Moving to Mullingar

This morning we woke to misty rain but the forecast called for clearing weather. We packed up and said goodbye to the animals on the farm and headed out for a day of adventuring around Clare before we moved on to the music part of our journey and the “real” reason we’re here.

When I mentioned to Eimear that we were staying near Ennistymon she told me to make sure to explore the waterfall in the town. Due to the weather being so nasty, we hadn’t ventured there yet but wanted to be sure to

see it before we left. Wow! The falls were rushing because of all the rain and it was such an unexpected, fabulous cascade right in the town center!

The Cliffs of Moher were at the very top of my list of Things To See In Ireland. I was worried that because of the weather, we wouldn’t get a window where it would be clear enough to see them. I was so wrong! We got there early enough that the parking lot was nearly empty and there weren’t many people up on the cliffs yet. Mom and Dad caught the hospitality cart and got a ride to the top while the rest of us walked and oohed and aahhhhhed.

To say they’re spectacular is of course an understatement. The weather cleared and we had blue skys and fluffy clouds overhead. There wasn’t much wind and it was as pleasant out as weather could possibly be. The deep blue water sparkled in the sunlight way, way down below. Gulls circled and danced and we watched in the distance the ferry that had taken us to the Aran Islands just a couple of days before.

Wildflowers dotted all of the grassy areas with color—as if someone had opened a jar of colorful sprinkles and let loose on the grass. We loved the cliffs at Waterford because you’re able to get right up to the edge and there aren’t any barricades. Here there were tall walls all along the trail. While I understand the need to keep visitors safe. . .Ellie couldn’t see. The top of her head was just below the top of wall most of the time...she could barely peer over . Every now and then I woul lift her up so she could see over the edge. That was definitely a bit of a bummer.

We got to enjoy some time around O’Brian’s Tower without many people around but too soon the tour busses started to arrive. We got in line to climb up to the top of the tower and waited, and waited, and waited. I made a comment to the girls asking them if it was really worth waiting this long for. . .and a lady in front of us heard me and came over and said “a guy just proposed to his girlfriend in the tower and that’s why they’re holding all of us off—so they can have some private time!” OHHHH! How cool! We were some of the first in the long line and I mentioned it to the folks behind us and like a game of telephone, I could hear everyone passing the happy news

back. When the newly engaged couple emerged, the entire line of people erupted into applause and cheers! It was so sweet!

So we went up in the tower and then continued to walk. . While the crowds grew and grew. Gwen and I got ice coffee from a cute food truck at the top of the cliffs and we ventured back down in a line that reminded me of the lines you see on the documentaries about people climbing Everest—unnatural for such a beautiful spot out in wilderness. But it WAS a gorgeous day and I was happy so many people were getting such lovely weather to visit the Cliffs. If we ever make it back to Ireland, I would like to see some of the less popular cliffs I’ve read about like Loops Head to have more of a magical moment.

When we left the cliffs we headed to Ennis. Jay has been fortunate to get to know Nuala Kennedy, a fabulous flute player and singer, through his participation in the Swannanoah Gathering where Nuala is a teacher. Nuala is from Ennis so Jay reached out to her and she invited us to a kid-friendly session at Cruises in Ennis and said Gwen could play if she wants to!

We arrived at Cruises right as the music was getting started and had a delicious lunch and mom and I had our first Guinness of the trip. Dad streamed a bit of Mass from St. Charles back home while we ate!

Gwen was itching to play so she got her fiddle out and tuned and Nuala recognized Jay and came over to the table. Her warm presence instantly made us all feel

welcome but most importantly she took Gwen under her wing and said "Gwen, you come sit by me."

Gwen had a great time sitting in the session and Jay was invited to share a song and his rendition of Paddy's Lamentation was beautifully sung (of course) and well-received.

After the session we walked around town a bit to find coffee and the girls found their first boba tea in Ireland. All refreshed, we hopped in the cars for our drive to Termonbarry where we will spend nearly all of the rest of our nights in Ireland. Our airbnb is lovely! It's right on a harbor for the river Shannon and there are floor to ceiling windows that let us watch the boats come and go.

We have an easy 40-minute drive to Mullingar for the Scoil Eigse and Fleadh this week. The Scoil Eigse (pronounced skohl ay-sha) is a traditional Irish music "camp* where the girls, Chapin, Jay, and I are all taking classes this week. The Fleadh (pronounced Flah) is a GIANT annual traditional Irish music festival and it pinnacles with the All-Ireland World Championship Music Competition next weekend.

When we started to settle in, the girls and Chapin realized

our house is very open and has a wonderful acoustic. They got their fiddles out and Jay got his guitar and whistles out and they made music off and on for hours.

Everyone is excited but a bit nervous for school to start tomorrow. I wonder what it will be like!