june 24

yesterday was a driving day. I woke up and made breakfast of pancakes (from scratch, never done that before, Martina helped with the mix) and provided maple syrup from home for everyone to use. twas quite good, I was surprised how well the pancakes tasted. I took a photo of Aidan`s syrup, he used a tiny bit compared to how much we drench our pancakes in my house.



we drove about 7 or 8 hours to Westport, on the west coast, to stay with Martina`s sister and brother in law Delores and Tim. They are lovely people, really friendly and musical with two great kids. On the way here we stopped at Westport House, a large estate and then drove to Louisburgh where they live.

below, the swan paddle boats at Westport house





we arrived to find everyone at the town hall at some kind of talent show. I saw the couples with men dressed like women and women dressed like men, then the couples had an Irish dance off. much laughter and fun, i think the whole town was there.

stayed up til about 2:30am chatting, playing music and irish dancing with martina and showing my rubiks cubes and my uke. Tim plays everything it seems and there are musical instruments all over this house. my room, the den, is full of books and stringed instruments, the best room every. i sit here reading all the titles of the books in the wall shelves.

i must stop eating!!! everything tastes so good, martina makes the best sandwhiches ever, she just throws all kinds of neat stuff between the bread and it tastes great. yummmmmmm

Inch Beach, june 23

today i slept til almost 11am, which for me is nutz! was up til 230am so my schedule is all weird. we made mash and bangers and eggs and stuff, i fried salmon for breakfast. we went to Inch beach, beautiful and tonight it is my turn to cook supper with Colm (Aiden's friend). should be fun, he calls me "missus".

breakfast around the table with everyone above, and below, inch beach!

tonight into dingle to the pub to find some music an craic! no time for photos as this dumb website seems not to let me upload them right now and i am paying for my time on this box.

below, we went out in Dingle looking for the craic

O`Flaherty`s pub

the man in the photo above, had a beautiful voice and sang a song in Irish

the air feels good in my lungs and i feel energized by the sea air and great friends all around me.

slan, le gras (farewell, with love)

june 21/22

Well, i arrived ok. it was a long flight and i didn't make any friends on the plane, i was very introverted actually. but i did like the singing Irishman on the flight over. he was drinkin wine and singin and made me smile loads.

made friends on the train ride over to Tralee, where Martina was going to pick me up. I sat with two men, Tony and Christie and i believe i talked their ears clean off! Well, maybe not Christie, he fell asleep, quite quickly, but I am told by Tony not to take it personally, he falls asleep all the time anywhere, anytime. Akin to a narcoleptic i suppose. They asked me to play my uke for them so i played Orla's song, and two of mine (Someday and My Dear Ireland). the people on the train were clapping and it was good fun. Now i have new friends in Cork and West Cork who I'll definately contact when i come back! Grace was also on the train when i transferred in Mallow and she is 15, seems older and more mature, but very fun and friendly. we chatted and i gave her some maple syrop, as i did for Tony and Christie too. So glad i brought extras!

well, i can't seem to upload the photos i took! very frustrating.

so we went out to supper at "the skippers" last night and it was grand, 15euro for a three course meal and it was a frenchman who owned and served the meals, very cool. after supper we went to the beach and walked along, me and Martina, Aoife, Aiden, Amy and Colm (Aiden's friend). twas fun, and a great way to wear off some of supper. below is everyone running at me on the beach after supper. under that, martina's kids from left to right: Aidan, Aoife, Amy and under that, Me, Martina and Colm, aidans friend

off to bed around midnight then up and after breakfast, we fixed a flat tire on Aoife's car, then went to Blasket Island, just off Slea Head, not far from Dingle. the ride over to the island was bumpy with the waves and swells. we walked around to the beach area, saw a pack of sealsl bobbing up and down in the water and ate a delicious picnic lunch made by Martina. the ride back, both in the dingy and boat were swellier than on the the way out and it was great i didn't even feel the slightest bit sick or anything.

The land is beautiful everywhere i look. Apparently great craic to be had in Dun Quin at Caraughs pub (I think that's how it is spelled) but i think we will be in Dingle tonight.

I still can't believe i am here. martina and her kids are so nice and hospitible and fun.
this photo below is of blasket island

Every time i come here, it is like a dream come true. I feel so lucky to have made such good friends here to visit. it is fresh and the air smells great. the wind blows my skin and I love how it feels as it blows my face and hair. this photo of the seal was taken by Aidan with my camera, i'd say he has a great eye for photography, nice work Aidan!

old ruin on Blasket Island

below is a lovely view from Dun Quin (pronouned Doon Keen)

Have found more people to love.......makes it all worth while.

in dublin

well, i arrived this morning, and as i got to see the land, my smile got huge!!! love it here. i smell from the plane ride over, can't wait to get to dingle, see my friend martina and shower!! i did put on deodorant but it may not be doing the trick. i have bought my train ticket to tralee, where martina will pick me up and bring me to dingle. i arrive there at 5pm and then it is about 45 min to dingle. yay, just in time for music in the pubs and my favorite sandwhich on the retaining wall overlooking the ocean?!

my feet hurt, and i want to wash my face but i am so happy to be here. i have been smiling since i got here and feel quite at home. chatted with a lady on the bus to the train station who is going to clifden tonight and i told her to go to the abbeyglen and mention my name and that i am the canadian uke player. i told here there is mighty craic to be had there and she should go have a pint.....her name was Gay from texas.

well, i must go to the lou, wash my hands and find a sandwhich to eat for lupper


tootles! :) aaaaaaaah

toronto pearson....

well, i am sitting in the airport at the gate and there are two more hours to wait, i have been waiting for one already. had a great supper with my father in law and then he drove me to the airport. think i might have to break out the uke to kill some time, then maybe read some of tina fey's new book called "bossypants"

tootles!

getting ready to fly to ireland

Well, the summer is here again and i am lucky enough to be going back to ireland. i'll be trying to maintain this blog while away for anyone interested in following my adventures over there. i fly out of toronto monday at 9pm and arrive in dublin tuesday at 8:50am. then i'll be taking two busses to get to Dingle. not sure how that works yet, but i'll figure it out once i am there. it will be a long two days of traveling but well worth it to spend the first week with my friend Martina and her family in a cottage in Dingle. YAY! i can't wait to see my friends, and make some new ones. it's like a valuable collection, making new friens and maintaining old ones, i love it all! talk to you soon from accross the pond.

xo

Cork day

ok, july 1st-2nd:

by the way, there is nothing of interest in Cork, I hate to say it, but the walking tour was TEN euro and not worth it at all. I left Chris at the train station, he was going to Dublin to fly home july 2rd. I found the Crawford House and settled in for the night, doing homework for my senior math qualification course. I washed my wee undies so I would not run out and hung them around the room.

Breakfast in the morning was good, I left for the airport in Cork to return my rental and pick up the other one (the one I was paying for). I dropped off the car and went to get my other one. I discovered that they would not take Chris' credit card without him there to authorize it (i had to give him mine so he could return my dumb new labtop that uses Windows 7 starter (royally sucks!)). So, I'm stuck at the airport, with no wheels and nowhere to stay.

I decided to go back to the b and b I was at, after the young woman at the car desk told me that Chris would have to fax an authorization letter to her and sign it. So, when I got to the Crawford House, I asked the owners if I could use their fax maching, explained what I was doing (writing a letter from Chris to National Car Rental) and then faxed off, phoned her to make sure it was acceptable, and went back. I forgot to mention John Lynch the airport shuttle bus driver. He was way cool and is the one who suggested I do this letter myself. As I waited for the shuttle to come back and pick me up at the airport, I sat on the street and busked at the bus(k) stop! (hee hee, a wee joke). although, I dont' think it is busking if you don't have a hat on the street, but i did get some horn honks.

back at the airport, got my car finally, after they informed me I would have to pay another 136 in insurance, and 72 dollars for gas (yeah like it costs that much to fill!) and pay taxes. 260 dollars later, I am frustrated but ready to get the heck out of Cork.

I drove to Dingle. Along the way I stopped on the Connor Pass, which is a treacherously beautiful cliff side road on the way to Dingle. I can't load the pics now but will later when I'm not on an inet cafe computer at 3 euro per half hour.

I met up with a friend of Sam's (my friend from my firs 2008 tour) and she is from Sault Saint Marie! She came here on a vagabond tour with Sam also and sold all her stuff and moved. She is swell! She works at a pub in Dingle.

I met a man named Morris (who said he was out doing his constitution, doesn't that refer to taking a dump?? but he was exercising and stretching, i assume that was his meaning). He told me how he loved Dingle and his home in Ireland. he tried to live in Germany but was becoming depressed so moved back home and has been happy ever since. I think his hair is dyed redish purple, not sure why. We share a love for my favorite spot in Dingle, I took his picture and he thought me daft to take a picture of a total stranger.

got ripped off at the b and b. 35 euro for bed and cold breakfast. it should be "bed and banana"! when I woke up this morning, I did my math experiment with the plastic bottle, that was loads of craic (NOT!!)

oh yeah, if an Irish person says go straight, they usually mean "carry on, on the road you're on even though it bends in crazy ways and takes huge 180 turns, just carry on the road with the right of way" or something to that effect. It has taken me a week to figure that out. Now I don't get lost so much.