Exploring Ireland: County Mayo, & my last night in Ireland ... in Ennis

Sadly, the last post in my series on exploring Ireland.


My Recommendations:

Must Do's ...

1. Westport - Matt Malloy's Pub, Michael Gannon Photography
2. Ennis - Old Ground Hotel; fantastic shopping; and absolutely fabulous traditional Irish music! 
3. Quentin Cooper, Eoin O'Neill, Eimear Howley - you simply must hear them play at Brogan's Bar & Restaurant in Ennis. 

 

What You Can Skip ...

1. Westport Woods Hotel & Spa:  dingy room, terrible food, and the worst pedicure ever! 

I continued my drive north into County Mayo towards the town of Westport ...

County Mayo
A lovely county, its largest city is populated with only 6,000 people (Castlebar).  

When it comes to the ruling clans throughout County Mayo's history, I sense there are many more in this county than in the counties I'd visited to-date.  The Vikings first raided in 795AD, but unlike the previous counties they didn't build settlements in County Mayo (of course, correct me if I'm wrong).  O'Malley and O'Dowd clans were in the Naval fleet of Connacht while those of O'Lachtan, Mac Fhirbhisigh, and O'Cleary were clergy or artists.

In the 1200's, Richard Mor de Burgh invaded and the following clans came into the area: Burke, Gibbons, Staunton, Prendergast, Morris, Joyce, Walsh, Barrett, Lynott, Costello, and Padden.  Coming out of this time, the most powerful clan was the Mac William Burkes (go Burkes!).  Although the Bourkes were originally Anglo-Irish, they became very much gaelicised (see earlier posts for more on the Burke clan).  Other clans that bopped in and out of County Mayo history include O'Kelly, O'Donnell.

The Pirate Queen Grainne O'Malley
I can't write about County Mayo without mentioning the Pirate Queen Grainne O'Malley (Grace O'Malley), or The Sea Queen of Connaught as she's also referenced.  There are films about her if you'd like to learn more about this strong and courageous woman.  Her father was chieftain of the O Maille clan controlling Murrisk in the southwest and relying on directions of the Mac William Bourkes.  As a young girl she had wanted to join her father at sea, but wasn't allowed given her gender.  Grainne married an O'Flaherty, and after his death she married a Burke to gain his castle. When she later divorced him, she kept the castle.  She had children with both husbands.  Grainne was considered promiscuous and supposedly had a child with one of her lovers; and, one of them was 15 years her junior (hmm, and only now has it become socially acceptable for a woman to be involved with a younger man).  That said, it was typical of the time for a woman who didn't follow the social/cultural norms to be labeled as 'promiscuous.'  (Oh my, I would have been considered uber promiscuous back then!)

Grace O'Malley is also known for her meeting with Queen Elizabeth I during which she refused to bow.  Pirating, she was constantly encountering the Queen's navy.  When arrested, she petitioned Queen Elizabeth for leniency in such a way that the Queen was moved and asked to meet behind closed doors.  Grace and her men were released and given property on Ireland's coast.  Grace’s son, Tibbott, was knighted by the Queen and became Sir Theobold Burke.

Westport
 Located on a bay off of the Atlantic Ocean, touristy Westport is a quaint Georgian town with about only 3,000 inhabitants.  It is overlooked by an extinct volcano, Croagh Patrick, and looks upon islands in the bay (including Clare Island where Grace O'Malley's castle was located).  Supposedly, Saint Patrick spent a month in fast and prayer on Croagh Patrick.  The last Sunday in July, many walk his footsteps to the summit for a mass and to ask forgiveness.

A church.

The churches are lovely, 'The Mall' along the channel is lined with trees, the shops are lovely, and eighteenth century Westport House holds many rareities including Waterford glass, silverware, and paintings.  Home of the Marquess of Sligo, it now has a small zoo, and boating and sailing facilities on the grounds.  While strolling the shops, I took a shine to the photographic works of Michael Gannon (Michael Gannon Photography).  They moved me.

The Mall

After spending some time in town and [slightly] visiting Westport House, I backtracked to Westport Woods Hotel & Spa.  It looked a bit woodsy on the outside indicating the spa would be close to nature and relaxing.  I was tired.  A massage, manicure, and pedicure sounded perfect.  It was the worse stay of my entire trip.  The room was basic and dingy.  After I checked in, three buses of teenagers arrived much to my dismay.  They played kickball behind the hotel and actually kicked the balls up onto the glass that served as the back wall of the restaurant and lobby area ... and the back wall of my room.  The spa, Cedar Spa, was the worse.  I had a mani/pedi was all.  The worse pedicure I've ever had.  The pink polish didn't fully cover my nails.

I found a pub with contemporary music spilling into the street's air.  Matt Molloy's Bar.  It looked fun.  I sat at the bar, ordered my [now] usual Guinness, and began chatting with the men seated on both sides of me.  Couples were pouring in and after filling this small front pub, they filled the larger back room where the live music was being played.  This was an older crowd, in their 50's and 60's, and they still knew how to have fun!  As it turns out, unbeknownst to me until I was at the bar for about an hour, this is the famous Matt Molloy's Bar ~ owned by Matt Molloy, flute player of The Chieftains!  I recall hearing about this bar from friends years ago.  In fact, just this very moment I learned that on January 27, 2011 Paddy Maloney was presented with the Medal of Honor for lifetime achievement in music by the National Arts Club in New York City.  (Paddy is the founder & leader of The Chieftains; from Donnycarney just north of Dublin.)  Congratulations, Paddy!

 

After chatting with a guy at the bar for a few hours, I went back to my hotel for some sleep before hitting the road early the next morning ... south, back to Ennis for my last day in Ireland.

Ennis

This time when I rolled into Ennis I knew where I wanted to stay.  When I was in Ennis earlier on the trip, I drove past this lovely stately hotel covered in ivy on my way to pick up Stacey at the Shannon Airport.  When I arrived this time, it was a lovely sunny day.  With this stay, my impression of Ennis was about to change completely!

I checked into the Old Ground Hotel, an 18th century manor house, and was given a very large room that looked out onto a courtyard of trees, bushes, and bistro tables & chairs.  I opened the windows to allow the cool breeze in, fixed a cup of tea, and sat looking onto the courtyard with my feet propped up on the window ledge.  The weather was just the way I enjoy it ... sunny with a cold breeze that requires a sweater.

Old Ground Hotel

It was very relaxing.  Then, I took a stroll around the town ...

Across the street from the hotel and just outside of the Ennis Cathedral is a sculpture of two hands.

Hands by Shane Gilmore, 2008

 The limestone sculpture titled, Hands, was made by Shane Gilmore.  It represents the following:

- Hands of Healing  (the walk of Reconcilation by Bishop Willie Walsh)

- Hands of Welcome  (presence of emigrants, asylum seekers, refugees, and EU citizens

- Hands of Peace  (new era of peace in Ireland)

- Hands of Faith  (faithfulness of parents & grandparents in passing on the Christian faith to the next generation)

- Hands of Cooperation  (celebrating Ennis' tidiness)

“I will not forget you, I have carved your name on the palm of my hand.” 

Isaiah 49:15 

Strolling the streets and shops ...

I bought two fun dresses and a nice rolling briefcase.  I receive so many compliments, from men & women, on my briefcase as I finally found one that wasn't leopard, tiger, nor a black basic case fit for a man!

My Last Night in Ireland ... 
I went to Brogan's Bar and Restaurant and was seated in the front room of the pub which serves as the dining room.  All was quiet as the musicians were on break.  I ordered dinner and thought about my trip.  The many wonderful people I had met: the fabulous Joan & Andrew in Dublin, Phyllis at Bunratty Villa, Bern, Leon & Ted, Anne at Rockmount House.  John Jelks, the actor, in Shawshank Redemption (who I still believe lives in my building).  Driving on the left for the first time.  Sipping the first Guinness I've ever enjoyed.  St. Stephens Green.  Killarney.  Clifden.  My lovely friend, Stacey.  And ... I thought about my ancestors whom my father had traced back to the William de Burgh (b 1343):

me
Charles Burke, my father
...
our history in Ireland:
Captain Thomas Burk (b 1741, Virginia, USA)
William Burk (b 1709-18 Limerick, Ireland; married an American)
John Bourke (b 1675-90 County Kildare, Ireland; married a McDougal)
Richard Bourke (b 1645-65 County Kildare, Ireland; married a ?)
John de Burgh (b 1609-15 in Kill, County Kildare, Ireland; married a Mountcasel)
Ulick 'mac An Larla' de Burgh (b 1542 in Tully, County Galway, Ireland, near Roscommon; married a ?)
Richard Sassananach de Burgh (b1525 in Clanricarde, County Galway, Ireland; married an O'Brien)
Uilleag na gCeann de Burgh (b 1505; married a MacCoghlan)
Richard M'or de Burgh (b 1530; married a Butler)
Uilleag Fionn de Burgh (b 1509)
Uilleag Ruadh de Burgh (b 1485)
Uilleag (William) Fhiona de Burgh (b 1423-24; married an O Kelly)
Richard 'og de Burgh (b 1387)
William de Burgh (b 1343)
1307, Donamon Castle, County Roscommon, occupied by the McDavid Burkes.

Donamon Castle one of the oldest inhabited buildings in Ireland. This was the seat of the O'Finnaghy clan until 1307 when it became property to the first of the Burkes. The McDavid Burkes occupied Donamon Castle for the next 300 years.  In 1932, an IRA group lead by Sean McCool and Mick Price set up an IRA training camp at the castle.  Donamon Castle sits on the River Suck and today is owned by Divine Word Missionaries.

I now understood, on a deeper level, why my family back in America are the way we are.  If you were to take one step inside the home of one of my relatives, you would instantly be family and feel quite comfortable.

When I finished my meal, I was escorted into the extremely crowded room where everyone was sitting on teeny tiny stools around teeny tiny bar tables.  It made me giggle to walk in, look down, and see the tops of heads!  Sitting on a teeny tiny stool at a table with five others, I was enchanted.

Three men were playing as the featured musicians and several others were jamming along.  The crowd would sing along with them.  An old gentleman would get up and dance a traditional jig from time-to-time.  A woman sitting in the back corner belted out the words to songs in the most beautiful Irish voice.  We all felt as though we'd known each other for years.  The young American guy aimlessly taking trains around Ireland and stopping here and there to work until he had fare for his next jaunt.  The American woman from Boston who now lives on the northern coast of Kerry, writing and painting and giving advice to this American woman on how to wear my claddagh ring depending on whether I was single or taken.  The locals.

The trio:  Quentin Cooper, Eoin O'Neill, Eimear Howley

I had to purchase the trio's cd, The Fiddle Case, so I could carry this evening with me always.  This evening.

This enchanted evening ... was, quintessentially Irish.

The perfect farewell.

Slàinte mhòr!

Sinnotts Bar, Dublin

Wonderful Nights with Insomnia

I haven't slept well these past 6 weeks.  A lot of life happening that has weighed on my mind, I guess.  

At my bedside I always have a book for reading just before going to sleep at night.  It stills my swirling mind.  So when I wake during the night and can't go back to sleep, my book is handy.  A week ago I finished my current book, so when I found myself with insomnia this past week, I took to poetry.

I love poetry.  I love books of poetry.  I so enjoy reading poetry, having someone read poetry to me, and even writing poetry.

This past week, I chose Rilke.  Rainier Maria Rilke is one of my favorite poets.  His poetry and prose is a lovely blend of intelligence, insight, and romance.

Here are a few of my favorites:

[I live my life in widening rings]

I live my life in widening rings

which spread over earth and sky.

I may not ever complete the last one,

but that is what I try.

I circle around God, the primordial tower,

and I circle ten thousand years long;

and I still don't know if I'm a falcon, a storm,

or an unfinished song.

For Hans Carossa

Losing too is still ours; and even forgetting

still has a shape in the kingdom of transformation.

When something's let go of, it circles; and though we are 

rarely the center

of the circle, it draws around us its unbroken, marvelous

curve.

Next is my all-time favorite Rilke poem:

[You who never arrived]

You who never arrived
in my arms, Beloved, who were lost
from the start,
I don't even know what songs
would please you.  I have given up trying
to recognize you in the surging wave of the next
moment. All the immense
images in me--the far-off, deeply-felt landscape,
cities, towers, and bridges, and un-
suspected turns in the path,

and those powerful lands that were once
pulsing with the life of the gods--
all rise within me to mean
you, who forever elude me.

You, Beloved, who are all
the gardens I have ever gazed at,
longing.  An open window
in a country house--, and you almost
stepped out, pensive, to meet me.  Streets that I chanced
upon,--
you had just walked down them and vanished.
And sometimes, in a shop, the mirrors
were still dizzy with your presence and, startled, gave back
my too-sudden image.  Who knows? perhaps the same
bird echoed through both of us
yesterday, separate, in the evening . . .

[Along the sun-drenched roadside, from the great]

Along the sun-drenched roadside, from the great

hollow half-treetrunk, which for generations

has been a trough, renewing in itself

an inch or two of rain, I satisfy

my thirst; taking the water's pristine coolness

into my whole body through my wrists.

Drinking would be too powerful, too clear;

but this unhurried gesture of restraint

fills my whole consciousness with shining water.

Thus, if you came, I could be satisfied

to let my hand rest lightly, for a moment,

lightly, upon your shoulder or your breast.

Insomnia can be wonderful at times.

Exploring Ireland: County Galway, Ireland (part 3)

My Recommendations:

Must Do's ...

1. Upper Sky Road
2. Clifden
3. Buy Connemara Tweed and something woolen
   
4. Kylemore Abbey
5. Connemara Ponies
   
 

What You Can Skip ...

1. Absolutely nothing!

I awoke early the next morning from the sunlight coming through the picture window.  It was a soft, rainy morning.  The sunlight was soft, the gray sky was soft, and the house quiet.  Only the green grass seemed a little bright despite its vibrancy had been dampened from the sunny day before.  I showered, packed my bag, and loaded it into the car.  Anne was up and making breakfast.  There was a couple already eating breakfast in the dining room.  They were not open to conversation.  Anne took my order of fresh salmon omelette which she talked me into saying it was the best on the menu.  Paddy was a professional chef, as it seems.  I was a bit disappointed in the omelette ... too much salmon for me.  But, the salmon was so delicious when it melted in my mouth.

Upper Sky Road
As I left, Anne chastised me for not walking up to Upper Sky Road yesterday when the sun was shining.  She had prodded me, advising the forecast was for rain the next day, saying it was the best view in all of Ireland.  I had planned to take the walk but, sitting in the Irish grasses had been more compelling to me. 

I drove west a short distance on the tiny lane of Lower Sky Road until the road turned up the hill to the right and made a 180 degree turn.

And there I was. 

A 'sky view' of what I had taken in yesterday from the cliff side.  I truly had been sitting on the edge of the world ... looking out onto the Atlantic Ocean near where it meets the Norwegian Sea.

 And here's a distance shot of the point in the two photos above:

My B&B, Rockmount House, is in the row of houses just below and to the left of the point.

Spectacular!  Yes?
And further down the road ...

Clifden
I drove into the town of Clifden anxious to find an espresso cafe, and roam the shops which had just opened.  As much as I hate shopping, I love browsing through small shops whenever I travel to other countries.  And, I was on a shopping mission.  I had planned to buy my Irish father either an Irish tweed cap or an [authentic] Aran sweater.  And if you're wanting Irish tweed, Connemara is the place to look. 

There are several shops in which to buy Irish woolens, and I can't recall the name of the shop where I found Dad's cap.  But, I do know that as soon as you turn right onto the first street of shops, it's either the first or second shop on your right.  Lots of fabulous tweed and woolens!

I love Dad's cap.  It is dark Irish green with tiny specs of brown, yellow, orange, and a few other colors.  It looks very handsome on him, and he looks dapper in it!

(not a good pic, but you get the gist)

Hehir's Woollen Store (Market Street) has absolutely fabulous items (more contemporary, less traditional).  Brian, one of the owners, was very helpful as I selected a wool sweater for myself. 

It's actually a lovely charcoal gray, sits just off the shoulder, and criss-crosses in front.  

Simply lovely.
Made by Fishermen Out of Ireland located in Donegal.

(FOoI catalog:  page 9, cable wrap top with side buttons)

Kylemore Abbey
Back on the road, I headed northeast through The Twelve Pins to the lovely Kylemore Abbey.  It was the most beautiful, peaceful sight ...

I love this photo.

But this is my favorite!

The Abbey became a school for girls, & is, sadly, closing this year.

Rain clouds are rolling in, & wind is rippling the water.

Half of a panoramic view ...

... the other half.

The Kylemore Abbey has a rich history. It's home to nuns of the Benedictine Order who came here in 1920 after their abbey in Ypres, Belgium was destroyed in WW I. They opened a world renowned boarding school for girls & restored the Abbey, Gothic Church, & Garden to their original order.  Mitchell & Margaret Henry owned it for a time, then it was bought by Eugene Zimmerman, an oil & rail tycoon from ... get this ... Cincinnati, Ohio, USA.  Yes, my hometown!  He bought it for his daughter & son-in-law, the Duke & Duchess (Helena Zimmerman) of Manchester.

I love this pic, as well!

Connemara Ponies
There's so much more that I can share about Connemara, but I must leave something for you to discover on your own.  But, I will share that you must see the Connemara Ponies.

Next up ... our final Irish exploration:  County Mayo (Matt Malloy's Pub, and a special farewell evening in Ennis ...

Literature to Life® ~ Fahrenheit 451

When was the last time a solo show, a one-person show, captivated you & stirred your soul?

When was the last time your child came home excited about a book and couldn't put it down?  And when finished, wanted to dive into another?

Last week, on Wednesday 2/23, I witnessed a solo show performance that completely captivated me and was so moving that I felt the emotions of each of the characters.  It was American Place Theatre's presentation of Ray Bradbury's fabulous book Fahrenheit 451.  It was adapted and directed by the reknown Mr. Wynn Handman, who was in attendance ... and very delightful, I might add.

Mr. Handman, a noted teacher for over 50 years, has trained many actors including:  Alec Baldwin, James Caan, Kathleen Chalfont, Chris Cooper, Michael Douglas, Sandy Duncan, Richard Gere, Joel Grey, Allison Janney, Raul Julia, Frank Langella, John Leguizamo, Susan Lucci, Donna Mills, Burt Reynolds, Tony Roberts, Anna Devere Smith, Mira Sorvino, Christopher Walken, Denzel Washington, and Joanne Woodward.

What a strong performance by Emmy nominated Rich Orlow!  I was truly lost in each character completely forgot that I was looking at the same person the entire time.  Read what Alexandra Cheney of the Wall Street Journal had to say about it. 

Performed at Joe's Pub in the East Village to an audience of adults was very unusual for this theater company.  The American Place Theatre's program that gave this performance is a literacy program that gives students a new form of access to literature by bringing to life the world of books with these solo shows. It's called Literature to Life® and is led by David Kener, Executive Director, whose passion is infectious.  David, himself an actor, was described by The New York Times as a performer "who adapts brilliantly to any situation." 

Literature to Life® is non-profit and funded by Project 451 ... the campaign to keep literature alive.  Over 70% of students reached by this program live below the poverty line.  Studies have shown that families living in poverty own either one or no books in their home.  After seeing one of these performances, 85% of children want to read or re-read the book.  And the comments after seeing a performance are inspiring!  Join Meryl Streep, Alec Baldwin,  make a donation to Project 451.

Better yet, sponsor a school or city.  It doesn't take much to make a difference!