The Weekend

I did not have time to keep up with my blog. Roberta kept me very busy for the last few days. I will try to catch you up and then in my next post try to bring you up to date on the "Troubles" in Northern Ireland.

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.

Last weekend

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!

A Day at the Beach

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 5^th to the 12^th 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.

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.

For lunch we had a wonderful meal in the Temple Bar area. I had a chicken and leek pie which was like a chicken pot pie with soup inside. It was delicious. A young man was playing the guitar and singing, mostly American songs.

Later on Friday evening we went to the Temple Bar, probably the most famous pubs in Dublin. The streets were wild. I had my picture taken with a man dressed liked a Leprachan - or maybe he was a real leprachan. As we were watching out the window we saw a group of young guys pick him up and throw him around and then steal his money. Bill kindly went over and gave him some cash.

Apparently the Temple Bar area is THE place to go for bachelorette parties. We saw several groups dressed up in wigs and with sashes. They were quite decorated with phallic symbols. One had a phallic symbol wand which lit up that she gave to my mother. Mom waved it around like the party was for her. Both groups were taking group pictures outside of the bar and I invited myself to be in their pictures. So these ladies will go back to London and wonder who the fat woman is that is in all of there pictures.

Dublin has a hop on and off bus that goes around the city. On Saturday Bill, Robeta, Owen, and I rode the loop twice. We stopped off at the Guiness Factory and toured as well as a few other attractions. I had been to most of them before and the others seemed to be happy riding around on the bus. There was a pub near our hotel which had "Pull Your Own Pint" night. You got free beer if you pulled it yourself. Owen was so proud that he got free Guiness. He said that was the first time in 48 years he had pulled his own pint. There is a real art in pulling a pint of Guiness - you have to do it slowly and let it settle several times. I have been drinking Smithwick which is brewed in Kilkenny. Bill had about drank himself out and was ready to go to bed early.

I just put Mom and Bill on the bus for the airport. I was a little sad to see them going and knowing they would see Gabe before I do. I will be taking a 4 hour bus ride up to the very top of the island and stay with my friends for 9 days. I must say, I am a little tired and hope I can sleep on the bus, because there is Roberta will keep me very busy the rest of the week. I am hoping I can get on the internet at their house and keep on writing.

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 6^th 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 35^th 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 35^th 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.

Speeding through the Beara Peninsula

We are staying at the Riverville House in Kenmare, Ireland. It is a B&B located above the town in a very quiet area. Looking out from the house you see beautiful green hills where you hear sheep bleating. The house is run by Margaret who is a very unobtrusive host who made a delicious breakfast of poached eggs, toast, and wonderful streaky bacon. She was very helpful with our travel plans for the day. Originally we had planned on going on the Ring of Kerry which is very touristy with lots of traffic and tour buses. Bill and I have been there. After talking with Margaret we decided to do the Beara Peninsula which is less traveled and we were told is more beautiful. It was great advice. The scenery was beautiful.

May I remind you that we are riding in a 9 passenger Mercedes van and the roads look big enough for two bicycles. My brother, Steve, lived in England and is experienced with driving on the "wrong" side of the road. However, he has never driven a tank like this but had the confidence of a Daytona 500 driver. He seemed to forget that there was a left side of the car. We took out several bushes along the way and possibly a few sheep. It was like riding a roller coaster where you never knew if there was a car on the other side of the hills. It was like riding on the Amalfi Coast in Italy with no brakes. He thought he was doing a great job; however, when we got out of the car there were scratches all down the left side of the van where he had run against trees and bushes. We have a $1500 deductible and I have a feeling we may be buying the car. My plan is to report it as stolen so we will not be charged for a new paint job.

Our favorite part of the Beara Peninsula was Healy Pass which is between two mountains. It was breath-taking. Sheep were roaming free and it felt like Ireland 1,000 years ago. We climbed to the top of one mountain (hill) and took pictures of ourselves.

Besides the gorgeous mountains, the coastline was beautiful. Yesterday we went to the western most land of Europe and today we drove to the southern tip of Ireland. We stopped in Castletownbere and ate at Jack Patrick's. The owner was Cathy Harrington was a delightful person. Her husband owns the butcher next door to her restaurant and does the cooking. We had the best fish which had been caught that morning. Cathy got the website to my blog and said she was going to follow it. So Cathy, if you are reading this, thanks for a memorable lunch.

By the time we arrived back in Kenmare, my muscles were sore from bracing myself during the drive with the "speed demon" behind the wheel. I needed a chiropractor or a massage. We ate fresh scallops from Kenmare Bay and then went to a pub. I made friends with an Englishman and his Irish wife and had a few laughs.

Off to Kilkenny tomorrow. Thanks for reading.

Dingle Peninsula, Beautiful Weather

After a wonderful Irish breakfast in Tralee, we headed for the Dingle Peninsula. This area has a prehistoric and medieval history and was the setting for the beginning of the Tom Cruise movie Far and Away. In Dingle we bought "fixins" for a picnic.

The first settlers of the peninsula were nomadic hunters and later people from the Stone, Bonze and Iron age. They built defensive forts The land was later visited by the Vikings, Celts, and English. Each wave of settlers left their mark with stones and forts. At one stage there were over 400 of these monuments surviving. The forts remain in good shape because they were built of stone.

The Dingle Peninsula Loop is about 30 miles long but we took a short-cut after seeing the major sites. We visited Dunbeg Fort which is built of a cliff with breath taking views. Their was a beehive shaped structure which was most likely used for ritual purposes and as a residence. As you walked down to the fort, you passed a pasture with sheep, donkeys and a horse. The stone fences went up to the top of the hill.

The most beautiful part of the trip was Slea Head and the Blasket Islands. We had a picnic overlooking the water. The sun was shining but it was quite windy.

From Dingle we headed through Kilarney to our stop in Kenmare. The drive was beautiful. Bill and I had been to Kenmare before and said we would some day come back. Our bed and breakfast, Riverville House, is on a hill slightly above town in a very peaceful, secluded area. We walked to town and ate at Packies. I will never again complain about Irish food after eating there. It was one of the best meals I have every eaten. I had huge scampi (they looked like baby lobsters) which were freshly caught in Kenmare bay. The side dishes included a salad, parsnips/carrots/onions, and a cabbage salad, all of which were delicious. We had a pint at Foley's pub then walked around the town. When we got back to the B&B we had drinks on the patio which was very relaxing. A GREAT day in Ireland!

Feet on Irish Soil

After a long, bumpy flight that did not involve sleep, we are finally in Ireland. We stopped in the beautiful city of Adare - thatched roofs and flower boxes. Since we have not slept in 38 hours, we were almost too sleepy to enjoy the scenery on the way to Tralee. We are staying in a Bed and Breakfast with a lovely lady, Eileen. Walked to pub and watched the soccer match. Still tired - going to bed.

Make Lemonade out of Lemons: Travel can be Miserable

I always tell myself that airports, airplanes, smelly passengers are not worth it - until I get off the plane to my destination. It is so unnatural to be squeezed into a seat the size of a tuna can with the woman in front of you with too much perfume and the person behind you eating pizza that they brought on the plane. I am grateful when the seat belt fits and the air is blowing on me like a hair dryer. The worst words to hear from the pilot are, "I am sorry for the inconvenience but we have been delayed on the tarmac. Please pull down all window shades as we will have air conditioning once we take off." Never, NEVER tell a menopausal woman that! She starts sweating before the pilot has the microphone put down.

No one volunteers to sit next to me on a plane because I tend to drape my body as far on the other seat as possible and my ADHD has been known to kick in. I have my "activity bag" with me that I can never get to so I use my feet to shove it around until it bothers someone into picking it up.

On our flight from Memphis, the short little man in front of me had his 100% wool jacket (Made in India) draped backwards across his seat so that the lapels and pockets were draped in my lap. He asked me if I minded him putting it there. Of course, I started sweating when I saw the 100% wool label but I was fumbling with my seatbelt and didn't have time to say, "Put your coat in your own lap!"

My mother always told me to make lemonade out of lemons. I had no where to put my IPod until I saw the lapel pockets of his coat. My IPod fit in there perfectly. And lo and behold, my glasses fit in the other pocket. Therefore, I had my own little seat caddy. We were given cheese and salami for snacks. I really thought about putting some salami in his pocket as a thank you/parting gift.

Plane rides are boring. You think you can catch a few hours sleep but about the time you fall asleep the pilot starts mumbling about the altitude and tells you that you can now get up to go to the bathroom. Upon our approach to Newark, I told my mother that I needed to have a little fun. I said loudly, "There is the Statue of Liberty". We were no where near it but the little in front of me jerked her head around and said, "Where is it?" I tried not to laugh too hard and told her I was just kidding. New Yorkers have no sense of humor - I don't think she thought I was funny.

We are getting ready for the flight to Shannon from Newark. Bill is excited because we have exit row seats with extra leg room. However, it also means that in case of an emergency, my 83 year old mother, a panicked stricken Bill and I (who will be groggy from the pharmaceuticals that promise I will sleep) are responsible for rescuing people in case of emergency. If I happen to fall asleep, please don't wake me up for that.

"Why are you going to Ireland AGAIN!!!????

I am frequently asked, "Why do you keep going to Ireland?" My response is, "Why do you keep going to Destin?" I go because I love it - the people, the countryside, the history.

My primary reason for going to Ireland is because I have a very dear friend, Roberta, who lives in Northern Ireland. We met through her son, Owen, who stayed with us for a month a part of the Ulster Project. This is a project which has existed for over 25 years in the U.S. It's goal is to aid in the reconciliation of Catholics and Protestants in Northern Ireland. My family became involved when we hosted Owen in 2000 when he and my son, Patrick, were 15 years old. I felt like Owen was a part of the family. He repeatedly said, "You are just like my mum." Now how could that be? I was driven to get to know this woman. When she called Owen and I talked with her, I could not understand anything she said. However, I was still determined to meet her. I am truly blessed that she is one of my closest friends - not in distance but in the heart.

I had the opportunity in 2001 to go to Northern Ireland as an ambassador for the Memphis Ulster Project and speak to the families who sent their children to the U.S. for a month in July. I became further involved in the program by serving on the board for a number of years. Through those years I have hosted counselors from the program and met many wonderful teenagers. I have enjoyed watching these kids grow up into wonderful people.

In 2004 I took a tour group to Ireland. My husband, Bill, was able to go for the first time. He fell in love with the people and places. We have talked about going back and "slow traveling" some of the places we wanted to explore more.

Several years ago my family went on a Mediterranean cruise. My 80 year old mother was with us and kept up with us through 5 countries. In the fall of 2009, she told me she had one more trip in her. When I asked where she wanted to go, she quickly said, "Ireland". So that is how this trip evolved. My husband, mother, brother, and sister-in-law will be traveling in southern Ireland. After that trip I will spend some time with my friends in Northern Ireland.

I always journal during my trips so I will never forget the people I meet or the places I go. I decided to blog this trip to share with you. I am fascinated by people and history, so I hope this will not be too boring for you. I hope you enjoy this journey as much as I do.