West Coast Majesty
- Aug 18, 2016
- 5 min read
Dan got up nice and early and left with Maggie and Meara to pick up Sarah and Sally at Shannon Airport. Then they doubled back to Limerick for a nice breakfast. Since Dan had Steve's phone, we were able to reach out to him to tell him that we were at The Stonecutter's Kitchen just past the entrance to the Cliffs of Moher.
.
So great to see them! We had coffee, bread and butter pudding with custard, and brownie with ice cream. Then we drove back to the parking lot. The attendant charges by the carload and that is all inclusive for the Cliffs. It felt a bit cool and windy, so we all bundled up as best we could. David and Dawn's car and Rich's car were also just arriving, so we were complete.
.
The Cliffs do not disappoint! The majesty of this series of cliffs lined up at ocean's edge, livestock lolling about on the grassy plains at the top, then a steep sharp drop hundreds of feet to the choppy waters below is nothing short of breathtaking. There's a reason over a million people flock to this sight every year.
.
.
Because it's a major tourist attraction, we were surrounded by other Americans, Asians, Germans, and other Europeans. Some of the paths are protected with slate barriers, but many people walked along the edge taking selfies or dangling their feet. I felt a bit of vertigo myself at the sight of so many tourists taking these risks. We of course, joined in the fun, shooting many pictures of our own.
.
At the end of our hike along the top of the cliffs, David set us up for a group photo. Then a nice young man in a red Cleveland baseball cap offered to take it for him so that he could join the group. Maggie immediately turned around and said, "That's the guy from Kitty O Se's!"
.
So it was! What a coincidence that we met again hours away in another county! He was with his girlfriend of course, and we caught up like old pals. Adorable couple!
.
We reversed direction to head back to the opening and past to O'Brien's Tower which stands atop the highest cliff at over 700 feet. A small number of our group was relaxing on the steps there so I took a picture. Then a few more joined, and I snapped another. Before I knew it, the entire group was assembled so I snapped my last shot.
.
Little did we know what kind of romantic drama was unfolding behind us! Our friend from Kinsale, Liam, was down on one knee and Eileen, his girlfriend, was fielding his proposal of marriage! We gave them a rousing round of applause and wished them well on this momentous occasion. What a privilege to have met them and to be the first to congratulate them!
.
Best photo bomb EVER!! (Liam is the guy in the red hat, upper right)
.
.
We tried to stop in the town of Ennis for dinner, but an Irish Music festival was going on and we couldn't even get close to the town. Instead we drove through to Tipp-Town (downtown Tipperaray) and ate at Keiley's restaurant. It was good home-cooked food, nothing fancy. We were all able to sit together and it was fun.
.
Back in Bansha, we became divided into two groups- those who wanted to go out to hear John Russell's session at the Aherlow House, and those who chose to stay home in the castle. I was in the group who chose the music which included Steve, Neil, Carrie, Sally, and Maggie. Boy, did I make the right call.
.
The ride there was fairly long in the dark on the narrow and windy roads without streetlights. It seemed impossible that any kind of public establishment could ever be found at the end of this ride. But, finally, there was light at the end of a tree lined tunnel leading to a hotel tucked away in the woods. The parking lot was full.
.
So was the tavern. There must have been well over 100 people there, all attentively listening to the music, chairs crammed in tight with tables interspersed. We stood at the bar for a bit since there was no place to sit. A woman spoke (I think in Irish- I understood not a word) between songs and called attention to individuals who would perform next. Some of these people stayed sitting in their seats, some came up to the area where the band sat in a oval. Some sang out a verse of a song and then the crowd would join in the chorus. The band was magically able to establish keys for each singer. In the middle of the session players sat John Russell on guitar, surrounded by a banjo player, a couple of flutes, a couple of violins, and a few singers. In between guests, the band would play a tune. Some of the guests told jokes (a few were quite colorful), or stories. One guest (cross) dressed up as as Queen "Liz" and put on a little act reading a letter to her dear grandson "Willie, Dear Willie." One gentleman read a story he wrote, which was quite sweet about being rejected by a girlfriend.
.
In between sets John spoke with us and asked us to sing something. I demurred, but thanked him for including us (we were clearly the only foreigners in the room). I was overruled however by all the others (except Maggie). John said we could wait until the formal session was over and they were just hanging around more casually.
.
Some time later, John stood up and asked everyone to welcome a song from his American friends. Steve took John's guitar, informed the band of the key, and we launched into "Country Roads." Before we got through the first verse, the room was singing along with us! They knew the song well and really seemed to enjoy it! The bridge was handled by us again and then the crowd joined in for the chorus and gave us a roaring round of applause at the end.
"Another!" they demanded. We made the group decision to leave 'em wanting more. But then, some time later, after another round and some heartfelt sharing of family gratitude, Steve took the guitar again and we sang James Taylor's "Handyman." This time, the crowd was smaller and perhaps they didn't know the song, because they didn't sing along. But the response was no less enthusiastic, and John particularly enjoyed the harmonies.
.
All of us had been moved by the energy in the room. It was quite an emotional experience to observe the culture so intimately in this remote establishment. We would never have known about this opportunity if John didn't happen to be playing that night. We all felt the tug of legacy in that room, as we recognized the joy of community sharing music, stories, and jokes. These are our people, this runs in our DNA. We've created our own sessions with family and we felt right at home in that room. This is our heritage and this is what it's all about.
.
What a night!
.
When we got home around 2am, Daniel and David were still playing snooker and Padraic was on the couch. We regaled them with our adventures, wishing that everyone had been with us to share our joy!
.
Happy birthday, Bobby! We wish you were here with us, but you're in our hearts and we all wish you a very happy birthday! Also, a very happy birthday to Greg Pfitzer!
.
Comments