Our last main stop was in Galway. The first day was an early morning jaunt from Dingle to Galway for a series of workshops with John Wynne, Paul Brady and Angelina Carberry at the famous Crane Bar. We all learned a tune together from John before breaking into various groups depending on our instrument of interest. The advanced fiddle players had a great workshop with Paul, who later wowed us with some masterful playing.

While the fiddle students were working with Paul and the Flute/Whistle players were with John, Eddie and I worked with Angelina on a 4 part reel which was quite a workout. I’d had the pleasure of taking a class with Angelina at Celtic Week at Swannanoa last year, so it was great to reconnect with her. She brought a tenor guitar which had a lovely sound. Just wish I had been a little more with it. The short sleep the night before coupled with the drive to Galway left too few brain cells. Fortunately, she taught us a couple of flings after the reel. While she was teaching us, her daughter Shaunagh taught Tristan on fiddle. I think they had a great time. Here’s a picture of Angelina and Shaunagh out in front of the Crane.

Later in the day we checked in at the SleepZone hostel which was conveniently located a few blocks from city center. We spent most of the rest of the day exploring Galway and listening to some tunes at Cooley’s Pub right in the city center.

On Day two, most folks took the ferry out to the Aran Islands which was apparently quite the adventure due to high winds and challenging conditions. However, since Karen and Katherine still weren’t at 100%, we decided to wait a day on the islands. Katherine explored the city more while Karen and I headed off to Connemara which was absolutely stunning.

On Day 3, roles reversed and we headed out to Innis Mor, the largest of the Aran Islands, by ferry. You don’t bring your car over on the ferry, so upon arrival, the options for getting around are walking, tour bus, horse cart, or bikes. Since the weather seemed to be cooperating, we decided on the bikes. We biked out the coastal route where the seal colony suns itself and then headed up to Dun Aengus fort, which was spectacular. We had a great tour guide who gave us some of the history of the Island and Fort. She worked on the site as an archeologist, so it was an especially insightful presentation.

We arrived back at the main town in time for a bowl of chowder and apple rhubarb pie before taking the ferry back to Galway. Yum!

On the last morning, before heading down to Ennis, I ducked into Four Corners Music Shop which had an excellent selection of CDs, instruments, resources and accessories. I only had about 30 minutes, but could have easily spent about two hours in there. I’ll just have to come back to Galway, I guess!

We arrived in Dingle late at night after a long drive from Michelle and Tom’s home… to find… a fire in the fireplace and a hostel that was completely reserved for us. It was wonderful to have a place to ourselves, and it truly felt like home for a couple of days.

Our first day in Dingle we explored the town a bit, and a few folks went horseback riding. On my quick walk around town, I stopped by to see if Mazz O’Flaherty’s small, but excellent music shop was still there. As I walked up the hill toward the church, I could hear the welcoming flute playing on the speakers outside.

In the afternoon we practiced a bit for the concert in Listowel (see Tralee and Listowel post for pictures). On the way to Listowel, we stopped for Pizza in downtown Tralee which was promptly gobbled down.

On Day two, Karen and I learned a bit about the Irish medicine system as Karen’s cold had developed into a full-blown nfection with fever. Antibiotics, an inhaler, and codeine and she was feeling much better within a few hours. After getting her on the mend, Katherine, Sean and Pam and I took a quick spin out to Slea Head, the westernmost point in Europe, and Katherine and I retraced the hike we took the last time we were in Dingle. It was just as beautiful as we remembered.

On our drive back, we rounded a bend in the road and found ourselves face to face with about 300 sheep hauling down the road followed by a 4-wheeler and a couple of dogs. It was an amazing sight. I was barely able to catch most of the “attack” on this video clip

After we returned from our hike, we went down to O’Flaherty’s Pub, where owner Fergus O’Flaherty (brother of Mazz) let us play some tunes and joined in the fun. Joe and I definitely enjoyed O’Flaherty’s most of all the pubs we’d been in thus far on the trip. It is a strictly trad pub, which was a welcome change from most pubs that switch over to non-trad music at 11pm. I still had fond memories of when Fergus had invited Katherine to join in their session for a couple of tunes during our last trip, so it was a delight to share good craic with him.

Although we aren’t staying in Tralee, we had such an amazing day in Tralee with Michelle O’Sullivan, Michael Murphy, Mairead Curran, and Paul de Grae, that it really does deserve its own post.

We left Killarney around 8:30 and we arrived there pretty much on time, though we had to ad-lib a bit on the directions provided by the hotel. The dancers (and Sean O’Brien’s right foot) spent 4-5 hours with Michael Murphy in a huge room at the Ballyroe Hotel (wouldn’t it be nice to have that space for our dance classes in Charlottesville!). While the dancers were working hard, Eddie and I went upstairs with Paul de Grae, and later were joined by Katherine, Monika, and Alex. Eddie had a great lesson. I have to remember to give him Paul’s book when we get back to Virginia.

Later in the afternoon we met with Mairead who taught us some absolutely gorgeous songs. First we met in the dance room, but later moved to the piano, which was much more intimate and Mairead’s accompaniment added to the beauty of the songs.

After singing class was over, we were invited to have dinner at Michelle and Tom’s beautiful home which was just down the road from the hotel. Tom’s lasagna was superb, so it only seems appropriate to have a picture of him passing out 2nd helpings.

I don’t think I have ever been to a party with more gracious hosts. Not only did they invite our whole group (25), but also many friends and for dessert all of her students. The kids played outside for awhile with Eddie showing them Michael Jordan moves on the basketball court. All of a sudden it was time for the session and Michelle’s students came streaming in. It was an incredible (to me) assemblage of accordions and concertinas. Shaheen counted 26 in all. We practiced some common tunes for the concert the following day. Then the adults joined in for a rousing session with Paul’s amazing guitar for rhythm. Alex wowed them with a couple of old time tunes which our hosts thoroughly enjoyed.

We could have played alot longer, but it was a good hike to Dingle and it was raining fairly hard, so we decided it was best to get started on our next journey. I would have loved to have played another hour, but about halfway to Dingle, it was clear we made the right call leaving when we did.

The following afternoon, we headed off to perform at Michelle’s School concert at the St. John’s Theater for performing arts in Listowel, which is about 30 minutues north of Tralee. The theater is in the town square in a converted church and an absolutely gorgeous location for a concert. We had a great time and were extremely impressed with the students. Here are a few pictures of Michelle getting everyone organized before the concert and our group performing with our new friends from Tralee. Thanks again Michelle for a magical two days with you, your family, and your students!

We arrived in Killarney on the 27th and are staying at the Neptune Hostel which is just off main street and very near the magnificent Cathedral here. Several folks are talking about celebrating mass there tomorrow.

After dropping off our bags and food, we high-tailed it to Ballyvourney where we had a social dance class with Timmy “the Brit” McCarthy at the Mills Inn. It had been four or five years since Timmy had visited us in Charlottesville, but he hasn’t lost any of his energy or quick humor since we’ve seen him.

After we moved outside and finished the last couple of figures, the dance morphed into a session with at least a dozen different musicians and singers from the Ballyvourney area with a few songs from the on-lookers egged on by the session leaders. After we finished our delicious (and huge) meal on the patio, the BRIMS musicians and dancers joined in the craic. It was a lovely, special evening for everyone and we soaked up the hospitality of our hosts from Ballyvourney.

On Day 2, a group visited Cork and Blarney Castle with the requisite kissing of the Blarney Stone. The fiddlers went down past Ballyvourney to take classes with Connie O’Connell. He taught us a good 8-10 tunes including some really cool slip jigs which I’ll post on here when we get back to the States. He also had some really good tips for the beginners and taught the tunes to the advanced class at a mighty rate.

On Day 3, no classes were scheduled so everyone explored the area around Killarney… some by foot, some by bike, some by car. Our group went out a bit past Kenmare (which looked like a lovely town – we snacked in the town square). Kenmare is on the southern side of the Ring of Kerry and our route took us by a number of gorgeous views of Killarney National Park. Here is one of the views along the way.

The full schedule was catching up with all of us, but it’s all just too wonderful not to squeeze it all in. Sometimes you just have to catch a nap wherever you can… preferably in a field of heather.

We’ve arrived in Doolin and are very much enjoying the weather (70s and sunny), sites (Cliffs of Moher, the Burren) and the music (4 pubs within walking distance with sessions every night!). Our first evening here, John Daly came over to the hostel and led a session with us. After dinner, we wandered over to Gus O’Conner’s on Fisher Street to enjoy a session with John and Christy Barry.

On day 2, we had a morning of music, Irish language and drawing classes with Geraldine, Maeve and Cillian Cotter at the Micho Russell Community Center. Geraldine taught tin whistle and piano, Maeve taught beginning and advanced fiddle, and Cillian taught flute, whistle, and drawing. All three taught us language because we needed all the help we could get! Then we were treated to a wonderful concert by all three. I’ll post music files when I get home… too hard to upload from the road.

In the afternoon, we scatter to the wind – some going to the Cliffs, others to the Burren, followed by visits to several local pubs and another evening of great music.

On Day 3 we traveled to Oranmore for classes in the home of Tommy Keane and Jacqueline McCarthy. Though we had a little trouble finding their home, it was well worth the trek. Tommy and Jacqueline had a beautiful old place with a thatched roof (pronounced “tached”). We had fiddle, singing, dance, box and repertoire classes followed by a fun session.

Our last day was a travel day, but Sean Deighan hadn’t had a chance to see the Cliffs of Moher yet, so we quickly ran up the path before we left… maybe we ran a little too fast… as we almost lost Sean. But don’t worry Mary, Sean’s fine now and in good hands.

“I am deeply sorry.” After 38 years, these words are late in coming, but important to be said and heard rather than left for historians to ponder. Penned by the author of “Sunday, Bloody Sunday”, this Op Ed piece by Bono in the NYTimes today is one of many reflections of this historic moment. It is also a gentle reminder of the huge costs in not addressing issues peacefully that need to be addressed.

As we prepare to travel to Ireland on Wed, to enjoy the music and fellowship in the pubs, we should also reflect on the more somber side of Irish history that I thought Bono captured well here, “…for a moment, the other life that Martin McGuinness could have had seemed to appear in his face: a commander of the Irish Republican Army that day in 1972, he looked last week like the fly fisherman he is, not the gunman he became.” The words of an old fisherman’s song from Cork ring true.

“…And still I live in hope to see
the Holy Ground once more.”