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May 17, 2004
Let's see if we can keep work quiet for a little while.
I've been so damn busy at work that I haven't been able to update lately. So...here continues the story...
Our B&B was just outside of Kildare in a small village called Montesterevin. Cloncarlin House is a working beef farm run by the McGuinness Family.
On our arrival Mrs. McGuinness provided us with tea in the drawing room. She had prepared our beds for us, plugging in the electric blankets only a few minutes before. She assumed we would be tired and suggested we nap for an hour and then explore Kildare for dinner. The beds were toasty warm and we had a good nap.
It was very quiet in Kildare village. One amazing thing we discovered is, when the work day is done, it's done - and usually between 5 and 6PM. Shops close, many pubs don't serve food after 5PM if the day is slow. We decided to go to a restaraunt/pub called Silken Thomas. I wanted something light and warm. The day had been chilly with rain and a very cool breeze. I opted for a bowl of fish chowder served with fresh brown bread. Dear God, how I love Irish Brown Bread. I also wanted something light for dessert. I splurged so often on this vacation, that I must say my innards were delighted. There was a fresh Pineapple/Pear sponge cake served with custard that sounded scrumptious and it was.
By that time my mom and I were completely beat. We headed back to our B&B, I showered and dried my hair and drifted off to sleep as I wrote in my journal...very obvious from the slanting and drifting script on the page.
From this point on I'll be transcribing directly from my journal.
4/20/04 - This morning we got up and had another wonderful breakfast. Yee Haw! I love Black Pudding. Anyway, last night I wanted to to write about the richness of the colors and tones here. The richness of the people I've met, so far. We drove back from Kildare to Cloncarlin House last night and the sun was setting. It cast this incredibly wamr golden hue over the trees, the hills and there was the most brilliant rainbow I've seen in a very long time. The buildings here aren't bland recreations of one another. They are brightly painted and as outspoken and colorful as the people.
This morning we went back into Kildare, but St. Brighid's Cathedral was closed. We ended up talking to Yvonne in a nearby shop who explained that the Church of Ireland kept it closed during the off season, only opening for Sunday services. The fact that this once Catholic church had been overtaken by the Church of Ireland irked me. You can tell I was certainly raised in an Irish family. Yvonne suggested we visit St. Brighid's Well which was about 3 kilometers from the town center near the Irish Stud and Japanese Gardens. We decided to explore the small town center for a few minutes and head toward the well.
Walking around the village at around 10:00AM we interrupted a rather shocking scene. Suddenly we found ourselves surrounded by military fatigued men with very big machine guns. We were startled. Yet, every person around us was just going about their business. Later we were told that during bank transfers in the morning they need armed guards because there are so many robberies. Yeah, thanks for telling us before we look like total American Freaks, bigged eyed and really bushy tailed.
After our shock the well was a refreshing treat. The area was small, littered with rosaries draped on a statue of St. Brighid holding her flame. A tree in the corner of the area near the well's source had pieces of material tied to its branches. Legend has it that those who were healed by the waters would leave a token of themselves to as a sign of thanks.
From Kildare we headed toward Cashel in Tipperary County - to see "The Rock." Now, as rocks go in Ireland - generally, I assumed we'd be going to see an Ogham stone or stone circle or something (Shows how much I didn't know about Ireland around the time of Saint Patrick. We drove around a corner in the hillside and suddenly, I was shocked to see a HUGE fortressed cathedral on top of a hill. We toured the beautiful ruins, braving the cold wind. The wind was very strong blowing little ole me around quite a bit.
There's a great story about Cashel. Many years ago, when Saint Patrick was touring Ireland, converting pagans he came to the village of Cashel. Saint Patrick was busy converting people when the devil, flying some distance away saw St. Pat in the village. He became so angry that the devil took a bite of a mountainside and flung the rock at St. Patrick to try and kill him. The rock missed and as a result St. Patrick built the Cathedral on top of the rock. From the top of the Rock of Cashel you can see in the distance a large dip in a far mountainside that is called "The Devil's Bit."
From Cashel we journied toward one of the most important destinations of our trip. Tipperary Town. Tipperary County is where my family came from in 1850. The names in the county make it obvious. Gleeson and O'Dwyer are incredibly prominent Tipperary names. We drove a bit outside of Tipperary Town for our stay in Bansha at Bansha Castle.
This is where the story gets really, really good...at least for me. Tomorrow, I promise I'll continue on with the story of Damerville.
Posted by Sarah at May 17, 2004 09:31 AM