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.

Doagh Famine Village

Doagh Famine Village is an outdoor museum in County Donegal just over half an hour from Derry. The village itself was lived in until about 20 years ago by the family of the man who owns this museum. The displays are mostly under cover due to the amount of rain that falls. This is a seasonal museum, open from the middle of March until the end of October.

Doagh Famine Village follows the history of a family from the 1840s until today. Almost all of the buildings have thatched roofs and are interesting to see. The tour was led by Pat Doherty who started off in the house that he grew up in. I think that it was a shock to many of us that people still lived in houses that dated from the mid 1800s and in conditions that we would find difficult to believe. The people in the area depended on the sea for a lot of their food resources. Mr Doherty gave us a description of how the food was gathered and prepared.

Mr Doherty also gave us a good description of how daily life was like when he was growing up. This was not much different from what his ancestors had experienced in the mid 1800s. The houses were generally simple, a kitchen where most of the household work was done, possibly a parlour where guests would have been entertained. But many a young one would get into trouble when they went in with dirty shoes or clothes. A room for parents to sleep in and usually a loft for the children. There were no bathrooms as we know them. The family washed at the kitchen sink and used an outhouse. Bath night was when the wooden bathtub was hauled out and filled with hot water that had been heated over the kitchen fire. The father of the family would have his bath first, followed by the mother, and then the children from oldest to youngest. Clothes were washed by hand and then dried by wind power.

After Mr Doherty was finished his tour, he told us about some of the other displays that were available including the display showing how the republicans were kept safe from His Majesty’s forces, and the Haunted House. There is even a display for the Travelling People, otherwise known as Tinkers, or in some cases, Gypsies.

The houses each had different displays including a kitchen, a parlour, an Irish wake, and others. It made for an entertaining and educational afternoon. One of my favourite amusements was the Haunted House. After all, I have been through Nightmares in Niagara Falls. Why wouldn’t I go through a mere haunted house?

Would I go again? Yes, I think that I would as history is sometimes hard to understand with one reading or one presentation. The village did have some focus on the Great Famine, but I found that it had more focus on the politics of a violent time period covering the establishment of the Republic and the consequential establishment of Northern Ireland, with its problems and some of the solutions that came from the persistence of the Irish people for peace.

Day Fifteen – Road Trip, April 2016

We were able to sleep in this morning! I didn’t have to set the alarm for 5:30 am! I was able to set it for 7:15 am! The reason why: our activities were all in the neighbourhood of Killarney.

After a leisurely typical Irish breakfast, we crossed the street at our hotel to board upon the jaunting cars. I think that our group filled four of the cars. We had eight passengers in the one that I was in and we then had a pleasant ride through Killarney National Park to Ross Castle. The park is either within the city limits or are on the outskirts because we didn’t have to go too far to get there via city streets. On the way, we saw a few deer and were told that more deer would be out this evening when there were not so many people around.

Ross Castle is an old keep on the shores of the Lower Lake. It is in beautiful surroundings and has a history that goes back to the 15^th century. We were given time to wander the surroundings and take pictures. After all, pictures are the best souvenirs, especially if you have a digital camera. It will be interesting to look into some of the history of this castle.

After travelling back to our hotel by jaunting cars, we then boarded our bus to travel to the town of Kenmare where we had lunch. If you are ever in Kenmare, P.F. McArthy’s is a good place to eat. They have a pulled pork sandwich that I found delicious.

After lunch, we continued on our journey along the Ring of Kerry and through Moll’s Gap back to Killarney. We had a couple of stops along the way, one at Ladies’ View where the view is spectacular and another at Muckross House. We were given an hour at Muckross House and it was almost as if we all scattered to the winds. My brother and I took a different route than most of our companions and still managed to cover just about everything. Apparently, Muckross House has tourists visits all year round.

As we boarded the bus to return to our hotel, some of us did not know exactly where we were. It took about half an hour or less to travel the distance. Once we were delivered back to our hotel, we were free from any activities and could go where we want for dinner.

At this point, I should mention about the entertainment that I attended last evening. The name of it is “Gaelic Roots, The Live Show” and was held in the hotel across the square. The O’Neill Sisters are among the very talented cast. It is a venue that blends music, song, and dance with its serious parts and humourous acts. It is a show that is well worth seeing. The audience gave them a standing ovation because of the fine work that they did.

Early morning again tomorrow.