Category / Visiting Ireland

by shannonchance

The Craic in Limerick

Kate Daly’s Pub proved to be a beacon of shelter in the storm. (Here’s a photo of it between yesterday’s hail storms.)
The interior offered a place to dry, warm, and calm myself (and my nerves — the hail had pelted me feircly).
I sat by the fire… but on the way out I discovered good craic at the bar.
A recap regarding craic. (Downloaded from the Urban Dictionary.)
Tony was a police officer in Santa Barbara for years. Today he’s the barman at Kate Daly’s in Limerick.
The man in the front here is Welsh and is one of 22 kids (his mother bore 24 children and a whopping 22 of them lived). HIs son, in in the background, was born in Ireland of an Irish mother and is one of six kids; he says he has 80 first cousins!

I’d kept to myself yesterday when I arrived at Kate Daly’s pub.

When I entered, I was cold and drenched. The hail, rain, and wind had just pelted me into a corner of the castle wall (I was looking for an entrance, but alas the castle is completely closed for renovation). Finding no way in, I had little choice but turn back.  I’d snapped some images of Kate Daly’s pub before making that fateful turn toward the bridge off King’s Island. When I saw the pub, I mused to myself that people were drinking at this time of day, and I proceeded onward.  But after the pelting I’d just taken, the pub seemed to offer warmth and hope for survival.

But the place was warm and quite.  The men — all men — clustered around the bar were wide-eyed when I burst through the door.

I’d requested hot tea but was told they had none.  My purchase of a Blumer’s (by the bottle — a fairly costly choice), secured me a seat at the pub.  The bar man suggested I’d be comfortable by the fire.  I embraced the suggestion, peeled out of my wet outer garments, and made myself at home.

I sat there for a long, long while.  The faces people at the bar changed over time, but the composition and number remained steady.

With sun rays intermittently shining through the clouds (As they normally do in Ireland), I determined it was time to leave.  After all, I needed some food to offset the effects of that cider!

On the way to the door, however, the men at the bar posed a few friendly questions.

And that set things right — it’s not usual to leave a pub here without partaking in some friendly chatter.  I’d felt okay taking the role of a tourist today, but it didn’t seem entirely right given my interest in fitting in here.

So I jumped right in and enjoyed some craic.

And, boy, did I mean a host of characters!  The folks in the photos above were key players in the banter.  We had fun.

I eventually declined the (inevitable) offer of another drink and slipped out into a (different) moment of sunshine on my way to find food.  Before I found anything edible, however, I came across some picturesque reflections and  attended a lecture at the Hunt Museum on “upcycling” discarded items into artworks and usable objects. The lecture was sponsored by Limerick’s Tidy Towns committee and delivered by a woman named Mary (another Hail Mary I discovered yesterday in Limerick!).

I left Kate Daly's pub and discovered this reflection just moments before my iPhone battery died. The blogging I did with in in Kate Daly's drained it....

I left Kate Daly’s pub and discovered this reflection just moments before my iPhone battery died. The blogging I did with in in Kate Daly’s drained it….

by shannonchance

Hail Mary in Limerick Today

The AIARG conference wrapped up yesterday (my solo presentation went well and the audience was enthusiastic).

I stayed over to experience Limerick (again — Dave and I took a brief stop here in 2003 to see the castle).

Experience Limerick I have. The city gets lots and lots of rain. Today started with sun and intermittent but brief showers.

I admired the River Shannon, wandered the Medieval district, and stepped into Mary’s Cathedral for the end of a Sunday service. I enjoy Protestant services because they include women as primary leaders. I need that and I wish the Catholic Church would get with it. When I was six I wanted to be a priest. The Catholic Church wasn’t ready to accept my contribution. I invested my life’s energies in teach through architecture instead of through theology. I find that, like theology, making architecture requires hope, faith, and expressions of truth and beauty.

Leaving Mary’s Cathedral I headed toward Mary’s church. It seems there are redundant versions (Catholic and Protestant) of churches dedicated to many of the same saints here in Limerick. There are many, many fine church buildings here.

Sadly, the Mary Church was not open though it glowed merrily in the sun’s rays. For a minute. Then all Hail broke out.

I continued wandering on King’s Island in the hail until the the wind and pellets conquered me.

Soaked, I turned back to a corner pub. I sit here warming myself and attempting to dry, Bulmer’s and iPhone blog app in hand. They had no hot drinks but hot whiskey! The radio is blasting weather reports. The resounding “I’m a Believer” brightened the sprits of all the men huddled at the bar, and me!

“I Feel Good” is jazzing us up now….

The River Shannon.
The castle on King’s Island on the River Shannon.
Reflection.
Pedestrian shopping street.
Fun signage.
The Hunt Museum where I went between hail storms.
Mary’s Cathedral (Protestant).
Service at Mary’s Cathedral.
Mary’s Church (Catholic).
Hail in the moss.
Mary Daly’s pub.
Sign at Mary Daly’s pub.
The weather got so bad that I turned back for the pub….
…and got a Bulmer’s…
…and a warm spot to dry out!
by shannonchance

Why Winter is Comfy in Dublin

The weather was chilly this morning as I boarded the bus at O’Connell Street to go interview potential Fulbrighters — but it was much warmer than in much of the USA!
…when I downloaded these images last night, it was five hours later in Dublin than at home, and of course much farther north as well.
It has been warmer in Dublin than at my Portsmouth, Virginia home…
The red dots on this map show the locations of Portsmouth (left) and Dublin (right). (Base map was downloaded from a Regnum Christi blog post.)http://live.regnumchristi.org/2011/07/where-are-you-from/

The red dots on this map show the locations of Portsmouth (left) and Dublin (right). (Base map was downloaded from a Regnum Christi blog post.)

Winter weather in Dublin is often much like that in the costal region of Virginia where my house is.  The nearby water helps mitigate temperature extremes in each location.  (That’s partly because water heats up during the day and releases that energy slowly at night — keeping costal areas warmer than inland areas during winter.)

Like Portsmouth, Dublin rarely sees snow.  When a dusting comes, it quickly dissolves.

Both places near the brink of calamity with the slightest hint of ice or snow. The cities and drivers simply aren’t prepared to deal with it.

What’s interesting about all this is that Dublin is so very far north. It’s much farther north than, say, Fargo, North Dakota, where my friends have reported recent wind chills of minus 50 degrees Fahrenheit!?!! Yet it never gets that cold here!

In summer, however, Dublin doesn’t get nearly as warm as Portsmouth.

In 2003 Dave and I were in Ireland for the extended “heat wave” where temperatures reached 75 degrees Fahrenheit for at least two weeks.

This chart shows the blend of temperature and humidity that most people in the States find comfortable. (Image from Shiller, M. (2004). Mechanical and electrical systems. Chicago: Dearborn Financial Publishing.)

This chart shows the blend of temperature and humidity that most people in the States find comfortable. (Image from Shiller, M. (2004). Mechanical and electrical systems. Chicago: Dearborn Financial Publishing.)

These factors affect human thermal comfort. (Image from the book Shiller, M. (2004). Mechanical and electrical systems. Chicago: Dearborn Financial Publishing.)

These factors affect human thermal comfort. (Image from the book Shiller, M. (2004). Mechanical and electrical systems. Chicago: Dearborn Financial Publishing.)

The humidity is terrible at home in the summer.  But here, the level of humidity is always quite comfortable.  The air doesn’t tend to hold a lot of water.  When it reaches the point of saturation that would be uncomfortable to most people, it drops the water in the form of rain.  So, Dublin gets some rain most days, but the shower doesn’t usually last long.  I don’t carry an umbrella because a lightweight coat and hat do a fine job keeping me dry.

Based on the chart above (that I use in the Architectural Ecology classes I teach at Hampton University), the humidity level in Dublin must stay between 20-75%.  Mother Nature must naturally remove the water as rain when humidity reaches a point over 75% here.  How generous of her!

Overall, Dublin enjoys a pretty good balance of the factors show in the drawing to the right (humidity, temperature, sun, and wind).

The weather was chilly this morning as I boarded the bus at O'Connell Street to go interview potential Fulbrighters -- but it was much warmer than in much of the USA!

Incidentally, the humidity in this picture is from the warm, wet breath of people riding the bus this chilly morning. The wet air tends to get trapped inside the bus.  And, it seems to be a bit more humid up top on the double deckers, perhaps because heat rises.

A great benefit of all this is that my laundry almost always dries within the day when I hang it inside the apartment — I have a clothes dryer here, but thankfully no need for it!  The air is dry enough here to absorb the water in the clothes as soon as I hang them.  It takes much longer for laundry to dry in my house in Portsmouth, even when the air conditioner is running overtime to such the water form the air.

Here, there’s no need for AC (except, of course, in buildings that were designed without regard for climate… who would overlook that!?!).

by shannonchance

Gathering in Ireland in 2013

Downloaded from The New York Times.

The New York Times‘s description of Ireland and image of the Cobblestone pub. (Downloaded from The New York Times.)

The New York Times just released its list of top “46 places to go in 2013.” Ireland showed up at #40. Not bad!  But in my book, it’s #1!

The image The New York Times selected to illustrate Ireland is none other than the Cobblestone pub. The Cobblestone is my own “home away from home” and it holds a very special place in my heart. I’d say it’s *the* place to go in 2013. I can’t wait to bring my guests to the Cobblestone for a true taste of Ireland, present and past.

The pub’s previous appearances in the New York Time travel section included: A Changing Smithfield Still Holds On to Dublin-Style Fun and The Cobblestone – Reviews and Ratings of Bars and Clubs in Dublin – New York Times.

In addition, The New York Time explains, this year Ireland is hosting “the Gathering.” According to the Gathering’s “About” page, “Ireland will open its arms to hundreds of thousands of friends and family from all over the world, calling them home to gatherings in villages, towns and cities.” You can view and create gatherings on its website.

I’m trying to do my part to help family and friends visit the Emerald Isle in 2013.  I look forward to welcoming those who’ve scheduled ahead: Kitty Lee and Patty, Pam and her husband Dave, mom and Ann Marie, my Dave, Toni and Giuseppe, Tarrah and Kelly in the months to come. Between guests and work it looks like I’m going to be very busy!

by shannonchance

The Magic Lens of Glen McClure

Photo of Glen McClure when he was featured in Insider's Passport. (Photo by Marshall McClure, downloaded from Insider's Passport.)

Photo of Glen McClure when he was featured in Insider’s Passport. (Photo by Marshall McClure, downloaded from Insider’s Passport.)

Alt Daily has just published a feature on Glen McClure and his spell binding photography — including images from Ireland, Italy, and Virginia. The feature includes over a dozen photos — just click “next” under the first photo to sequence through the photos and the article about Glen.

As for myself, the most meaningful of the set is the image of “Carl Alston-2100 Colonial Avenue.” That’s because I helped at the shoot where the photo was taken. It was Glen’s first street shoot, a genre in which he has excelled. I was the person who asked Mr. Alston if Glen could take his picture — and thankfully, Mr. Alston said yes. He was carrying a braille newspaper.

Dave and I were also with Glen this past September when he captured “Vortex-Letterkeen Wood-County Mayo Ireland.”

I especially love “Liquid Sky Inch Strand-County Mayo Ireland.” In fact, I purchased a copy of this image for Dave for Christmas a couple of years ago. Today, it’s proudly displayed in our dining room.

There’s also “Achill Island Ireland-ST Pattys Day Parade” that I’ve shown you before. And some treats I haven’t shared before:

“The Joy of Youth-Venice Italy” and

“Silver Strand-County Mayo Ireland” and

“Sheffrey Hills Light-County Mayo Ireland.”

by shannonchance

What to See in Dublin?

St. Patrick's Cathedral has marvelous exhibits and spectacular Evening Song.

St. Patrick’s Cathedral has marvelous exhibits and spectacular Evening Song. (Image from the Cathedral’s website.)

My aunt Kitty Lee is coming to Dublin soon for a visit, along with her friend Patty. They asked:

Are there websites we should check out before we arrive in Dublin for planning our days when you are working or do you have things to suggest?  Neither one of us is big on museums.  We prefer to see the sights and experience the culture.  Obviously we have to visit the Cobblestone Pub with you 🙂. Did you mention some cathedrals in Dublin?  We wouldn’t mind visiting/touring one of them.

With their preferences in mind, Dave and I quickly assembled a list of sites I think they should see in Dublin.

Dublin Castle as seen from the garden of the Chester Beatty Library. (Image from Dublin Attractions.)

Dublin Castle as seen from the garden of the Chester Beatty Library. (Image from Dublin Attractions.)

We have also found these sites interesting:

Main Reading Room of the National Archives in Dublin (Image from blog by Librarinista.)http://librarianista.tumblr.com/post/3918081339/reading-room-national-library-of-ireland-dublin

Main Reading Room of the National Archives in Dublin (Image from blog by Librarinista.)

There are many sites in the city I haven’t yet seen. (When I looked through one of my three Dublin guides just before Christmas, I realized that I haven’t seen half of the Dublin sites they list.)  I’ve been wanting to visit:

Header from the Jeanie Johnson web site.

Header from the Jeanie Johnson web site.

by shannonchance

Irish Lore on the Blue Ridge

Mike Heivly's studio in Charlottesville, Virginia, filled with the essence of Ireland.

Mike Heivly, Kevin Donleavy, and Dave Chance at Mike’s art studio in Charlottesville, Virginia — filled with the essence of Ireland.

The fragile gift bag I toted from Ireland sheltered two vinyl records by Jerry Crilly’s old band, Rakish Paddy.  Jerry sent one home as a gift for me and the other for his friend Kevin Donleavy, who we managed to locate in mid-November.

This vinyl record is a collector’s item, Kevin tells me.  He played the CD version on his radio show a few weeks back.

Incidentally, he has a new show airing this Saturday, December 29 on the UVA radio station.  Click here for directions on how to listen online.

The vinyl records were both a heartfelt gift from Jerry and a plausible excuse for me to find Kevin — who, I’d informed Jerry, Dave and I would be driving right past on our holiday trek across Virginia.

We met Kevin at his colleague’s studio in Charlottesville.  Mike Heivly has filled the studio, located in a church’s unused classroom, with fascinating poems and images of Ireland.

Mike is as enamored with Irish lore as the rest of us, as you can see by the images of his work.

It turns out, Kevin has enlisted Mike to help with documenting the railway in Charlottesville that was built in the 1850s by about 2,100 Irish and 90 slaves.  A full account is posted by The Blue Ridge Railway Project (at www.clannmhor.org), which explains “Clann Mhór – which in Gaelic means the Great Family – wishes to honor the history of these forgotten railroad workers.”

Mike also has beautiful images of Newgrange and the famine village near Dingle town.

Mike Heivly’s Newgrange series.
Irish musician and historian Kevin Donleavy.
Mike Heivly’s photos of the local railway tunnel that Kevin is working to have formally recognized for its historic significance.
Mike Heivly’s photographs from the famine village near Dingle, Ireland.

Although Dave and I were instrumental in re-connecting Jerry and Kevin, it turns out that Kevin himself is a master at connecting people. Particularly around subjects of Ireland.  Here’s an email I received from Kevin after our visit:

Hiya, Shannon agus Dave,

That was a pleasant enough event at Mike’s studio Saturday.  You two seemed to enjoy it, too.  Pretty neat projects that Mike gets into.
Thanks for bringing the 33 lp of the Rakes.  Very kind of you to drag it across the western ocean. Lovely songs on it, just as I had dimly recalled.
Am including some info about Iroid sculptor Mark Connelley. Hope his work interests yiz and catches your eyes. Strange, isn’t it, that everybody who goes to Ireland gets caught up in aspects of its culture ? Mirabile dictu, and that ! (Did you know I taught h.s. Latin for years ?)
 
All the best, Kevin

Dear Kevin,

 
I am happy to have made a connection with you.  While I hope that a variety of people like my work, I particularly want to make an impression on folks of Irish influence. Much of my work is inspired by the many ancient treasures found in that part of the world. There are some who feel the same connection that I do to this culture, and it is always comforting to hear from them.
 
The best way to learn about my work is through my website: http://macworks-art.com/. I have images up of most of my work with stories of how each piece was influenced. You can also follow my business page on Facebook (click the ‘F’ below.) I post images there of installations like the one in Charlottesville. I also post discussions and images of other artwork.
 
I look forward to browsing your links and learning more about your group. I am a big fan too of traditional music. Our local radio station, WNCW, has a show on Saturdays named ‘Celtic Winds.’ They do a fair job, but it consists of too many reels for my wife’s taste. I disagree, but that is the joy of music.
 
Thanks again for contacting me. I look forward to meeting you in person sometime too.
 
All the best,
 
Mark
 
 
 

MARK A. CONNELLEY

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Sculpture & Landscape Art | 828.384.8318 | macworks-art.com

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On Nov 7, 2012, at 8:22 PM, KEVIN DONLEAVY wrote:
Hi, Mark,

 
Was driving in the Emmet Street neighborhood here in Charlottesville the other day and saw your sculpture of  The Storyteller. Very nice work, and in an a propos siting, too, since the street is named after heroic Robert Emmet’s nephew:  John Patten Emmet was chosen by Thomas Jefferson to be on the initial faculty of the new U. Va. in the 1820s. 
 
Several of us will help spread the word about your sculpture within the Irish mini-community here. There is BRIMS, the Blue Ridge Irish Music School;  you can google them.  I myself do a regular program of Irish trad music on-line and FM on WTJU.org  here  (next show is Sat., Dec.1, from 10 am till 12 noon).  Have a gander at our website, www.clannmhor.org, where our collective is documenting the 2,100 or so Irish and the 90 slaves who built the railway here in the 1850s.  
 
Why don’t you e-mail and tell me more about your ogham-sculpture and other efforts, which will give us some background to this work of yours.  If you are ever in Cville, especially on a first Sat any month, I can have you chat on the radio program.  How’s that ?
 
Hope to hear from you,
Kevin
by shannonchance

Phoning Kerry

Ballybunion, where the River Shannon meets the Atlantic Ocean (photo from http://www.irelands-directory.com/photos.php?Image=582)

Ballybunion, where the River Shannon meets the Atlantic Ocean (photo from http://www.irelands-directory.com/photos.php?Image=582)

High Street in Ballybunion, Ireland (image from http://www.seashorebandbballybunion.com/seashore-things-to-do-121.aspx)

High Street in Ballybunion, Ireland (image from http://www.seashorebandbballybunion.com/seashore-things-to-do-121.aspx)

Mom decided to phone her cousin Eilish O’Hanlon in Ireland’s County Kerry for Christmas yesterday.  Eilish sounded very happy to hear from us… she said the call made her day!

Mom also dug out the family tree that her Aunt Jo researched in the 1980s.  What do you know — Eilsih and her husband Con are on it!

Speaking of Aunt Jo, Mom phoned her yesterday as well.  She lives in Ocala, Florida and raises race horses.  There’s a race horse somewhere out in the world that Aunt Jo named for my mom.  (Aunt Jo is my Grandma Zeliff’s sister.  Of course, Mom also phoned her two Zeliff siblings, Carolyn and Harry yesterday. She’s a chatty one, my mom.)

So now I know: Eilish is mom’s second cousin. They share two great-grandparents.

And Eilish says that Tom Mulligan (the proprietor of the Cobblestone pub in Dublin) is her husband’s first cousin.

The family tree is starting to make more sense to me now.  (As is the nearby Mulligan tree that is, apparently, in the same grove!)

I’ve posted some photos other people have taken of Ballybunion, near where Con and Eilish live.  It’s the town where my great-grandmother’s birth is recorded and where some members of our family tree are buried.

by shannonchance

Memories of Kilkenny

Reflection from Upper John Street, Kilkenny.

Reflection from Upper John Street, Kilkenny.

View south, down Upper John Street, Kilkenny.

Early morning view south, as seen from Kilkenny’s Upper John Street.

Door to a courtyard beer garden along Lower John Street, Kilkenny.

Door to a courtyard beer garden along Lower John Street, Kilkenny.

by shannonchance

Peace in Ireland

Musicians Jerry Crilly, Frank Cullen, and Pat Goode playing in the back room of the Cobblestone.

Musicians Jerry Crilly, Frank Cullen, and Pat Goode playing in the back room of the Cobblestone.

Tom Mulligan said I was witnessing history last night.

I’m not aware of all the subtleties of the situation but, essentially, a group of folks from Northern Ireland was in Dublin for the unveiling of a monument.  A friend of the group — a regular at the Cobblestone who hails from Dublin — invited the group over to Tom’s pub after the formal event to hear traditional Irish music.  [Note:  I’ve posted more on this topic since.  See Making History with Fergus and Francis.]

Quite by chance, Jerry Crilly, Frank Cullen, and I happened to be there.  We were celebrating Kevin Donleavy’s radio program that happened earlier in the day.  It had featured quite a few songs from Jerry’s CD.  Jerry rang us up  (as in, called us on the phone) because he wanted to give us copies of the CD.

And while we were at the Cobblestone my musical friends / drinking buddies got invited to the back to sing.

Because I was there with these musical stars, I got to enjoy an evening full of song!  I actually had a seat front and center and felt completely, 100% included.

As much as I love instrumentals, it’s the singing that moves me most.  So this was an incredible find for me — I really lucked out last night!

I sat cozily in a room full of people who, not so long ago, took up arms against each other.

Here, in the shelter of a unified Ireland and the warm embrace of the Mulligans’ pub, men from north and south sang together and reveled in the island’s newly found peace.

When Dave and I visited Ireland in 2003, the tone was much different from today.  Political tensions still ran deep and pub songs recounted strife.

I feel honored to have been part of this event that helped promote peace among nations.  I am proud that an American president helped negotiate the peace accord that paved the way for this evening’s events. (In The Journal of Conflict Studies, Rodger MacGinty noted “that the American influence on the peace process, both from influential Irish-Americans and the Clinton administration, has been profound.”)

I will remain eternally grateful that our nation supports Fulbright programs designed to promote cultural understanding and celebrate — and grow — human knowledge.  We do many things that don’t make sense.  And we fight all too often.  But in the name of Senator Fulbright, we do have programs designed to help us do better.

I take the cultural understanding part of my Fulbright very seriously.  I thank you for sharing in the effort by reading along.

It was amazing to be part of a cultural healing process last night and watch stale old tensions dissolve into the night air.  As an added bonus, I also got to meet Jerry’s and Tom’s significant others for the first time.  This place feels more and more like home every day.

Incidentally, Tom has taken to introducing me as a long-lost cousin, and that term’s growing on me.  It’s much nicer than wee-distant relation, or third cousin twice removed….

Men from Belfast and Dublin playing side by side.
Susan and Pat sharing a tune.
There’s always a warm welcome from the Mulligans!