Introduction

Welcome!
Andrew and I have just returned from our trip to Galway, Ireland. Initially, I thought it would be fun to live blog but I just can't leave it at that. I have more pictures and AV clips that I didn't have time to sort and upload. So I'll be tinkering away at paring down some of the wordiness of my posts and posting more photos and captions.

If you want to just skip straight to the pictures, the album is on Picasweb. Click here.



Your Questions
Since we've been back, people have asked us the same basic questions and I can address those here in the intro--

Q: Did you have fun?
A: Fun and more. This was an amazing trip. Wish we could have stayed longer.

Q: Did you drink a lot?
A: Not as much as I thought we would. Wine, beer, and whiskey. Turns out that I drink these much more slowly than vodka, which I didn't touch during this trip.

Q: Did you go to Dublin?
A: No, and barely thought about it. We did a couple of day trips as recommended, but didn't push ourselves to do anything but relax. i.e. walking, talking, eating, drinking, laughing, sleeping.

Q: Did you like the food?
A: Best fresh local ingredients + people that know how to cook = OMG.

Daily Activities
Day 1: Breakfast at Mother Hubbard's, Lunch at The Kitchen, Dinner at Martine's, Drinks at Tigh Neachtain
Day 2: Breakfast at Kai, Galway Museum, Dinner at Ard Bia @ Nimmo's
Day 3: Macnas Tour, La Salsa for Lunch, Tigh Neachtain's (again), McDonaugh's for fish n chips
Day 4: Waterfront to Eyre Square, Supermac's, Wilde's Bar, Crane Bar
Day 5: Aillwee Cave, Portal tomb and stone fort at the Burren, Brad Pitt Light Orchestra, Wilde's (again)
Day 6: Sleep in, Dinner with Andrew's cousins
Day 7: Roundstone, Lunch at O'Dowd's, Clifden, Sky Road, Dinner at Trattoria


And if you're from Galway, please let me know if I have any details wrong. I'm happy to edit.

Cheers!

Aillwee Cave, Burren, Poulnabroun Dolmen Portal Tomb, Stone Fort

Kilmacduagh Monastery

Returning from the Burren, we thought it would be nice to travel through a national park to get back to Galway. We thought the protected land might mean something in the way of lush natural scenery, but it just wasn't happening. Andrew was growing tired of me flipping through classical music.

"What's that over there?" Andrew said. I felt a little uneasy as a tower came into view.

You can read about the monastery on Wikipedia, just click here.

Reggae Reggae, Thank you!

Thanks to Michelle and Mark for introducing us to this terrific sauce. Red bonnet chili plus a killer blend of herbs = nom nom!

(I'll be asking for that salad recipe later- the one with courgette, soy bean, lemon, and walnuts.)

http://www.reggae-reggae.co.uk/

Roundstone, Chowder, Clifden, Sky Road, Kylemore Abbey... and Mel Gibson?

Andrew's aunt told us that Mel Gibson was seen last week somewhere in Clifden. Andrew couldn't pass up the opportunity to quip: "I think it's safe for us to go. We're not Jewish."

Despite whatever menace Mel Gibson might have represented, the recommendations were to go to O'Dowd's and have the bowl of cream that passes for seafood chowder. We were to also make our way out to Sky Road because it's a lovely drive and conjures up nostalgic optimism about the Gateway to America.

Sidenote: the term Gateway to America has its dark edges:

"But sometimes families who made it through the perilous voyage surviving on crusts of bread, perhaps losing a member en route, only to find out that one of the children had an illness.

“They would have a short time to say goodbye, and the child would be quarantined and sent home, never to see their family again.

[Source: irishcentral.com] 

Wildes to Bierhaus, 2am Saturday

This is my 'come over, red rover' taunt. 
Shout out to Pia and Aiden who were indifferent to the concept of this post. 

Come over, come over

It's sopping wet like

No better time

To break the fourth wall

Past is present

The Great Famine of 1841= hundreds of thousands dead, a million migrating to the New World, followed by the 1849 cholera outbreak resulting in an even higher death toll and another migration. This represents the greatest loss to Ireland in terms of people, over two million people in ten years. Now I know that I'm a novice in the study of history-- I'm reading the Pocket History of Ireland for Chrissakes. However, I think it's only right to point out this feeling I've had that there's a living sadness here that is historical. My feeling is that the loss of loved ones from the Great Famine is still felt and quietly acted upon.

I'm not speaking entirely from the gut here since we had the honor of sitting with three very wise women last night who kept the rounds of beer coming and the conversation drenched in the most astute observation. I'll offer just a couple of observations that might interest my readers.

Observation 29 of 112: Even in the coldest of weather, many Irishmen dress as if markets full of affordable warm weather gear didn't exist. This stands in contrast with the colorful synthetics of the German tourist.

Observation 30 of 112: Many cultures have a depression-era type habit of not eating the last bite on the plate. The Irish have solved this socially awkward moment by sharing the last bite.
---

Here's more history that I'd like to comment on. It will have to come later though. We're headed out to the Burrens today!

http://goireland.about.com/od/historyculture/a/easter1916_3.htm
The Aftermath of the Easter Rising

The aftermath of the rebellion should not have come as a surprise to anybody - arrested rebels were interned, around 200 had to face military tribunals. The sentence of death was passed ninety times for high treason. All this was in line with then current British practice. Actually the death sentence was quite popular with British military courts between 1914 and 1918, leading to more executions than the German Army saw during the same war.

But total idiocy struck when Maxwell insisted in a swift handling of the death sentences. In a rather hasty operation fourteen rebels were shot in Dublin's Kilmainham Gaol - Patrick Pearse, Thomas MacDonagh, Thomas Clarke, Edward Daly, William Pearse, Michael O'Hanrahan, Eamonn Ceannt, Joseph Plunkett, John MacBride, Sean Heuston, Con Colbert, Michael Maillin, Sean MacDermott and James Connolly. Thomas Kent was executed in Cork. Roger Casement was hanged in London later, after a lengthy trial. Seen by fellow Irishmen as deluded troublemakers at the time of their arrests, the sixteen were elevated to national martyrs mainly by Maxwell's heavy-handed approach.

Supermac's

Sorry, McDonald's. In the battle of fast food, this Irish competitor has you beat. The curry fries and coleslaw fries were quick, cheap, tasty and served to our table. And the chicken was succulent.

Nom nom! & more €s for brew.

And what's this, public radio instead of muzak?

Go Supermac's!

Macnas and the Galway Arts Festival

We had an exciting opportunity today to hang out with Noeline Kavanaugh at Macnas. These hardworking folks created the Boy Explorer and are always a major attraction at the Galway Arts Festival. This art is so huge and visceral and emotive, and such a shining effort at keeping art alive, innovative, vibrant and communal. I'm putting up a couple snaps from behind the scenes at the workspaces, but what I'd really love is for everyone to visit Macnas on Youtube, share, and if anybody has any ideas on how to obtain funds for getting this incredible team over to the States, please give a shout out.

Andrew was much less shy about photographing some of the metalwork-in-progress at the shop, so hopefully he'll email me those later.

Thanks, Noelene, for letting us tag along today! We knew you were a busy gal, but we had no idea that there was so much intensive preliminary work to get this all up and running. Amazing!

BEHIND THE SCENES

VOLUNTEER

Every year Macnas recruits a team of volunteers to help with the parade in Galway during the Galway Arts Festival in July.
We will be recruiting:Volunteer Performers (need to be available for workshops running for 4 weeks prior to the parade). Volunteer Stewards and Pushers – will be required in advance for the day of the parade.

For more information or if you would like to become a volunteer please contact Marie at admin@macnas.com.

SUPPORT

COME JOIN US! Become part of the Macnas Story! We rely on the enthusiasm of our fans – it is central to what we do and why we do it! The support provided by the Friends will help to secure the future of Macnas and ensure our continued development as well as supporting the Youth Ensemble and the Macnas Internship Programme which mentors the next generation of performers and artists.

GALWAY ARTS FESTIVAL 2012
July 16th-29th

Crane Bar

LISTEN

Ack! I'm in a rush to write what should be a very long and proper article. But perhaps it's for the best since this is about music and I think I'd have to do a good deal more research before I begin to sound even remotely informed.

We popped into Crane Bar having heard that this was an excellent venue to hear live/local/traditional music. I confess that I had some trepidation because I am frequently put off by music in bars. In my experience, it's loud and rude and no place at all for a tender person like me. I also had all sorts of stereotypes in my head from romantic movies about Ireland, and I was certain that this scene was most certainly a prelude to someone's marriage.





Oh, shite! I really am in a rush now. Let me just say quickly - you haven't been to Ireland until you've nestled in at a pub and soaked in the tradition of live music. I don't really know how else to describe it except that the 'tradition' of live music here really requires that everyone be there-- the musicians, the audience, the chatter, the humor, the brew. The tradition is the togetherness.

I promise I'll get more into it later, but for now you'll have to settle for these pics and couple of sound clips.

Wildes Bar: Innocence and Lust at Twilight

Welcome to my regular morning conundrum. I look through our pictures from the day prior and wonder how I can possibly convey the overall impression of it. I'm going to accept defeat this morning and just say that I can't. At best, I'll write two posts this morning to whet your appetite. This first post is dedicated to the Q Bar betches in San Francisco and I'll do another post later about Crane Bar.

Wildes Bar, named after Oscar Wilde (1854-1900, Picture of Dorian Gray,The Important of Being Earnest), has been calling to us since we got here. The locals say that the weeknights are really more for our female counterparts. One colorful comment from yesterday: "Why is that bar full of bouncers?" "Those aren't bouncers..." You get the idea.

Here's a recent blurb from the Facebook page.

Pride Factor Final - Thursday 31st of May from 9pm Wildes Bar Galway! All proceeds to Galway Community Pride!

Finalists for pride factor are: Steven Sharpe, Joann McCormack, Iain Bohan, Mikey Walsh, Kevin Griffin, Nicky Lawless, Alan Greaney, Johnny Garvey and Keith Brennan! Come down and show your support for them all!

We didn't have much of a goal in being at Wildes, except to seek out a bit of comedic graffiti that we were told was there. The graffiti wasn't there, but I think we lucked out in the sense that we were able to see the beginning of a Pride event. The gathering crowd was noticeably young, which is really the heart of any Pride event if you ask me. We watched the young ones do the sound tests for the talent competition that would be later. It's a bit much to put in a large sound system in such a small place, but I think this ultimately added to the sense of community.

We didn't stay for the competition. I had a 'Smithicks' (for you, Monet). Andrew had a Heineken and we went upstairs to shoot some pool. Andrew won, of course, but we're bound to have a rematch sooner or later.



Why aren't I gushing yet? I think it's my own reservedness, my own lament of lost youth, that's preventing me from claiming the value of this little community pub. But if I connect with my inner 16 year old for a moment, I have to say that this little pub is a gold-mine. Sure the ventilation is lacking, and everyone smokes at the front door, and you might not want to stroll in with a full face of makeup, but even on a slow Thursday night, I saw enough inspired beauty to feel the pangs of homosexual yearning, innocent and dark desires stirring just beneath the surface. As we finished up our pool game, I saw a pair of jeans and manly hips ascend the stairs, the heels of black stilettos spiking into the stairwell. Am I too easily impressed by the simmering determination here? My readers are probably too old and jaded to remember those sorts of feelings, but I'm happy to report that others have kept the tradition going.

Dave - this is a private note to you: show us the other side!


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Location:Wildes Bar Galway (formerly Strano's)

What's the forecast? (bog brain morning)

The morning of Day 3. It's a peaceful and rainy morning. I've managed to get some coffee in and ... not much else. It's 10am. My mind is a bit foggy, so I'll just jot down a few notes on topics that deserve more research.

Cliffs of Moher
If Andrew gets out of bed today, we might go to the Cliffs of Moher. Here's a youtube video of Ben Howard's 'Old Pine,' which shows the landscape.

Geography and Archeology

Galway is bordered by bogs to the east, burren to the southwest, and sea to the south. Development necessarily goes to the northwest. I'd like to make a point of seeing what this means when we get out in the car. I came across this note by asking Par where the larger business reside. Since our accommodations are at the "heart" of Galway, one would be inclined to look no further than the map of restaurants and pubs, the shops, and the River Corrib which flows from Lough Corrib through Galway to Galway Bay.

River Corrib & the Canals & White Swans
The canals aren't just a beatiful accessory to the landscape here. The River Corrib is a fast flowing river that empties into what I've heard called the basin. By day, people gather along the river bank and it is beautiful and peaceful especially with the great white swans-- Pam says there are three young swans which we should be able to find if we take the river walk up a ways... but I'm also finding that the Corrib can be quite dangerous and that people have gone missing in it, Par says maybe even as much as one per month. He says that you can here the helicopters going out sometimes to search for a body. If they can find it in the canal at the weekend, then it will turn up later in the week at one or two known inlets at the Bay.

http://www.photos.galwaynews.ie/5118-man039s-body-found-after-search-corrib

Between our visit to the museum yesterday and dinner, I really began to wonder if one aspect of Galway is that it's a place where things and people go missing and if the River Corrib isn't somehow magically connected to that. There's so much history and lore that leads me to this idea.

And the swans are part of it, too.

"Where are your husband's children?"
"They are in the lake... I changed them into white swans... because my husband loved them more than they loved me."

Natterjack Toad
This is the only toad/frog species native to Ireland. It's found in County Kerry, but maybe if I just mention it in this blog, one will find its way to me. :-) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Natterjack_Toad

Bog
It's not just in my imagination. Bogs are important. Pam built a wonderful fire this morning with dried peat from the bog. The house is wonderfully warm, and the Par gave me a heads up that the peat delivery would be coming in just a few minutes. Par says that the process is simple enough-- cut out the peat, dry it and bring it down the road to the people that need it. I know it sounds quite ordinary, but I think that it's such a blessing of a resource to have, especially since it rains here so much. I think most everyone knows that bogs are also renowned for preserving whatever falls into it.
http://blog.goireland.com/2010/01/19/bogs-in-ireland/#axzz1wR9fo99f

Art
This is a topic that's come up for us, as there is so much creative talent here. What do aspiring creative artists do to bring their work out into the marketplace? Really, there's some interesting graffiti here, and I think there's more than a fair amount of meaningful doodling happening here.

One of the places we must check out is the Black Cat Gallery.
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Black-Cat-Gallery/178266702229569

Also need to check out Cathy Davey's 'Bag of Bones Collection' at http://www.myspace.com/cathydavey.

Theatre
This is simply a must-do.

The Irish Times – 25 Things to Look forward to in 2012 – 31.12.11

“It begins with a faith so rigid that it cannot be eaten away by the Great Hunger. It continues in 1960s Coventry, where an uprooted Irish family is tearing itself apart. And it concludes in a Galway pub where reunited friends seek new beliefs in a disenchanted Ireland. The tragedy of famine, as Tom Murphy saw it, was that “a hungry and demoralised people become silent”. Starting in May, the restorative journey of DruidMurphy, a staging of Tom Murphy’s Famine, A Whistle in the Dark and Conversations on a Homecoming, which will tour Ireland, London and the US, is the story of a nation. Essential.”

Writer Retreats
Chris de Lorenzo, I am thinking of you because I know you love to plan retreats. Noleen says she'll help put together a list and she has wonderful stories of doing retreats here... Will update. And of course, I think Par & Pam's place would make a wonderful retreat for a writer or other creative spitit.



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