A Bit O' Blarney

“An Chlann (The Family)”

We started the month with a long-awaited visit from Annika and Peaches, who we miss dearly and had not seen since the holidays. We were also delighted to welcome my brother David, sister-in-law Anne, and niece Sarah. Anne is British and makes an annual trip to visit her mum in England, so Ireland was a quick hop over. After a solitary first eight months, we were elated to have visitors and loved our time with family!

Music, Dancing & New Places: One of the great things about Westport is you can find live music every night of the week. When the girls were here, there was a Folk and Bluegrass Festival with American bands from Appalachia as well as Irish bands celebrating Irish folk traditions. We had a great weekend of music, the highlight of which was a good old-fashioned square dance. While it wasn’t the jig (which is still on my bucket list), it was a blast doing some hoofing with the girls!

Wee Trip to Northern Ireland. While the girls were here, we took our first trip to Northern Ireland. On the surface, Northern Ireland seems very much like the Republic of Ireland: rain, sheep, sweeping landscapes, cute Irish accents (although one difference is their liberal use of the word “wee.” “Do ya need a wee box?” “Just stand in that wee queue.”)

The peace agreement has substantially reduced violence in Northern Ireland since The Troubles, which has bolstered tourism and the economy. We visited a fantastic Titanic museum built in the last 12 years where the famed ship was built and launched. However, we were surprised and saddened to see that there are still iron gates between the Catholic (nationalist) and Protestant (unionist) neighborhoods of Belfast that close every night to “keep the peace”. History is important to the Irish, so as residents, we’re trying to better understand the complex history.

Lost Valley: We were excited to visit a place called the Lost Valley, which we highly recommend. It’s one of those out-of-the-way places in Ireland that is unique and special, both for its unspoiled beauty and its tragic history. The remote property has only been accessible since 1989, when the owners built their own road across the mountains. It’s largely untouched since the famine of the mid-1800s, when the owner’s family and villagers were evicted. The family eventually reclaimed their ancestral property, which generations have lived on for over 300 years. The owner gave us a 2 ½ mile guided walking tour and kept us captivated by his engaging storytelling. We also saw an amazing sheepdog demonstration. Eric and I have seen sheep at the tops of mountains and wondered how you collect them. We have now seen the sheep dog work his magic. It’s quite impressive!🐑🐕

An Irish Wake: It’s not on the list of typical tourist attractions, but one of the things David’s family got to observe was a wake, which is a very different cultural experience in Ireland. A few months ago, Eric and I came home to find that police had set up traffic control for a wake with people lined up along our street for hours to go into our neighbor’s house. We thought our neighbor must have been someone quite prominent in town but found out this is a customary observance. When someone dies, it’s seen as something that affects the whole the community. The wake is announced on the radio and in the paper. While only family and close friends might attend the service, everyone who is even a casual acquaintance goes to the wake to pay respects. 

The Rain and the Wind: Despite all our stories about rain, people have noted that all our pictures of Ireland seem to show clear blue skies. There’s a reason for that. And then there’s what Ireland looks like the other 90% of the time when we’re not shooting pictures. Our family got the full Irish experience: rain, clouds, and moments of sun showers. Peaches said that coming to Ireland made her appreciate the weather in Seattle. It’s not just the rain. It’s also the umbrella-turning wind.💨☔️

“Blow-Ins”: Speaking of wind, we found out the locals have a term for people like us: “blow-ins.”💨 If an Irish person marries a foreigner, the spouse is considered a blow-in, even after living in Ireland for 30 years. (Our cheeky local acquaintance also explained that this gives the Irish an excuse to blame everything on “the blow-in.”) I think she was trying to tell us that we are so new that we fall below status of blow-in. She seemed to be having a bit fun with us. Or was it fun at our expense?!

We’re now half-way through our adventure abroad (crazy!) and have decided to start publishing our blog every other month. Rain, sheep, country roads will now be coming to you bi-monthly!

We hug you tightly!

The Leprechauns ☘️
Rosbeg Gate Lodge, Westport, Co. Mayo F28 V564 Ireland

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