Galway and Mayo in the Rain

Got to read about the "Pirate Queen" when I get back home. The remains of one of her castles was behind our B&B on an island in Maam, County Galway. Evidently, she was quite a character. Wonder why I didn't know about her.

More typical Irish weather lately. As one pub keeper put it, "It only rains three hundred days a year." But even when it's raining sideways, sometimes filtered sunshine peeks through and illuminates up a mountainside far off, lending a mystic aura to the landscape.

Some visitors describe Galway as "melancholic" and one can see why. Others praise the solitude and stark beauty. I wonder what it's like living day-to-day in that white cottage in all that lonely countryside.

I pick out routes with remote mountain passes as we make our way north to Crossmolina. We pass lochs with centuries-old sporting lodges built and maintained by British aristocrats and off-limits to Irish tenant-farmers in the old days.

As I mentioned last year, memories of the Great Famine permeate the country. If you've forgotten about it for a day, there'll be a memorial beside a lonely road in the middle of nowhere to remind you. In Westport, Country Mayo, is the national memorial - the bronze sculpture "Coffin Ship" with skeletons strung about as rigging.

It's eerie, but poignant. Makes me appreciate the Irish breakfast I ate this morning.

Just got an email from my daughter, Annie. Our next grandchild is a little girl! We'll see her in September.

Life goes on.

I've Been Stimulated

Ah.... the global economic meltdown. I'd like to say that you amuse me, but truth is... you dont. I dont think your amusing anybody, not even rich fatcats sitting up in their mansions because they're losing money along with everybody else. Truth be told, i'm not doing too badly - i have a good, stable job and i dont have any investments dragging me backwards. Plus, i've just received a nice little monetary gift ... courtesy of Uncle Kevin Rudd.

Who , you say ? Uncle Kevvie or, as you non-Aussies may know him ( if you've heard of him at all ... ) Kevin Rudd, Prime Minister of the Commonwealth of Australia. Thats right people, the Australian government is giving money away and i've got me some! If you're an Australian taxpayer who earned less than $100 000 last financial year ( uh, yea... i'm waaaaaay under the qualifying mark ) the government will give a $900 cash injection. The idea is that everybody takes their " free " $900 and spends it, thus stimulating the Australian economy.

Question is: what do i spend it on ?

High Definition TV?

Fancy new mobile phone ?

Sky high pair of Christian Louboutins?

I dont really need the new phone, and although i would die to be wearing gorgeous Louboutins ( i'd sleep in them i'd love them so much! ) i dont really need them either. I am actually tossing up getting a TV to replace my old flat screen but im going to wait til the price is right. So where will my K.Rudd money being going ? For now, into my savings account. Boring, i know, but until i can decide exactly what i want to do with it - tearing down a wall in my new house or investing in a new piece of furniture being two other seriously considered options - i'll be keeping a good hold on it....

Aran Islands

One of the most stunning places I've ever visited. We all were thoroughly charmed.

Why all the walls? Behind the horse's head is a "field" of limestone bedrock. According to Thomas Joyce, one of the locals, all the fields were like that until they hauled in sand and seaweed to create the soil - an ongoing process as you can see in the next shot. They broke up some of the stone and built up the walls as boundaries for different plots and to enclose the animals. The walls are higher here than in any place I've seen in Ireland, or anywhere for that matter, and I live in New England.

It all makes me feel lazy. It's even more stunning when you think about what went into making it all.

I promised to get some horse pictures for my daughter Annie

It rained in the morning so we almost cancelled, but then the sun came out and we bought ferry tickets. Joe said it was one of the best days of his life and he's had a lot of them. Let's see . . . ninety times 365 is what?

The sun stayed out all day. I had two pints of Guinness for lunch. So did Joe and Ma. Roseann had a Heiniken. I think I'll have the same tomorrow in Connemara. Very nourishing.

I've taken 410 shots so far. Even Roseann took some. I hate posing and smiling on que, but today I obliged. It was that good a day.

County Clare

Weather is great so far here in County Clare, but that could change any time. Yesterday was a long day, but great. Ma(84) and Uncle Joe (90) are holding up as well as I am. We toured the Cliffs of Moher and the Burren before eating dinner at O'Connor's Pub in Doolin.

On to the Aran Islands today. Sleeping in Galway tonight.

Sorry if I mislead readers with my last post. I'm only here for a visit and won't be posting columns for two weeks - just short bursts like this one - unless Israel attacks Iran.

Leaving The Country

Crossmolina

It's not because liberal dominance has gotten too difficult to bear, though it is trying. I'm going back to Ireland with my wife, my mother (84), and my uncle (90). We're heading for Crossmolina, County Mayo, from where my great-grandmother, Kate McDonnell, emigrated to Wilkes Barre, Pennsylvania in the 1880s sometime. My great-grandfather Peter Haggerty followed her to Wilkes Barre and married her. My mother and uncle knew Kate when she was an old woman and they were children.

I may post short pieces from there with a few photos, but I probably won't be posting columns unless I'm very inspired.

Or, unless Israel attacks Iran.

Gotta go catch a plane . . .

Out of the Loop

So - you know how when your in high school you think you're going to be friends with these people forever ? Like, totally forever? You couldnt possibly imagine ever growing apart from the people populating your English and Math classes? Yea, well.... it happens. And i'm not talking about the majority of your high school class ( who you do the awkward " hey, how are you ? " conversation with if you see them out and about ) - i'm talking about the select handful that you call your "best" friends. How did i manage to grow apart from them ?



Not P.... P and i are still as thick as thieves ( although to be fair, i was pretty upset when she cancelled lucnh on me this past Saturday. I kind of get the feeling she doesnt really want to meet Mr Gil, and i dont really know why.... ). No, i'm talking about A and Em. The four of us were bestest of buddies during our final year of school and have been ever since, but just in the last year ( since the whole Mary Incident ) i've noticed a chasm opening up: A and Em on one side, myself on the other. I expected it after the whole Mary thing, especially with A ( she is Mary's sister after all ) but it still feels strange.



Dinner with the girls, as mentioned in my last post, just wasnt the same. I felt competely on the outer. My relationship with A hasnt exactly collapsed, but i'm not close to her anymore. We dont call or text each other, and the only emails we exchange are of the chain letter/lame joke variety. I havent been to visit her in her new town where she got a new job - but the other two have. The majority of Friday nights dinner conversation revolved around A's new flat, her work colleagues, the little adventures they'd had together since she'd moved. I dont know the people they were talking about, and wasnt " in " on any of the "in" jokes. Even when i brought up other topics of conversation - movies, music, my fledgling relationship, Easter activities, family and other friends - things kept circling back to A and her brand new life. My thoughts kept alternating between how left out i felt, and how much i'd rather be anywhere else than alone at a table with three other women i used to think were my platonic soulmates.



I know when this happened, and i pretty much know whow .... but why ? How did i end up being the one pushed out ? And why didnt anyone tell me ahead of time ?

Storms

You know the saying "April Showers bring May flowers." Well we've been having quite a few showers here in Tennessee. They haven't been just showers though, they've been out and out gully-washing, tornado warning, turn the TV up loud and get to your safe place type storms. They've all come on the weekends mostly. I think just about every Friday there has been one. It's been weird. I don't remember ever having this many bad storms in a row for a long time. We've had some bad ones but they've always seemed real spaced out.

We were talking about the weather in Sunday School when one of the girls mentioned that the weather on (Good)Friday matched what it was on the first Good Friday and then Easter Sunday's weather (which was bright and sunny) matched what an ideal Easter would be. I thought that was really cool. I hadn't thought about it but it was true. The Bible talks about the sky going dark from noon to three and that was about when the storm came through. Well anyway enjoy the pictures!

Please pray for the families that were hit by the Tornadoes that did hit in a few counties.

Pictures.

1- The pond like puddle that forms in our driveway. I thought the reflection of the trees and sky was cool.

2-Our creek very much so flooded. It wasn't over it's banks but it had a whole lot more water than normal.

3- A tree in the woods on the way to the creek with the sky that was sort of clearing.

4- The tail end of the storm.

5-Very ominous looking cloud.