Ireland Journal
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Family Fun Day at the Kilbeggan Races
I wore my hat to the races. By the time we were to be picked up by our friends from the Atlantic Corridor (an economic development group in Tullamore) it was no longer actively raining. I convinced myself the day was clearing up and slapped on the chapeau. And even though it was pretty much…
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Heads Up
“Picture-perfect families wanted at Kilbeggan races on Sunday.” That’s the headline of an article that appeared in Saturday’s Westmeath Independent. Here’s the second paragraph: A stylish event with a twist, there will be a 500 euro prize for Kilbeggan’s Picture Perfect family. As style is not just about fashion, judges will be looking for a…
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Future Hags of Ireland Unite!
Yesterday we made our annual trip to Loughcrew, a complex of Neolithic passage tombs atop three hills in Co. Meath. It’s not far from Newgrange as the Morrigan flies, and was made by people of the same culture some 5,000 years ago. Click here, here, here. The previous day in class I told the basic…
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Herding Horses
I know I mention this every chance I get, but this really is the view from the dining room and the bedroom in my Athlone apartment. Just imagine that beyond those trees is the River Shannon. Ok, it's probably half a mile away, but I like to think of it as part of my personal…
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Two Stops in Co. Galway
Yesterday was the launch of the 4th annual Three Rivers Storytelling Festival. Our first teller was Seosamh O'Maolalai, who tells in Gaelic. He did three sessions for the local Gael Schools at the Library in Ballinasloe and I heard two of them. One of the great things about storytelling is that you don't actually have…
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9:00 p.m., Thursday, June 2nd
And the sun is still shining! This is the view from my bedroom at the Croi Oige Student Accommodation in Athlone. It's the first sunny day we've had since I arrived in Ireland on May 20th. It's also the first day I've been warm since I arrived. As recently as last night I had the…
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Off to a Grand Start!
Today was the first day of class for students in Study Abroad Ireland 2011. My class, The Irish Storytelling Tradition, is the first one of the day at 8:30 a.m. All 23 of my students were in their seats, enthusiastic and ready to go right on time. Fully present in every sense of the word. …
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Leaving the Glens
Mark and I are packing up this morning to drive down to Athlone in advance of the 32 Study Abroad Ireland participants and the rest of the faculty. I’m sad to be leaving Beachview Cottage, our friends, and the Nine Glens of Antrim. We’ve had five nights and four days right on the ocean. I…
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A Treasured Tradition – the Saturday Night Session at Ballyeamon Barn
We arrived in Ireland on Saturday morning and then drove directly from Dublin to Beachview Cottage in Cushendun. Cushendun is just five miles from Cushendall where Liz Weir lives. We arrived with just enough time to shower and get back to Liz's Ballyeamon Barn for the weekly Saturday night session It was a wonderful homecoming…
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Sunday in Belfast – St. George’s Market and More
Liz Weir took us to Belfast for the afternoon on Sunday. We were headed to the St. George’s Market, but we saw a lot along the way. We passed through Ardoyne, which the mural above proclaims to be “a confident, colourful, creative community”. We learned from Liz that the president of the Republic, Mary McAleese…
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Favorite Places, Beloved Friends
One of my favorite places in Cushendall is Harry’s on Mill Street, right across the street from Johnny Joe’s pub. The first time I went there, I had driven up from Athlone with Liz Weir and we were starving. We didn’t stop at the barn first; we went directly to dinner and I had a…
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Seven is Supposed to Be a Lucky Number
"Seven is supposed to be a lucky number. I always think of the seven chapels, or maybe the seven deadly sins. Or, what about the seven great Dublin mysteries? There was morals, mercenaries, music, and monasteries, money, mutts and marriage – especially marriage." (Ronnie Drew's opening to Do You Remember, Jem?) I’ve just arrived…