july 9 Dogs Bay Beach in the Evening

So, got back from the cottage on Inish Turbot around 5:30 and immediately went to my castle room at teh Abbeyglen Castle Hotel and ran a hot bath, using their fresh new boiler. The water was nice and hot and i sat and soaked for about half an hour when the phone rang in my room. I jumped out of the bath dripping wet and answered it and it was the musician Barry inviting me to take his dog to the beach and play fetch. I had never been to this beach, and heard it was beautiful so of course, said yes.

the beach was totally fabulous and aside from my nasty bruised knee from banging it on the side of the jeep (tis a shade of purple and green now, with dots in the middle) i had loads of fun. The dog was funny because when he gave me the rope he was fetching with and I threw it, i did not throw it very well and so the next time I went to grab it and throw it, he would not let me have it. Apparently the "honest dog" does not think i can throw it well enough for him.

i wrote my name in the sand, ran around in my bare feet and was kicking myself for not taking my camera with me to capture the beautiful evening sun on the water and landscape around the beach. UGH! why is it the one time i don't take that heavy camera bag, it is the time I really see something beautiful!?

Came back to town, Barry dropped me off at the hotel and I got dressed for supper. I ate supper with Patrick and Rosemary. they are nice people and good friends of the hughes family here.

Later, I went into town instead of staying in the Abbeyglen pub, and went to Station House Bar where Barry was playing his music. it was very quiet there, not many people at all. We tried to get into a pub somewhere but they all close doors at half twelve so we went to Abbeyglen and they were also closed down. I went to bed at 2. no photos to show.

July 7/8 sleeping out in the cottage on Inis Turbot

I begged practically, to sleep out in the cottage on Inish Turbot. Terrible thing to beg but i did it. I was not to sleep out there alone so Marie came with me. We bought some groceries and I planned out what I would cook for us. Nothing but gourmet for Marie, she has been so good to me here. I have been at her place for two weeks in a row, she just gave me a key and I came and went as the wind blew. Thank you Marie, can't wait to see you again next year in your new apartment. Marie calls me daughter, I call her mother. She is very special to me.

Anyhoo, I shall carry on with my night at the "Ritz Turbot." We took a motor boat ride out, it was raining like crazy and we got quite wet. It takes about 15 minutes to walk from the pier to the cottage, we of course carry everything. There are no cars on this island, just cows and cottages, beaches and a grave yard. Oh yeah, and Corn Crake (spelling?) birds that come here to mate and then go to Africa. Apparently no one every sees them, but they make loads of noise.

After our divine supper of Cilantro garlic chicken with baked sweet potato and quinoa, the rain stopped and out came this spectacular rainbow. my first Irish rainbow. It was a beautiful sunset that night. Marie and i sat inside by the turf fire, silently, chatting, then I strummed my uke for a while. It was very peaceful and serene, very enjoyable. I loved the fire, here is a shot of that.

this is my specialty breakfast of mushroom and onion omelet and pan fried smoked salmon with sliced fresh plum tomatoes

 Marie was reading a book about the history of Connemara

the cute little turf fire stove.

When Brian Hughes came to pick us up the next day, he had with him his son Dermott and the little cousin Tommy. These boys love to hunt down crabs in the rocks and spend hours out there. Here is their proud catch of the day.

I loved the rugged beauty of Inish Turbot, it was magical to wake up there and have the view out the window at my feet. A special place indeed.

july 6 hiking on Omey Island

went on a hike to Omey Island with Gerry and Marie. beautiful Island, one that we walked over to when the tide was low.

no shortage of houses for me to buy here. People actually buy these older homes and renovate them, they usually look quite beautiful when they are finished. Location is good here too.

an old cottage, now likely used as a shed with a huge pile of turf in front of it. Here they are actually going to stop the cutting of the non-replenishable bog to burn as turf. The smell of burning turf is great, I love it, very earthy.

classic pass time of kids who grow up coming to the islands is playing out in the rocks with nets to find crabs or shrimp.

the wild flowers here grow everywhere, on grass, rocks whatever and are beautiful I love them all. The most pretty flowers can grow in the most unhospitable places.

I stood for ages trying to get a nice photo of the waves rolling in, every time i put down my camera to take a wee rest for me eyes, the BEST wave would roll in. Anyway, this one was a pretty good second.

After our walk, i said i would buy Gerry and Marie lunch and Gerry drove us into Cleggan to Olivers, same place i ate with Freda. twas grand, I had fish and chips, very fresh and Gerry MacCloskey beat me to the bill. I'll have to get him next year, just have to be a little quicker on the draw. Thanks Gerry for a great day and walk and drive.

Met the great piano sensation Barry Ryan this evening, ate supper with him at the Abbeyglen, then down for the craic in the pub. Barry and I bonded over music, something not hard to do over here for some reason.

(below, happened July 9th)
I had lunch with Paul Hughes and he invited me to join a friend of his as well in the village. Frank Kelly, a wonderful man. I wish i had taken my camera and had a good photo to post. When i was first introduced to him, he shook my hand, looked me in the eye and said "welcome home." Paul had to leave after a short while but Frank and I stayed and chatted for about 45 minutes. he told me some of his stories and I told him some of mine. A kindred soul, one I will definately stay in contact with. My family here is growing exponentially, I am stunned at how many connections I have been able to make, many in part due to the Abbeyglen.


And just as I sit here in the Abbeyglen writing this blog, Gerry MacCloskey walkekd by. I jumped up and gave him a hug and kiss. He hugged me back for a few seconds and asked me when i am leaving. Tomorrow I leave Clifden a very bitter sweet day for me. I love Gerry, and will miss him greatly. xoxo

july 5th hiking Inish Bofin with Gerry from Derry

Well, there is no Connemara Safari this week so instead, I hiked Inish Bofin with Gerry MacCloskey on my own, just him and me! Twas grand despite the bits of rain, which i don't mind at all. i always forget the sunscreen because it is cool and breezy and i never feel too hot. but I have red cheeks from the sun and the wind burn. I love the wild flowers all over the place, they grow despite the harsh weather at times and are beautiful, just like the people!

Above, a currach (pronounced keroch), looks to be in good working order.

below, the awesome Gerry MacCloskey, leader of the hike.

I have put my hame in the bog with stones, now I am imortal in Ireland, my name will live on, get covered over as the bog grows and when future archeologists find it they will know i was here, either that or they will just see a pile of stones. :)

Above, is the monestary on Inish Bofin. I loved this scene, very picturesque nad peaceful with the cows. We passed Michael Joe's house and i got to meet him for real. he is in my 2009 blog of Inish bofin.

Well, i sit here in the castle, writing this blog to whomever is reading it so let me describe my surroundings. There is a fire in the room, i hear the soft piano music coming from the diningroom played by Aedon (A-don). he is grand. the chandeleir above my head is bright and it is almost 8:30. Willie Leahy just walked in the door downstairs, i hears his voice, dropped my computer and ran down the stairs and wrapped my arms around his neck and gave him a kiss. he didn't seem to know me at first (sans the broken collar bone) but when i told him my name he remembered alright. I hear Gilbert the Parrott saying "Roger" downstairs and whistling to himself.

thanks for reading my stuff........

xo

july 4 hiking around Renvyle and Tally Cross Point

july 3rd i didn't do much photo wise. I drove to Kylemore Abbey gift shop, it was rainy that day and Marie drove around with me. We also went to Leenane but found nothing to buy for my little jordan!

In the evening I went up to the Abbeyglen to meet up with my friend Ana from Spain who flew in just to see me here in Clifden. I was so happy to see her, we had supper at the Abbeyglen and then went out to Conneely's pub for some spectacular fiddle and guitar sessions.

July 4th, Ana and i decided to go out and see some stuff. it was windy and cold but we drove to Renvyle/Tally Cross area and walked out to the sea (while dodging the sheep poop which is everywhere, its kind of like a video game doding poop, I am really good now, maybe a level 4 even! :)

I picked up some homemade sandwiches for lunch and once we walked out, we ate our picnic where it seems no one would have picnic-ed before. Below, is Ana.

at the end of where the sheep are is where we ate our lunch

I love the abundance of ship wrecks on the land over here. Every time I look at them I imagine the life the boats had and what they were used for, at one time being a crucial part of some persons livelihood.

This photo below was taken at Ballyconneely beach, that is not sand it is entirely made up of little crushed coral from the nearby reef. Amazing, i am bringing some home, which at the time was stored in my shoe. I will likely paint this one, i love the little girls hair and hood.

My friend Ana left July 5th in the morning to go to Sligo, and then on the 6th to head home to Pamplona for the running of the bulls. one day, I shall visit her in Spain.

the fairytale is almost over for another year. I have loved every moment so far, and yes, I know it is not real life, but i can enjoy it for what it is. Truly i have a connection to this land, the music and it's people. Now to try to bring some of it home with me!

july 2, helicopter ride and a day on Inis turbot

so, only four hours of sleep the night before then i was up early to get over for my helpcopter ride. it was great, I got some really nice arial photos of Clifden. aside from my sick feeling stomach with some of the landing maneuvering, it was really nice.

this is an arial shot of Clifden

the Abbeyglen Castle Hotel

On the way to Inish Turbot, we saw a cow being pulled and swimming in the ocean, being taken off the island to the mainland at low tide. The cow did not seem to like this at all but it is lucky i was there to see such a unique thing.

and another bull!

the cemetary on the island where i went to the funeral last summer. I paid my respects to Paddy O'Toole

little Dermott Hughes playing in the "rock pool", looking for crabs and shrimp and whatever else. I found him an orange dead starfish.

It was a lovely sunny day on the island, I helped paint the BBQ building near the water white. it felt good to be useful anyway and i enjoyed the serenity as i painted in the sun. Beautiful memories from today, I'll take with me and think about when I am sitting inside on a cold winter day.

june 30, july 1 - Inagh valley

I came home from camping around 6pm and decided to set out to find GerryMcCloskey after my walk with Marie. I believe Michelle's mother Norma showed me up to his house. I knocked on the door and he answered wearing a nice soft light brown tweed jacket. it was so great to see him again. I sat down, gave him a large jar of maple butter and we chatted a bit.

Afterwards I went down to the Abbeyglen and saw Freda. she asked me if i had my uke and i did so she said i needed to get in there and play some tunes because there was some drunk on the piano doodling around and Mary the piano player stopped playing becasue he was bothering her. I went up and played four songs, the room was dead and i don't think they went over well. mary came back and i gladly stopped playing. i stayed in the pub a bit longer, avoiding the annoying drunk fella who had asked me to outsidse with him, and when i went home, I snuck out behind the hotel so he wouldn't see me.

My good friend Freda offered to take me on a little tour of her own, on some back roads in pretty country where she grew up. It was so nice of her on her day off.

we drove through the Inagh valley slowly and i took some photos:

The photo below is of a statue of The Virgin Mary's. Apparently she moves. I am thinking she might that after about three drinks in ya, but otherwise no stinkin way.

I "grazed" at the Abbeyglen tonight, invited by the hotel people to dine with some of the sort of visiting working staff. like the helicopter pilot and the electrician installing the boiler. James the electrician, Pissed off Pete the Pilot (triple P) and Paul the ground crew dude. So, I was eating with Peter, Paul and  James, all names of deciples. just needed a matthew, judas and a bunch other ones to make it complete. I asked why pissed off pete was called that and brian told me he didn't know so ask him. so at supper, i asked PPP why he is called pissed off pete and he said he didn't know and who called hiim that. it was then that i clued in that maybe i should not have asked that question. whoops. Paul the ground crew said to james that the only reason i got away with asking that question is because, in his words not mine, i was a pretty.

At the Abbeyglen again tonight, (surprise!) and a hen party came in, bride to be and both mother and mother in law, and friends. They were grand and stayed til close. They all wanted to stay longer but Roger needed to close up, so i started gathering empty glasses and one table of fellas asked me if i take laser. huh? i said i didn't know what laser was and he looked at me in an annoyed way. i explained i am from canada and don't work here i was just helping out Roger. he said, "don't you have credit cards in canada?" and i said we do but they aren't called laser. Anyhoo, they asked me get them some water from behind the bar because Roger was trying to call a cab for the bridal party peeps. so i went behind and started making up a bunch of ice waters. One thing to note, is the Connemara water is kind of not clear, more like weak apple juice or something like that. when you fill a bathtub the water looks like that. ..........anyway, as it turns out, there were no cabs to be had at 2am saturday night. so i had to tell the people they had to walk back to their hotel. I walked Marie home too, that was loads of craic too.

above, the bride to be and her pal. i offered to take their photo and someone asked if i was trying to sell the photos! i said no, i was just trying to be nice and gave them my email if they want a copy of the photo they can email me.

June 29 Sline Head camping with the Bull

This is the beginning of my camping trip to Sline Head. I am in the back of a VW. I was playing my ukulele and i felt like a total hippie, it was cool.

Truly, we were driving out to an even outer back than i thought was out there. Someone had private property, someone knew that someone and asked if we all could camp there and so we did! After we arrived, it looked a bit like it could rain so we put up our tents right away. The weather was beautiful and soon the chef was deciding where to set up the kitchen.

Views were beautiful and and the weather was grand as they say.

I love the above photo of Roshine, she is the daughter of Margaret, one of the lovely people who invited me to go camping. She is wearing a home made little daisy crown she made in the garden. Roshine can really sing well and play guitar, watch out for her, she will be a great musician someday soon!

Now, shortly after we set up our camp, we were just sitting around and noticed a herd of cows moving towards are line of tents, then after a few minutes, noticed there was a BULL among them. They slowly moved closer and closer to us and i started eyeing the large mound of Irish rock, figuring that if we got charged, then i could scamper up that mound and no bull would make it up there after me.

 

Fortunately for us, Amanda, who was camping with us, was some kind of experienced cow whisperer farm girl and figured she would walk among them as if leading them and they would follow here, which they did. But sadly, when she came back to us, so did the bull and his harem of cows SO Amanada and Rob went back up to try to get the bull to move along. The reached the bull, about 8 feet away or so and the bull just stood there, then took a slight movement towards them and they turned around and walked back to us. That bull was not going to be told what to do.

The bull finally did move on and we had nothing to worry about, but as i went to sleep in my tent later, i was picturing head lines "Canadian Woman Trampled in Her Tent in the Middle of Feckin Nowhere in Ireland!"

We had a great campfire, i did zumba with Amanda and the young teen girls and man that felt great! I miss doing zumba and sadly have even forgotten some of my awesome choreography that I worked so hard on, which is why i should write it down i guess.

Amanda lit little paper lanterns with sand in them and the camp was very cozy.

above, michelle wearing every hat and scarf in the bag

Now we had a bit of art going on after dark, a creation made with glowing plastic wine glasses and old bouys found on the beach, add some sticks and you've got:

Now this is a friend of Wilson's, his name is Plaster. He was joining the party and got a little out of hand, but we kept him in line alright.

Early monring, i was up alone, sitting on my pile of bull rescure rocks writing in my journal. twas quiet and beautiful. When everyone woke up, some went swimming in wet suits in the ocean, some kayaking and body boarding. me, i stayed on land cause the water was frickin cold! It was fun to watch Jonathan getting into his wet suit too.

and lastly a photo of me just as i was getting settled in my tent for the night. It was great camping, great people and loads of fun.