May, 2008

You may remember that last year we went on the Literary and Historical Bus Tour as part of Listowel Writer's Week. This year Dana was working, so I went on the tour and had a great time. You have pictures here of 2 of our speakers and some scenery in Ballynahill where we were told there were "hedge schools" - illegal schools for Catholic children, taught by "failed priests" - ones who had studied on the Continent but were not ordained. A highlight both years were the music groups that rode with us on the tour and played at different stops. This year it was even more fun, as it was the group that includes Killian O'Carroll on banjo (he's the one with dark hair). Killian has won many prizes, and has appeared on this blog before. Here they are at an historical spot in Athea and at Shaughnessy's Bar in Glin.





I am trying a new thing: video. My little digital camera takes video, and it's not too bad.S o, here's a sample of the music they played - let me know if it works. Behind the band you can see my "bus friends" Joann and June; Joann's daughter is a speech therapist in Dublin - small world!orks!
Click the large arrow, then click the small "play" arrow.
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Dana came to Listowel on the bus after work and we ate dinner then went to the finals of the story-telling contest. There were 4 very Irish contestants - we could understand 2 of them well, 1 of them some, and 1 of them hardly at all. The emcee was Marc Dainin O'Se, a rather famous story-teller and accordion player from Dingle - he is a native Gaelic speaker, and his English is very thickly accented - I am trying a short bit of video of him- if it works you'll see what I mean.

These pictures and videos are all by MFE.

May, 2008

The highlight of May was Barbara's short visit. She arrived at the Dublin airport on Saturday, May 24. I had spent Thursday getting to Newbridge to meet with the Kildare Down Syndrome Group about recruiting. The train drivers in Kerry and Cork went on strike while I stood in line for the train in Tralee, so they bussed us to Limerick. I was lucky enough to get a train that stopped in Newbridge, so that worked out. Friday morning I rode the train to Dublin and attended a workshop. The most impressive part was the location at the Royal College of Surgeons - a gorgeous venue with domed ceilings, stained glass, and numerous marble busts. I spent that night at a motel near Dublin airport and met Barbara at 7:30 Saturday morning. We were very lucky! Because of the strike there were only 2 trains - 9 am and 3 pm. The later one meant we had to kill the whole day in Dublin with her luggage and her jet lag. I didn't think we could make the 9 am, but the angels were on our side - we walked on the train, got settled, and took off! We made it to Tralee in time for lunch, after being bussed (no train again) from Mallow. We drove to town centre and she saw Dana's store. We enjoyed a glass of wine in a street-side cafe while waiting for him to get off. The next day (Sunday) Dana was off, so we all 3 drove to Glenbeigh, Cahersiveen and Valentia Island, which, as you'll know by now, is our favorite tour. Barbara loved it, too. In the top picture, she is at the "lunch spot" between Glenbeigh and Cahersiveen. Here we are at Ballycarbery Castle and in front of the pretty Knightstown Cafe on Valentia.




On subsequent days she and I rested, talked, and made trips to Ballybunion (traditional picture at Virgin Rock and a picture to show you the beautiful flowers and view from the Ballybunion Cliffs) and Killarney (pictured at Torc Falls and Muckross House Gardens.)



















On Thursday we took a quick trip to Blennerville, had a pub lunch in Tralee, and put her on the bus to Cork for a plane to Dublin and then US. It was a great visit, but too short! These pictures are all by MFE.

May, 2008

Diane is the new speech-language therapist for the Cork Branch of DSI. She and her 2 kids, Kendall and Matt, came over to visit us and get their first good look at Kerry. We went to Ballybunion Saturday while Dana was working. Then on Sunday, we all drove to Dingle - it was chilly but nice and we had a great day. The first pictures are of Diane and of the 2 kids at the waterfall and lake just before the Conor Pass. Then you see them leaving on he boat to see Fungi, the dolphin in Dingle Bay. This last picture is a small bit of the parade that was going on during an art festival that weekend. These characters on stilts are common in festivals here.