Eddies Bar

When the bookings were done for our tour, the tour company did one of our hotel bookings in the wrong location in error. When they tried to correct the mistake, they were unable to because of the hotel being full because of a concert in the area. To make up for this error, they offered to pay for one of our lunches. Because our bus driver knew the route and the businesses along it, the company agreed to let him choose the restaurant. He chose Eddies Bar.

Eddies Bar is in Clonbur, Galway, which is in the middle of Joyce country. Clonbur is a village that is surrounded by mountains and lakes. Lough Corrib and Lough Mask are on either side of Clonbur and are famous for their fishing. Mount Gable is only three kilometers away from the village.

The village does have a history that goes back to the 13^th century, but, unfortunately, I was not able to do some quick research on it. It will entail more time than what I currently have to dig it all out.

I found it interesting that it is in the middle of Joyce country. When I found this out, it made me think of an acquaintance of mine from the mid 1970s. It reminded me that he was of Irish descent. I only had contact with him for about one and a half years.

Eddies Bar is located in the Fairhill House Hotel. It seems to be one of the local gathering areas and is appreciated by those in the transportation sector who have need of travelling through Clonbur.

When we arrived, they had actually put together two areas for us as they don’t usually get such a large group as what we were. Our driver had actually contacted them and had them suggest two or three choices on the menu. He then passed a sheet around and had us choose from these choices. He had highly recommended the fish and chips.

My choice was the fish and chips. I enjoyed the meal immensely. I think that everyone appreciated their choices and the atmosphere that surrounded us while we were there.

Would I go back to Eddies Bar? By all means, yes, I would. I would have like to stay longer to get to know some of the people, but, when you are on a tour, there is a schedule that must be kept.

If you are in the neighbourhood of Clonbur, you should try Eddies Bar at least once. I bet that you will go back a second time if you have the chance.

This final picture is the bridge that leads to the accommodations that were used for the cast and crew of "The Quiet Man". There are stories about John Wayne and others that I will leave you to remember and discover.

Day Twelve – Field Trip, April 2016

Yesterday was a busy day. Today was almost as busy. The only difference was that we did not change hotels. Before coming on the trip, I was doing some shopping and found some Tide, enough for three separate washings ideal for washing a couple of things in the bathroom sink when you are stopped long enough to do so. Just make sure that you can spread out the clothes as you are only wringing them out by hand and that doesn’t take out the water like a machine can.

This morning, we travelled to Leenane to go out to the mouth of Killary Harbour on a catamaran. It was cold. It was wet (some light rain). But the surroundings were beautiful and well worth the cold and wet. I was out in the fresh air for about ten minutes, but went inside to deck and had some hot chocolate and a brownie to warm up, then to stay warm.

On the way to Leenane, we did have a stop for an opportunity to photograph the surroundings. I believe that John Wayne spent some time there when “The Quiet Man” was being filmed.

After our cruise we continued to Clonbur and had lunch at Eddie’s Bar. We had a choice between fish and chips and Irish lamb stew. I chose the fish and chips while my brother had the stew. It was a big meal and it was thoroughly enjoyed.

Our day continued with a walking tour of the village of Cong. This village was the set for the outdoor scenes of the movie “The Quiet Man” starring John Wayne and Maureen O’Hara. The movie was filmed in 1951, released in 1952, and won Oscars for Best Director for John Ford and Best Cinematography. We visited the buildings and places that were shown in the outdoor scenes except for four places because they were a distance away from the village. We had a good guide and had a lot of fun with this activity. Even our bus driver was pulled into the fun.

Once the walking tour was over, we were given some time to visit the museum and gift shop. I was expecting the trip back to our hotel to take about two hours but it took about an hour and a half.

This evening, we have free time to go anywhere we want for dinner and visit the local area. 

Day 8 – Field Trip, April 2016

Last night, the group that stayed for the late hours at PRONI were back about 8:30 – 9:00 and had their supper at that time. I’m glad that I didn’t stay as I would not have been able to go so long without food.

This morning, we left the hotel shortly after 9:00 am and headed towards the Ulster Historical Foundation. Fenton, Gillian, and Michael each did a presentation for us and provided a small snack at mid morning. One of their board members also spoke for a couple minutes and thanked us for going to their facility. They then spent some time one on one for anyone who wanted to ask about researching in Ireland.

As I am not at the point where I could do anything, a thought came into my mind. I then asked about the origin of two of the surnames that I am researching. I was taken upstairs into their office and Fenton provided me with two books regarding surnames. I found some interesting information on one of the surnames, but not much on the other. While looking them up, I realized that this was a good chance to look up two other Irish names. I will write about the information that I learned at a later date.

About noon, we loaded onto the bus and travelled to the North of Ireland Family History Society’s library. We had access to their books and the expertise of two of their members. Because of the status of my research right now, I worked on a computer to see if I could find a list of their library holdings. I found their publications and ended up making a purchase of five of their booklets. I know that these will help me after getting home.

My brother was not interested in going to these places, so he stayed in the vicinity of the hotel and wandered around with the company of two other members of the group.

After we arrived back at the hotel, my brother and I decided to go look for a pub to have supper. The first one was not to the liking of either of us. We then wandered over to The Bridge House which is a Wetherspoons restaurant. They had a special on fish and chips and our meals were both under £10 each. It was good. I couldn’t finish my meal because it was too much for me.

After dinner, I wanted to wander around to get some pictures. My brother took me around some of the areas that he explored over the past couple of days and I took some good pictures. I will have to download them from my phone as I was expecting to go back to the hotel before going for the wander. In some respects, I was glad that he was with me. There were one or two areas that I probably would have avoided if I had been alone.

I’m hoping to be in bed early tonight as we have an early start in the morning and it will be a long day. We will be visiting Giant’s Causeway and Carrick-a-Rede rope bridge, followed by a trip to Ballymoney. Tomorrow evening, we will be having dinner at the Crumlin Road Gaol.