Children of Lir: Anam Cara

We had a concert last week in aid of Anam Cara in the Louisburgh Parochial Hall. Anam Cara is a non-profit organisation which provides support to families who have lost a child or sibling.
The concert told the story of The Children of Lir through dancing and music and singing. The dancing was provided by the Cresham School of Dancing and it went down very well. The school is run by Bernadine Cresham and the production of the dancing was excellent. The audience seemed to be very appreciative of the level of the quality of the production.
Valerie Quirk, resident in Bunowen, provided excellent musical accompaniment for the night. The second part of the show was a parody of American Idol or X-Factor or some such thing. Brenda Staunton (John Staunton's wife) performed a song parody of Riverdancewhihc was written by Valerie Quirke. This set the stage for the mayhem and humour to follow.
Couples danced in front of three judges; Barry Gaffney, Breda McGinn and John Joe Kilcoyne to compete for the honour of "winning." It was as hilarious as one could imagine. Slapstick and improv took over as the contestants with hairy legs exposed danced high to expose their "prowess" and their partners hid their "assets" to become the partner role chosen. (Is that clear? No? Well now you know how we all felt!)
Anyways, some of those who participated in the frolics and were dressed for the occasion were: Edward Ball, Irene Cannon, Laura Hutchinson, Michael Gibbons, Jim Power, Noel Billington and many many more.
The show was a success except for the fact that a good few people had to be turned away from the hall because it had reached capacity. There is a DVD of the show available for a tenner. And ...
The event raised approximately €2,000.

Mayo Associations Worldwide Convention: A weekend to remember in Westport

This past weekend, Westport hosted the Mayo Associations Worldwide Convention. The President of The Republic of Ireland, Mary McAleese and An Taoiseach, Enda Kenny addressed the crowd of over 400.

Messages of hope, enterprise, hard work and nature were divulged to the crowds from the two leaders.

Delegates from Cleveland, New York, Philadelphia, Birmingham, Toronto and Washington were present among others. The Dublin and Galway Associations were the organisers. A Louisburgh man, Paul Sammin, is on the committee of the Dublin Mayo Association and was therefore involved in the planning of the event.

Anne Marie Gibbons from Louisburgh, performed songs in her Mezzo Soprano style and received a standing ovation.

There were presentations on tourism, trade, commerce and industry under the headings of 'indigenous enterprise,' 'multinational enterprise' and 'energy.' The material in the presentations was informative, futuristic, practical and coherent.

Louisburgh was not mentioned in the context of the topics at all. I wonder how this came to be. Is there no body or bodies out there representing and promoting Louisburgh?

While the presentations were all about Mayo and they were all excellent, there is no Mayo Association organisation in Mayo. Perhaps this would be a valuable entity for the purpose of connecting with all the Associations worldwide and keeping the connection live and active and funneling ideas, industry and funding into the county?

Missing Dad and not knowing Grandad.

I was in Armagh recently and a visitor to my wife's home house, "Boots," (I don't know his real name) asked me why I had stopped posting on this blog. I had no clear reply. No reason - really. I promised myself when I started posting to this blog that I would not let it's continuity depend on others' comments/contributions so the lack of feedback is not the reason either. Indeed I have been surprised to hear from time to time of how many people do actually read it.

But a little feedback is nice. No man is an island ... and all that. And so I am back and I intend to carry on with this.

After some thought the real reason for not continuing to blog is that if I were to be honest and helpful to the reader in the way I would (idealistically) hope to be, then I would appear at times to be overly critical and perceptively negative about my experiences/issues associated with moving back to Ireland. I hate being negative or being perceived to be negative. The truth hurts sometimes...

But in media there is always gate-keeping and editing. Therefore, it is a challenge I am going to take on again. I will attempt to inform the reader of the issues associated with "moving back to Ireland" but I will (in the interest of full disclosure) be gate-keeping myself. Some of this will be to avoid talking too negatively of institutions/people. Some of this will be to facilitate self-survival.

With that out of the way, here's the blog:

After being away for almost 20 years and losing my dad in 1998, it is now I miss him most.

Over recent months the eldest of mine and Anna's two young children, Tommy, has come on in leaps and bounds. He is assertive, cute, deceptive, energetic etc, etc and he was three on March 27th. He walked in to the house to me the other day and asked if he could go over to his next door neighbor. (His friend next door and he get on great. They climb through the fence to go to each other's houses regularly.)
I said no because it was coming to dinner time. He chirpily said "o.k. Dad." I continued doing what I was doing and then realized that after he had accepted my decision he just walked out the door, climbed through the fence and went over to his friend. No ifs, buts or discussion - he just left. What a guy!

If his granddad were here I know they would have a fantastic relationship. And it would be very beneficial to both! My dad (not all the facts on this link are 100% but close enough) would have had a great influence on him and on the littler one too, Sarah. It is times like this that the years spent away from home and family are noticed. It all kinda crept up on me. Unexpectedly.

He is gone from this funny world since 1998 and he was missed then and is missed now. These two grandchildren will not know him personally but they will read of him and listen to him.

And to this backdrop, as I can hear the rain on the windows, while on the TV the powers that be are trying to blame someone for the economical disaster that is Ireland today, and my two youngest kids are asleep oblivious to the economy and to the absence of grandad, it is good to be back home with great fond memories of being away.

There is something real about all this.

The Fruits of Our Labour

Those days spent digging hard stoney soil are now paying off. This is a sample of what we have harvested.

March 1st, Ridges, Turning the Feirbin & Clothes Line.

Spring is in the air during the day and winter consumes the bright moonlit nights.

Today I was outside working and the daylight stayed until nearly 7 p.m. I thought of the future nights of summer when the daylight will exist from 4 a.m. to 11 p.m. This is a lovely part of living in Ireland - the long days of summer. In San Francisco, the longest days of the year keep daylight until around 8 p.m.

The days are beautiful, dry and sunny. The nights are clear and freezing. Our forecast for tonight is -5 degrees. The moon is bright tonight and it is beautiful outside but yes it is freezing.

The other day I posted a question on Facebook asking for advice on where to erect my clothes line. The problem is that the view from my house is a stunning panoramic of Mweelra. No matter where the clothes line is put, it will be in the view-line. So I decided to put it outside the kitchen and to leave the view clear for the sun-room and the sitting room. I am comfortable with the decision.

On the other hand, I wonder why no one voiced an opinion on facebook. Social media is supposedly connecting us all to share and deliberate and interact virtually. Is it so that a simple question like mine is too trivial for the millions on facebook? For me personally it is indeed the simple, mundane, repetitious issues that are life, which can be given new life through social networking.

Some are attempting now to discover new ways of using social media for education, for monetary gain, for networking business, etc. etc. Perhaps the elephant is in the room? Maybe social media is just that - Social Media - nothing more or less? Maybe it is simply an extension of our social networks and as such it should be used for social networking issues.

Issues like - Where should I erect my clothes line? What washing powder do you use? Where is a good spot for grub? Do we over intellectualise some things?

I wonder if I went on Facebook and asked "what is 'turning the feirbin '" would I get anywhere? Would any one out there take my question seriously or is it too trivial again?

Getting a phone line in the new house

We asked the phone company, Eircom, to move the phone line from the rented house to the new house when we moved in.

They came to view the situation and discovered that there was no "connection box" visible on the road adjoining the property. The fact that the box existed was never questioned. It seemed to be common knowledge that the box was there but was covered by the tarmacadam on the road. This was probably done when the local authority covered the local roadway.

Anyways, the connection box had to be risen up to the level of the road. After being informed that this process might take up to June 20, 2010 we contacted some of the local authorities and got the issue resolved.

Now we have the connection box at the road level, the phone is connected, and the road itself is not finished.

But we have our phone line in. Now we must wait for ten days before we can apply for broadband connection. Why? I don't know. And nobody else seems to know why either.

We are happily looking forward to getting our broadband service in to our new home. Using a dongle  for internet connection is a great second option but it is not up to the task when viewing or downloading video footage.

A visit to Clare Island

This past weekend I took it upon myself to visit Clare Island. As it happened this was the weekend that The Clare Island women and men's Gaelic Football teams were celebrating their wins of 2009. They won the All Ireland All Island finals for both.

As you can see above the weather was exemplary. I forgot as I walked the island that it was February and not August. The sun shone. It was a beautiful visit.

The island is a short 20 minute journey on one of he boat services from Roonagh Point, which is about two miles form my home.

Granuaile's castle at the shore beside the pier. One needs to be very close before it is visible to the sefarer - a fact probably exploited by the O'malley's "back in the day."

This Abbey on the island is home to the finest examples of medieval paintings in Ireland. It is also said to be the burial site of Granuaile.

Walking along I noticed someone's ridges in a field. This may just be the catalyst to get myself in the garden and planting some vegetables and, of course, potatoes.

This was the view from the front door of the house I stayed in. The pier is just to the right of what we can see here.

One man and his dog were spreading manure on this plot of land. I asked if It would be o.k. to take a photograph and he said "Yeah, fire ahead and I won't charge you.

Moving into Our New Home

Well, it seems that after approximately 6 years the construction of the new house which is our new home is completed. Now, that means that we can live in the house and eat etc. in the house but it will probably not be finished-finished 100% for some more time. But we move in tomorrow if plans go accordingly...

Why are we moving in tomorrow, you might ask, when the house was ready since Wednesday? A curious question - but a good and fair one!

I met a neighbour and told him we were moving in on Wednesday. He asked would I not wait till Friday. Then all hell broke loose. I don't know why but the tradition is that Friday is the only day to move if you want to be blessed with good luck. Look HERE for a discussion of the topic. Far be it from me to challenge the traditions/superstitions of the learned heads of west Mayo.

Rather than draw attention of a negative sort to the move we decided to move on the Friday which is tomorrow. As a result we will have compromised internet access for some time so...

While I will try to post blogs I am not committing to it for some time - say a month - into the new year. But I might get to it (before that) too.

There you go. When in Rome..., When in the West of Ireland....

Images of the approach to our new home: Installment #3

The reek is clearly visible from the Westport to Louisburgh road.

                                 This is the approach to Louisburgh village. 

                                







 

Images of the approach to our new home: Installment #2

As requested I am posting photos of our new home/life. This will be an ongoing part of this blog.

As promised I am showing here the approach in the rain. The hint of course is the windshield wipers. Doesn't it even look good in the wet?











Our driver was very understanding when we needed to slow down or even stop to take some shots:

Testing Cattle in West Mayo

The rain has made itself known today. But it is forecast to clear up in the afternoon.

I was over in the house organising things at about 8.15 a.m. and I got a call from M. I've known M since childhood. He was having the "testing" done on the cattle and was wondering if I could come over for twenty minutes to help with herding them into the yard. I was only a half mile away so I said I'd be straight over.

No bother getting them in the yard but couldn't get them in the shed. The vet arrived. You are supposed to be ready and waiting when Mr. Vet arrives. We weren't ready or waiting. He, the vet, was understanding and patient, but you'd be on edge to be ready for him anyway (kinda like in the old days how you'd be on edge if the priest was visiting!)

As we got the cattle into the crush the rain came hard. I was dressed for a San Francisco day except for the wellys I had purchased a week ago for lawn-cutting. So I had the wellys and that was a good thing. We were through fields of long rushes chasing after the livestock and sinking in the wet muddy soil. Even though I had wellys my jeans were wetted up to my thighs. The mud got on my jeans at the level of my knees. I don't know how this happens but it does and it reminded me of the days before I left, many of them spent in long wet rushes in the wet fields running after cattle.

The vet was "testing" for T.B . This is done, I believe, on all animals over 18 months if they're being sold ,and on animals over 24 months regardless of whether they're being sold or not. Mr. Vet trimmed a little hair off the animal's coat before inserting two quick injections located above the shoulder. After asking him, he answered that the trimming was a way for him to identify where he prodded the animal, so he could inspect that area in a few days to observe the reaction to the injection. I tried to see where he had removed the hair from but it was not clearly obvious to me. He also took blood from the animals in a very private, I would say, location. M., the farmer, lifted the animals tails up high while the vet took a sample of blood from the underside of the tail. This extraction was the exact same as we humans experience in the doctors office except not at a similar location. I can only imagine what it felt like to the cows and I hope that is the way I stay for life!

All done and we let the animals out into their fields again. I presume they were happy to be released and to have the invasion of their privacy over. Mr. Vet went on his merry way.

I was soaked to the skin. M. and myself talked for a little while and the coldness set in through the wet clothes. I was afraid I'd get pneumonia. I haven't got it yet.

I left M. at approximately 12 noon. Note to self: 20 minutes is 3 hours and forty-five minutes in Ireland. Note to self: Remember this and I'll be fine.

Got home. Changed. Lit turf fire. Anna was frying (again). We have to stop the fries. Brilliant. Rested on couch and had to remove my sweater. I was all warm and fuzzy again.

The day is clearing up now and it is promised good for a few days again. We've had great weather since we came back. It is indeed nice to be here and I think we are settling nicely.

Driving License: Installment #2

I have my provisional license now as stated earlier. If you want to get up-to-speed (pun intended) just follow this link.

With my provisional and my photos and a bit of cash I headed into the Motor Taxation Office, where I got my provisional license, in Castlebar to push on, and get my full driving license. We are happy with the progress we are making in getting set up here.

I was happily trotting into the office in Castlebar and feeling empowered and confident about applying for my full license. I handed my application form, photos and cash up on the counter. I waited.

The staff are really, really nice. It does help the experience when the people at the windows are pleasant and helpful. I waited.

She asked me for my certificate. "Damn, I forgot it." I then remembered that I had it in the car so I was given time to run out for it. I arrived back smiling again and presented said document.

"Oh no, not that. Your certificate," she said with a genuine concern. "Oh, says she, you didn't do the test, did you?" "I did" says I. "Did they give you a certificate when you passed" said she. "They did" said I, "and there it is." "But that's a certificate for the theory test, the written test" says she. "Yeah" says I and by now I was questioning the direction of this discussion! "Oh"says she, "when you do the driving test they give you a certificate and that is the one I need." "Oh", says I, "I only did the theory written test." "Yes," said she, "you need to do the practical driving test and then bring the certificate here and then apply for the full driving test." "That's fine," says I, "while I'm here sure I'll apply for the full test."

I thought that at long last we were on the one page.

Says she, "We don't do the application for the driving test." Thank God or whatever that I started to smile because she was being really, really nice (she must've thought I was a dimwit!) "But," says I, smiling by now, "that's what I am here for." "Oh we don't do those here" she said, "You'll have to apply for your test to another organisation." "Who?" says I. "The Road Safety Authority" says she.

"Aaww, well Holy God" says I to mesell. "Where are they?" says I. "I'll give you the form" says she. "You're like a mother to me," says I, "I don't know what I'd do without you" says I, and the two of us not quite laughing by now but not just smiling either!

So she gave me the form and I said that I would send it in immediately and that she was a great help. "Oh, says she, is this your first license?" "It is" says I, "except that I had a license for 20 years in the US." Says she, "You have to have your Provisional License for 6 months before they allow you to apply for the practical driving test, but if I was you," says she, " I'd apply after 5 months!" Aww, well Holy God! I couldn't hold it. I cracked up laughing - and you know what she did? She started laughing too!

In the middle of her laughter she got the words out, "Welcome home!"