Getting around.
Nothing much exciting going on, but we have gotten around a bit. Saturday late afternoon we took a familiar drive out through Tourmakeady, past Lough Mask and Lough Na Fooey, and on to Clonbur for a dinner at Ti Bhurca, Burke's pub. The food is always superior and, because it's in a remote area, the prices are much lower than in popular tourist spots like Westport. Candee had an amazingly fresh salmon fillet, and I had an impressive portion of Roast Sirloin of Beef. Both entrees were presented on a mound of toothsome potato mash, with the usual separate plate of veg - steamed broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, and peapods. Although we usually share a dessert, the offerings at Burke's are so good that we got each our own - Candee for the apple tart, me the rhubarb crumble. Burke's lies in the middle of one of the best fishing areas you're likely to find on the planet - Lough Mask and Lough Corrib draw serious fly fishers from around the globe. We plan to celebrate our 50th anniversary in Westport the summer after the actual event (12/27/2020) and expect some our family, especially our son-in-law Craig and the entire Check family (Candee's sister Pat) to do some serious trout fishing in these lakes and some very serious salmon fishing in the area around Doolough and Delphi.
The drive home took us back through Tourmakeady and we chose to take the high road - Lally's Hill - to Westport. The ride corresponded with sunset and we had stunning long-range views of Croagh Patrick as the light changed. Although the Reek's summit was mostly enshrouded in mist and fog, it was a spectacle to watch as clouds crested the lower parts of the mountain from the opposite side (Clew Bay side) and were caught in the brilliant yellow sunset light - it looked like it was ablaze. We sat in the gloaming for awhile, just savoring our good fortune to be in Co Mayo, to be on Lally's Hill, and to have been shown these extraordinary spots by our dear friends Marion and Padraic. Just never would have found these places on our own.
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| Lough Na Fooey |
Friday night we had gone to the Town Hall with Padraic and Marion to see a program of music in four genres: Novus - "New Voices." I could've skipped the rock n' roll portion (too pretentious), but the alt-rock, folk, and jazz segments were well-worth seeing. The jazz segment was anchored by Gerard McNally, a local performer, teacher, arranger - someone with impeccable academic credentials (a Ph.D. in music) along with amazing chops on the keyboard. The trio was performing pieces from his new album, Hiatus. On drums was the ever-present and ever-in-demand Donal Hoban, capable of breathtaking riffs of virtuosity and creativity. The folk session featured the work of Tommy Hughes, a good friend and former colleague of Dave Joyce. Tommy, who clearly has a fertile mind that tends to the dark side, had written the lyrics to all the songs performed. In introducing his songs, he made it clear that writing these lyrics was a necessary outlet for a natural cast of mind that can turn bleak and morose. And indeed, each song presented a haunting and evocative exploration of human experience. Powerful stuff. We were pleased to meet Tommy after the show - a very nice and kind man. Thanks to Padraic and Marion for the introduction.
Sunday afternoon, we headed back to Castlebar and Bridge St. to listen to the Hip-Pocket Trio, probably our last chance before returning home (we fly back to the States on August 2). And we were very pleased to see that our favorite three were together - Eddie on sax, John on keyboard, and Donal on drums. As I mentioned in a previous post, this group (and its larger iteration - Hipnosis) have a rotating crop of talented musicians to sit in as available. They did a great set.
From there we headed to the Maddens' home to join a large group celebrating their daughter Niamh's 18th birthday. Niamh had a bunch of friends there, and Darren and Maria had invited a bunch of their friends as well. Lots of food, lots of drink, and this fanboy got to meet some of the musicians I've admired from the dark of the audience - Declan Askin, multi-talented dude and writer of the show Patrick. It's an interesting, iconoclastic treatment of the life of St. Patrick and includes step-dancing, narrated story, multi-media, and even a sea shanty and a Negro spiritual (check out a clip here). The show is held at the Westport Town Hall throughout the summer. Declan's a member of the well-regarded group Coda - an all male singing group that performs some songs in seven-part harmony. Also met Tony Reidy, a noted local folk musician and songwriter, and mentor to many of the folks we see perform during our stay. Just can't say enough how many talented singers/musicians we see while we're here. Hate to say it, but while our American children are staying inside playing with their screens, Irish kids, by and large, are out playing a myriad of sports and experimenting with music. There's great status in being able to stand and deliver musically. While I'm on the subject, listen to these fairly representative examples of fine Irish vocal music - Mo Ghille Mear (My Gallant Hero) and this scene from the movie Brooklyn.
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| Declan Askin |
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| Tony Reidy |
A very nice night at the Maddens and a real marker in how long we've been coming to Westport. Shocking to see Niamh so grown up. When we first arrived, she was ten and, my god, look at her now. Some things that haven't changed - she's still self-assured in an endearing way, has a wicked quick wit, is full of anticipation and promise for the future, and cannot not be bedeviled by her dad's "giving out" - good-natured ribbing. A lovely and charming young lady. So nice to be included in this special evening.
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| I think you get the idea... |
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| Having a good ole time |