Tag / Westport

by shannonchance

Cycling to Bluegrass in Westport along Ireland’s Wild Atlantic Way

Aongus and I enjoyed an amazingly warm and sunny Bank Holiday weekend, the start of June. We travelled by car with bikes on a rack, cycled parts of the Greenway along the Wild Atlantic Way, and enjoyed beaches and restaurants along the way.

We also found posters for the following weekend’s Westport Folk and Bluegrass Festival, so we booked train tickets and accommodation and headed back out West just four days after motoring home.

And boy, did we enjoy the music festival! We felt part of this small group of folks—a hundred or so musicians and enthusiasts, for the past three days.

The folk and bluegrass tunes from Appalachia sang to my heart and had me longing for days of old, attending Statler Brothers concerts in the park every Fourth of July.

During the country sets this weekend, I relived Saturday nights, sprawled across my grandparents’ den, watching Hee Haw with all its slapstick humor, surrounded by a happy extended family.

This morning’s gospel set, presented aside prayers at Westport’s magestic Anglican (Church of Ireland) church was a highlight. It was standing room only and people also flowed out past the doors. Aongus and I had arrived mare than an hour early, thankfully. So, we enjoyed second-row seats to hear the Kody Norris Show quartet for the second time. They also played at last night’s show, and boy, are they a hit!

I also loved the Derryberries, from Tennessee, Bill and the Bells, Melody Walker & Jacob Groopman, Lunch Special, and Tim Rodger’s gig, among others.

We sat very front at the main stage Friday night, and very back there on Saturday. Westport’s Town Hall Theater has fabulous acoustics and great sight lines throughout.

This intimate three-day music festival is organized by a gent with an amazing Mayo accent, named Uri, who moved to Ireland 19 years ago, I’m told, from Israel. He is clearly now a cornerstone of the community, bringing this annual event to Westport since 2007.

Aongus and I loved both weekends—cycling along the seaside and swaying with the tunes. We’ve already booked to come back again next year. We think Westport is the prettiest town in Ireland and the hospitality can’t be beat. My favorite publican, Tom Mulligan says it’s Ireland’s only panned town. I think Derry, up in Northern Ireland (UK), is another in this island.

All in all, being surrounds by folks with such a passion for music is a treat. And Westport is a gem in Ireland’s green, green crown.

by shannonchance

Loving Westport

A canal runs through downtown Westport.

This is the “octagon” in Westport.

A favorite archway… Glen McClure brought us here last month.

 

The Protestant church in Westport.

A contemporary sculpture next to the IshSko Center.

Reflections on news

It never ceases to amaze me that the Irish serve lasagna with a side of fries (which they call “chips” or “wedges”). Here, potato chips are called “crisps.”

by shannonchance

Westport

The canal running through downtown Westport.

 

It never ceases to amaze me that they serve lasagna with fries (called chips or wedges). Here, potato chips are called “crisps”.

 

The Protestant church in Westport.

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A contemporary sculpture next to the IshSko Center.

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Reflections on news.

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The “octagon” in Westport.

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A favorite archway… Glen McClure brought us here last month.

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This is a “Achill salmon salad plate”. Many thanks to Glen McClure for helping me figure out what a “salad plate” is.

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The train knew I was coming. All the train cars are brand-spanking new.

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The Cullan brothers sat across from me on the train. Our Macs communed. (And my iPhone distorted their heads… live and learn!)

 

by shannonchance

Coast to Coast in Under 3 Hours

A zippy three-hour drive from coast to coast landed us in Westport, Ireland, to met our photographer friend.  The many stoney building faces make Westport a beaux of a city.  The businesses here have a decidedly international flair.  Before meeting Glen, Dave and I lunched at a highly acclaimed restaurant downtown named “sol rio.”

Glen stays a few miles outside town, at the Seapoint House, when he’s in this area.  His work is hanging in rooms all over this B&B.  That (and the fact that he’s here) makes it feel like home to us.  Dave and I have one of Glen’s photos from this very county (County Mayo) hanging in our dining room in Portsmouth.

When we arrived today, Glen was out somewhere with his camera so we wandered a bit. It was overcast across Ireland most of the day, but the colors of the moss here are always so vibrant as you can see below.

Glen’s enthusiasm for this place is contagious.  For dinner, he took us out to one of his favorite pubs, Sheebeen.  In the photos below, you see how animated he and Dave were–until the food arrived!

At this pub, once again, I found delicious vegetarian choices on the menu.  Although I’m not vegetarian, I am trying to cut back on eating meat… we’ve had luck ordering one vegetarian and one fish or meat entree and splitting.  (Incidentally, Torinos Italian Restaurant in Westport also has delicious food and vegetarian options.)

See my half-sized “lady Guinness” in the foreground above?  It’s as much alcohol as I can handle (I’m actually quite the teetotaler).  In any case, I’ve no idea what to make of the sandwich board we saw while walking downtown before dinner… it must be a joke?

I’m really not sure what to make of this sign.