low 70's.
I am having a little culture shock coming home. Needless to say the laundry has built up and my house seems quiet. I have been accustomed to a lot of people around and laughing a lot. One thing no one has said to me since I got home was, "I love you accent." I have not had to say, "Could you say that again? I didn't understand you.
Friday, June 25, 2010
A Day at the Beach
Thursday
I have developed a taste for breakfast – stuffed sausage. In fact, I am coming back as a stuffed sausage with extremely high cholesterol. What they do, they take a long “white” sausage, split it, and put in a breaded stuffing. It is then wrapped in bacon. Every morning Roberta buys one at the village butcher for around 50 cents. We have that, a scone and a cup of tea.
Christopher, Roberta’s youngest son, lives in Dungiven which is in the countryside. We took him and his girlfriend there as they have been staying in the house with us the past few nights. From there we went to Portrush which is a seaside community compared to Brighton Beach in England. In July and August it is filled with families who enjoy the beach and amusement parks. We walked around a bit and had some tea. From there we went to Portstewart which is another seaside town and walked the promenade. Across the bay you can see County Donegal which is in the Republic (Ireland rather than Northern Ireland).
Again we drove on the beach, this time at Dunhill. Very few people were on the beach as the kids are still in school and it is cool (around 70 degrees). I took off my shoes and got some Irish sand between my toes. It is such a beautiful, peaceful setting. While we were there, a wedding party came with a photographer to take pictures with the temple on the hill in the background (see picture).
One of the fun things about coming here, is that it encourages Owen and Roberta to go places they have not been. We drove up to the top of a hill and looked out at the water on three sides. Afterwards, on the drive home we stopped at O’Brien’s American Steakhouse in Limavady and got a hamburger.
For the night, Owen’s brother, sister-in-law, niece, and three year old son came to the house. Everyone talks at the same time and I am typically lost because I can’t understand them. They talk very fast and there are several conversations going on at the same time.
I am missing American television, particularly The Bachelorette. I hope it has been recorded! Everyone is watching the soccer matches here. They have a version of Deal or no Deal.
I am not sure if anyone is reading this blog. If you are, leave me a comment!
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
Northern Ireland
Wednesday, June 23
I have not been able to keep up with the blog because I have not had access to the Internet. I have been able to check my e-mail on other people’s computers and appreciate the responses and comments.
To catch up, last Sunday I saw Bill and my mother off to the airport. I was a little sad to see them go. In the past I have always taken a cab from the hotels in Dublin and it is very expensive. We discovered that you can take a bus directly to the airport for 7 Euros – so I put them on a bus and thankfully they got home safely with no problems.
Roberta, Owen and I took a four hour bus ride from Dublin to Derry. There were only four people on the bus, including us, so it was a comfortable ride. When we got to Eglinton we drove towards the northern coast and had a very nice meal at a country pub.
Roberta has a niece, Noel, who had been spending some time with her family in an RV near the beach at Benone. Some people bring their RVs there and others leave them (these are called “static” caravans). Noel has three sons, ages 10, 8 and 6 (Evan, Leighton and Corylee). They have a reputation for being quite wild. They had never met an American and looked like little statues when they heard me talk. At first they were very shy with me but then started asking any kind of question they could think of, such as “What kind of car do you drive?” The older boy told me what little he knew of the States, which was primarily about New York City.
Roberta drove the car (or rather raced the car) on the beach – I have never been in a car on the beach. I got out with the boys and we played soccer on the beach and wrote our names in the sand. They were quite impressed with my soccer skills, which involved kicking but no running.
Noel is from Donemana, Roberta’s home village. The accents there are very thick. Noel had a little drink in her and I could not understand anything she said but “Terri” which she, and everyone here, pronounces as “Tarry”. I tried to respond to her questions but it was like listening to Russian.
Speaking of accents – it was easy to understand people in the south of Ireland. The accents in the North are much harder to understand. I guess it is that way in the States. In the North, the accents are more like the Scottish and they speak very fast. When they are chatting among themselves, I am typically lost in the conversation. I have noticed that when they speak to me, they tend to speak slower and clearer. However, I am not shy about asking them to repeat themselves. When speaking, they will use and expression, like “forty winks” (a nap) and explain it to me. Many of these I have heard and explain to them that we invented them! They refer to children as “weeuns” and instead of saying “yes” they would say “aye” (like Popeye).
Typically when I am with Roberta, we spend the first day shopping for food for the week. I cooked the first two nights. Monday night I made spaghetti for 7 and Tuesday night I made meatballs, cabbage and potatoes for 5.
I have a friend, Melanie, who was a counselor for the Ulster Project in the US for several years. She has stayed with me three times during the past 8 years. Tuesday night I went over and visited her and her husband and watched her wedding video. Conveniently, they live across the street from Roberta.
On Tuesday we went to the Ulster American Folk Park in Omagh. This history park takes you through the years of Irish immigration to America. In each house, a person tells about who would have lived there and what life was like. I have been to the park two other times but it has always rained. We had nice weather so I got to experience it more. Roberta’s Auntie Nettie lives in Omagh. We visited her and her husband. She had a nice lunch for us with homemade scones.
As for the weather, I have experienced 13 days of no rain – a miracle! In previous years, I have been here for two weeks and it has rained every day. Today, Wednesday, it rained a little. The temperature is in the low 70’s. It will be hard to get back to the sauna in Memphis.
Today we went to a prehistoric fortm Grianan Ailligh near Derry. The Lyle family had never been there so it was new for all of us. This fort was built about the time of Christ and was used as a fort from the 5th to the 12th centuries. It is located on a hilltop and has great views of the mountains out to the Irish Sea. It was possibly used as a prehistoric burial mound about 3000 B.C.
For dinner tonight, Owen and Roberta cooked for 12 people. Their friends, Jaqueline and Donald’s family, came with their new grandbaby. I have known them from visits here since 2002 and was surprised to see the little girls I knew had turned into such mature women.
Sunday, June 20, 2010
Deans do Dublin
Arrived safely in Dublin after driving 1184 kilometers across the south of Ireland. My friends, Roberta and Owen from Northern Ireland met us in Dublin. Neither had ever been to Dublin before. We stayed at the Gresham Hotel on O'Connel Street.
Friday, June 18, 2010
My Wedding
Thursday
Sorry I missed a few days of the blog. I have not had internet service. I also have not been able to figure out how to add pictures. I will put them on my Facebook page when I get the chance.
The house we have rented, Ballytomas House, is in the countryside near Gorey. In the back of the house is a mountain which is over 2000 feet. Steve woke up and climbed the very steep mountain. He said he could sea the Irish Sea from there as well as mountains on the other side. I sat out on the back porch, drank a Diet Coke and ate. I was exhausted when he came down.
We drove to Gledalough, the valley of the two lakes, which is known for its Early Medieval monastic settlement founded by St. Kevin in the 6th century. It is in the Wicklow Mountains. I have been there before and loved the area. English forces destroyed much of the settlement in 1398 but it continues to be a place of pilgrimage. It has beautiful Celtic crosses and huge rhododendron bushes (the size of a double decker bus).
Last week was our 35th wedding anniversary. Since we eloped, I wanted to have a service with my family around. To commemorate this, Bill and I renewed our wedding vows at the Upper Lake. Steve officiated the ceremony. Bill was not “into” like I had hoped and did not take the ceremony seriously. Sheila was my matron of honor and my mother was my maid of honor. I had a beautiful bouquet of yellow weeds. It was a very short service that ended in laughter. Bill did not kiss well after he said, “I do”.
We had my “reception” at a beautiful little restaurant, The Wicklow Heather. We had generous portions of fish and beer. On the way back to Gorey we stopped by the Avoca Weavers and watched them weave blankets. We picked up Dominos Pizza in Gorey and brought it back to the house. We are going to walk up to the local pub. The streets are very narrow and the cars speed down the lane, so I wanted to write this now just in case we get hit by a car.
Wednesday
Drove from Kenmare to the Rock of Cashel. This is one of Ireland’s most historic sights that rises high above the Plain of Tipperary. It is the seat of the ancient kings of Munster (A.D. 300-1100). (Steve wanted to see Eddie Munster and Bill was looking for Lurch.)
The “rock” was fought over for years and is a strategic fortification. It was later given over to the church. The Hall of Vicars had white, lime-washed walls to reflect light and act as a natural disinfectant. St. Patrick baptized King Aengus at the Rock of Cashel in A.D. 450. Legend has it that St. Patrick was so preoccupied with the baptism that he speared the foot of the king with his staff while administering the sacrament. The pagan king did not acknowledge that his foot had been speared thinking it was part of the painful process of becoming a Christian.
Legend has it that St. Patrick preached to the pagans at the Rock of Cashel and used the shamrock to explain the Holy Trinity. A part of a 20-foot-tall shaft of a Celtic cross remains in the graveyard. The top part is missing because it was destroyed by a lightening storm in 1976.
We drove on to Kilkenny where we spent the night. Kilkenny is considered “Ireland’s loveliest inland city”. It was the capital during the middle ages. We were fortunate to stay at Butler Court which was a wonderful B&B. This had been built as a stable yard. The “stalls” were transformed into beautiful, spacious rooms. The host, John, was so witty and helpful. The rooms faced out into a courtyard where we ate breakfast. One of my favorite parts of the accommodation was the resident Border Collie, Bob. He followed me around and even came (invited) into my room.
We enjoyed a few pints at the Blue Pub across the street and walked to grounds of Kilkenny Castle. We had a wonderful Italian meal at the Ristorante Rinuccine. Afterwards we went to the Kyteler’s Inn and had a few pints in the beer garden. This was built before the 1300’s and is supposedly haunted by a witch. When I asked the bartender what kinds of things the ghost did, he said, “She’ll scare the shite out of you, that’s what she will do.” He didn’t give any further details.
My mother wanted to hear some traditional Irish music so we went to a pub called Paris Texas (a great Irish name). We waited forever for the band to set up. One woman actually fell asleep. They sang a few dreary, sad ballads and we were out of there.
Wednesday morning Steve and Sheila went to the castle and Mama and I shopped. I found Celtic wedding bands for Bill and I to commemorate our 35th anniversary. We then drove to New Ross to tour the Dunbrody Famine Ship. This was a ship that took emigrants to American. Extended families camped out for 50 days on bunk beds no bigger than a king-size mattress. On most famine ships only 50% of the people survived due to sickness. These ships were referred to as “coffin ships”. A guide took us through the ship and two ladies dressed in costume very informatively and entertainingly told tales about life on the ship. We found the name “Michael Harmon” (Harmon is my maiden name) on the manifest. One of the men in Kilkenny said there were many Staffords (my mother’s maiden name) in Wexford County.
We ate sandwiches in the car and drove to Gorey which is near the coast of the Irish Sea. We rented a 6 bedroom house in the countryside. It was nice to have some down time and have room to spread out. Steve and Sheila cooked “breakfast” for our supper. I love the streaky bacon here. After supper we looked out and Steve was speed racing on a bike in the back lot. Quite comical.
We have been blessed with beautiful weather – sunshine every day. In fact we are all getting suntans. It is supposed to rain Friday when we are on our way to Dublin.