A friend of mine always said the west of Ireland is the best, fair enough for a western to be saying that and who am I to contradict? I would say each corner of Ireland has its magic; it’s just a matter of finding our perfect match, somewhere that will make us feel at peace with ourselves. However, to be honest, I didn’t know I was missing so much not going westwards and I’ve yet to know why it took me so long go.
Last week, I was invited to take part in a complimentary overnight trip to Galway and the Aran Islands. On Thursday then, we set off to Galway on a journey that took less than 3 hours, non stop bus. Once in Galway, after checking in at the hostel, there was a dinner arranged at a restaurant located in the city centre.
At the dinner we met the rest of the crew for this special trip, twelve of us in total. It is always a pleasure and a surprise to get to know new people and to find out how people, coming from the most different backgrounds, can have so many things in common. Whether destiny or coincidence, I believe some people are meant to be part, at some stage, of ours life.
Anyhow, after the dinner, and being acquainted with each other, we strolled around the Volvo Ocean Race arena where some entertainment was being held. All the colours, boats, people, music, happiness enchanted and cheered us up. Our night ended at the modern-retro The Living Room.
The following day, we took the bus to Rossaveal and from there the ferry to Inis Mor, the largest of The Aran Islands. If you are brave enough to go on the top of the ferry, you will experience tiny little drops of sea and sun touching your face, and also enjoy the company of the seagulls flying along the boat, it’s priceless the sense of freedom you get up there.
As we got to the island we had the impression of being in a completely different country, as locals speak in Irish amongst themselves, even their accent is very unique. To go around the island you can either hire a bike or take one of those mini bus tours, in our case, we had a mini bus tour arranged for 12pm, Irish time… It’s worth saying that our tour guide made our day with his typical Irish humour and wit.
The island has a few hundred inhabitants; 4 schools, which offer Irish courses during the summer time where you share the company of an Irish family for 3 weeks; a financial district, basically an atm machine; three churches; two white little cottages, home of wee people, those who didn’t drink Guinness; stone defence walls, surrounding the island; one beach, Port Mhuirbigh, where you feel as if you were in the Caribbean, until you put your toes on the water; some seals sunbathing at the Seal Colony and probably waiting for some fish and fries, or sushi; only one grocery shop and 6 pubs, yeah that’s right and as you get to them there are stop traffic sings to remind you there is a pub ahead… pretty clever eh?!
Finally we arrived at Dun Aonghasa, a Circular Celtic Stone fort that dates back to 2000 B.C. Absolutely stunning. Lying down on the cliffs I felt as if I was on the edge of the world as nature always thrills me, renews and refreshes me. It’s a pity we didn’t have much time to spend neither on the island nor Galway, but we can always return.
Back to Dublin, my western friend took me to a pub for some live music, the tone was just the thing I needed after my trip to the west. Afterwards we went to grab a bite at one of the cosiest and friendliest place I’ve been to, The Gigs Place. This late restaurant first opened its tiny door 39 years ago to meet the needs of musicians and performers, and other entertainment business people, who would eagerly look for some food after their gigs. Needless to say that the premises open only during the wee hours. Once there, we were luck enough to sit just beside the Rat Pack and to the right we could see some of the Irish music stars such as Christy Moore, Bono, Sinead O’Connor…
The weekend wouldn’t be complete without a bit of exercise, which we had at the Flora Mini Marathon, a event for women only…
The Flora Mini Marathon is the largest of its kind in the world and this year, there were 40,374 women participating helping to raise funds to the various charities around Ireland. We chose to support the dspca, Dublin Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals and the Rape Crises Centre.
One day before the marathon we indulged ourselves at the Womans World Show at the rds, where the organizers were handling the marathon kits. It was a great afternoon where we spoiled ourselves with a bit of make-up, fashion, fitness, food, wellbeing, everything to get ready and motivate us for what was to come…
On the day, before the kick off, we were so nervous wondering how long it would take us to finish the 10km, maybe 2 or 3 hours, or even if we would finish it at all… Surprisingly we ran it in much less time than expected. Each new km reached was a moment of bliss for us, at each of them there was some music around, either Irish, jazz, pop or college bands. And also along the way, there were people supporting the participants, giving their strength, believing that we all would be able to cross the final line and achieve our goals. And that’s what happened, we got our medals.
Well, simply a delightful weekend with the pleasant company of my new and old friends, joyful music, exquisite food, bright sunny weather, stunning surrounding, breathtaking landscapes… I cannot help being all Smiley Reilly…
Hope you all have a fantastic weekend when it comes…
Le grá, xx
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