Padraic and Marion have their granddaughter in from Waterford so we headed off on a solo trip toward Galway to hear some music. We had some time on our hands and decided to re-create a favorite drive of years past. It was a gift twice given - first to us by P and M in our first visit and "re-gifted" by me to the readers of
Ireland of the Welcomes. Alert readers may have seen my first two articles for the magazine - I had scanned and published them on the blog last year. I was fortunate to be able to have a third article published in the March/April edition this year and I guided people through the drive we took to Tourmakeady, past the southern limit of Lough Mask, past Lough Na Fooey, to end in Clonbur for an excellent dinner at Burke's Tavern. Memory seems to never do justice to the beauty of this drive and we were thrilled to see these areas in a changing and dramatic afternoon light.
At Burke's, I had the Rump of Lamb with mash and fresh steamed veg; Candee had the Sea Trout and the same sides. Both had a beautiful "painted" presentation of interesting sauces on the plate adding to their appeal. I especially liked the sweetish purple beet sauce; it was a nice counterpoint to the richness of the lamb. For dessert, we shared their legendary (and exquisitely tart) rhubarb crumble with warm custard sauce and well-executed cappuccinos. Those of you who think Irish cuisine is limited to Fish 'n Chips and Corned Beef and Cabbage would be so pleasantly surprised to learn of the sophistication and attention to detail common to restaurants in Ireland. Even in a fairly remote area such as Clonbur.
After dinner we headed to Headford, a suburb just north of Galway city. The event was the annual Headfest, in truth a small town event with all the charm one might expect from such an offering. It was a full weekend of musical events in support of the local GAA (Gaelic Athletic Association). Although we expected The Whileaways - the featured act - to start at 8, we were treated to the local youth band/orchestra, a talented and earnest bunch, playing "We are the Champions," the Star Wars theme, and some smokin' individual vocal offerings on "The Lady is a Tramp" and other soulful classics from the great American songbook.
And then The Whileaways. A very talented trio of young locals, they have gained some renown in Ireland and on the continent for their rich and gorgeous harmonies and evocative original songs. We had first heard them perform a few years ago at the Westport Folk and Bluegrass Festival. Their current material defies a facile categorization - there are elements of folk, roots music, country western, and bluegrass. It made for a very enjoyable night of music.
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| Southern boundary of Lough Mask |
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| Lough Na Fooey |
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| Lough Na Fooey |
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| The Whileaways |
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| The joint was a jumpin'... |
