DAY TEN
WRITER’S BLOG - Thursday, May 9th, 2019
This is our last full day in Ireland. And, unbeknownst to us, we saved the best for last.
When we arrived at the hotel in Galway, we inquired the way to Ballyglunin, which is where the train station is that was used in the opening scene of the movie, The Quiet Man. We had read where it was being restored and thought it would be a great place to see. In fact, it was the main reason for going to Galway in the first place.
Well, as Irish ☘️ landmarks go, Ballyglunin is not actually a town, but an “area” and as such they could not provide any direct destination for the train station. In other words, we could be driving all over Ballyglunin and back, and never find it. BUT, they did mention Ashford Castle and a little village called Cong, where The Quiet Man was filmed. Hmmmmm….
Cong (Chonga) means “between two lakes” in Gaelic and it bears out its name well. Located on the edge of what is called the “ Wild West” in the Connemara area of Western Ireland 🇮🇪, it lies between Lough Mask and Lough Corrib, two beautiful, crystal clear lakes.
We did the Quiet Man tour, bought the shirt, and went through the museum. Stopped by Pat Cohan’s Bar where part of the famous fight scene was filmed, the house where the dying man revived just to see the fight, the house where the infamous tandem bicycle stood, the cottage (a replica) where they would live, the church where the films characters played patty fingers in the holy water, & ended up hanging out with The Duke and Maureen O’Hara in statue square. Also located in Cong is the Cong Abbey from the early 7th century. Destroyed by fire in the 12th Century,Turlough O’Connor, a High King of Ireland, reestablished it around 1135 and his son, Rory, rebuilt it, adding new rooms. The Augustinian faith was common then.
One of the most beautiful spots in Cong, is the Monk’s fishing cabin. Though the walls and roof are gone, you can sense the smallness of it, and imagine how it must have been when the Monks were there, peering through the thick-set windows, baiting their hooks and casting their nets. There’s a long, narrow hole in the floor where they would slip a net down and catch the fish as they swam under the house. It sits out on Lough Corrib and is so pristine and peaceful, it makes you just want to stay there. Maybe it was the way the sunlight danced off the water, or the greenness of the meadows, the color of the trees, or the sheer simplicity of the little village that is Cong. Whatever it is, it penetrates your very being. No wonder the filmmakers chose this spot. And to think one of us almost didn’t want to go because she thought it was too far out of the way and was really jonzing to see the Wonderful Barn on the road back to Dublin. And this is the lass, the Irish lass of all things, that wanted to see the train station because she is a tried and true John Wayne/Maureen O’Hara fan! Sometimes overthinking can make waste of a good day! Thank goodness for friends who don’t let friends waste a good moment.
After taking in all that we could and still get back to Dublin before dark, we stopped for a late lunch at Puddle Ducks on the way out of town. Did we tell you that they put corn in everything and sparkling water is more common than tap water? Reluctantly, we “saddled up” for the coast to coast journey - Galway to Dublin. But, I think we left our hearts in Cong.
“You are my flock, and the sheep of my pasture…” Ezekiel 34:31
We travelled down country roads to catch the main highway to Dublin. Along the way, we did drive-by shots of sheep in rock-walled pastures. I mean, you can’t come all the way to Ireland and not get some iconic snaps of stonewalls, green pastures, & sheep! They actually turned out pretty good, once cropped.
So, to this date, we have been able to travel on one tank of diesel. Just as we neared the road to the Tullamore DEW Whiskey Distillery, we decided to get a few “pints” of fuel to carry us into Dublin. Now when you see a sign for fuel and food, do not misconstrue this to mean its just off the road. Nope, we had to travel about 12 kilometers to a little town called Arden in Ballykilmurray, Co. Offaly. We put in 5 Euro and the needle didn’t move a wit. Seven more got it off the red line. We figured 6 bucks a gallon! Feeling better about making it through Dublin traffic, we set off to see The Wonderful Barn.
Now this barn is a corkscrew shaped building on the edge of Castletown House estate, formerly of the Conolly family, it is located in Co. Kildare near Leixlip. Considered Georgian architecture, it was completed in 1743 and stands at 22m. Made of red brick and rubble stone, it is known for its unusual shape, and suggests it may have been used as a dovecote for pigeons or doves. More generally thought of as a granary, it was built just after the potato famine of 1740 to fill the need for grain stores. Whatever it use, it sits vacant and unmanaged, and was a bit of a disappointment, considering from whence we had just come. A few snaps, and we set our heading towards Dublin.
Arriving at the Hilton sometime between 7 & 8 PM, we checked in, got the shuttle schedule from the airport back to the hotel, dumped our luggage and set off to return the rental car. So the lass who drove managed to make the entire trip without EVER going to the passenger side of the car to get in. Mind you, in Ireland you drive on the left side of the road and the drivers side is on the right. The whole trip, never once did she venture to the left side of the car. Until now. The passenger door was open and it beckoned to ruin a perfect score - much to the laughter of her companions who just watched her step into the abyss. What?!
Little did we know that after turning in the rental car, we would be shuttled back to the airport to catch a shuttle back to the hotel. This was after walking two football fields from where we dropped the car, to the rental counter to settle the bill. Then we had to walk back to where we dropped the car to catch said shuttle to the airport. You with me so far? Okay. We were dropped off in front of the terminal and had to walk about a football field, this after being told it was just across the road and down a bit, to Zone 16, to catch the hotel shuttle - a big yellow bus! Signage was not real clear and by the time we found where we were to go, the yellow bus came in, did a circle and went out. Looked us in the eye, and Never. Once. Stopped! We ended up standing for well over an hour, in the freezing cold, waiting for him to return. Yes, yes, it’s the journey, right?
Finally made it back in time for some dinner, showers, final packing, and much welcomed sleep. As we closed our eyes on our last nite in Ireland, we felt blessed and still in awe of this journey we have been on together. A mere 50 years in the making.
Goodnight, from Dublin.
Is le hEirinn mo chroi. ( I left my heart/my heart belongs in Ireland).
