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IRISH THEATRE TOUR

May 22 – 30 1999

At 8:28 am, Anne , Frank Molly and I were on the lawn when Cathy and Beth arrived at 8:30, as promised, to take us to the airport. Our tour group under Captain James MacKillop slowly gathered and by 9:30 we were all in place. The plane left on time and we arrived in Newark at 11:30. Since we had a six and a half-hour layover due to a schedule change, the airline issued passes to our group to the Continental VIP lounge. It was very nice and the time passed quickly. Only one glitch – I left my wallet (with my life in it) on the table in the diner where we had lunched. When I discovered it missing, one hour later, Cathy and I ran back to the diner. A few questions and we discovered that a bus boy had found it and turned it in to the manager’s office unopened. Many thanks, a tip and my trip was on again. We boarded the plane, a 757, and left on time!! The configuration of the plane was three seats on either side of a very narrow aisle. Before we boarded Cathy told me a horror story of bare feet high on a bulkhead on one of her Florida trips and as we reached our seats on this plane there were TWO pair of bare feet next to her (obviously no restaurant rules on planes). Cathy and I sat across from each other on the aisle and were frequently bumped by food carts and the attendants in the narrow aisle. The movie – You’ve Got Mail.

We arrived in Shannon at 5 am having eaten and not slept all night. It was the shortest trip ever from New York – there must have been a giant tail wind. As we gathered in the terminal, I noticed many changes and much construction compared with three years ago ( probably the Celtic Tiger influence, visible in all Ireland). The bus was there, O’Donaghues of Galway - Michael from Clarenbridge, driving. The rain was not soft – it poured and was very cold and windy. Of course, the umbrellas were in the bottom of the bags – maybe we didn’t expect rain in Ireland. An hour and a half later, we arrived at the Ardilaun House – very Anglo but not as elegant as the Shelbourne but the same feeling. After a short wait and a graciously offered continental breakfast, we were assigned our rooms and settled in. Cathy and I slept until 4 pm. We puttered and I floated in a huge bathtub. Glorious!! The same bus, this time driven by one of Michael’s sons drove us to the banquet at DunGuaire Castle at Kinvarra. A fellow –traveler, Doug by name, and I were chosen King and Queen of the evening. We wore leather crowns, braided for decoration and sat on thrones at the head of the table and were served first. It was fun. This Castle is where the Harper, Janet Harbison started her career. So to bed!! Finally!!!

We did some serious shoppage at Celtic Crystal (Patrick’s Wedding Chalice), Connemara Marble Factory Store, (earrings) and, and the girls’ favorite, Martin Standuns, for Ellen’s Connemara Cologne. The bus took us back to the City Centre at 2 pm. Padraic Conaire, the story-teller in Eyre Square, has lost his head. Some young idjits cut it off and were shortly thereafter apprehended with it by the gardai. The last we heard, it was still in the guardhouse. I missed the opportunity to stand behind him and be photographed with me head in place of his. Oh well! We found Kenny’s Bookstore and Eddie Lenihan’s books (no Somerville and Ross here, Liz). We taxied back to the Hotel for dinner – salmon, not long away from the weir. Delicious!! Then we had an evening with Eddie Linehan, the present day story teller (does anybody remember when he stayed with us for a performance for the IACI?) He is very good and he signed my book. Christopher attended this meeting – See the snapshots.

We were up early for the bus to take us to the train station . We arrived early and left our luggage in the waiting room with Sue who had graciously volunteered to stay there. We went into the Great Southern Hotel which is attached to the station and read the Irish Times in front of a fire in the Edwardian lobby. The train left promptly and the three hours to Dublin passed in a jiffy. The Irish trains are super comfortable and clean with spotlessly shining windows. (I had a feeling that dad was riding with us – he would have loved it). The day was lovely and the baby sheep and calves were a beautiful picture. We arrived at Euston Station, queued for a cab and arrived shortly at the Mt. Herbert. At 5 pm, some of us met in the lobby and taxied to the Armory Square of Dublin – Temple Bar on the Liffey near the Ha’penny Bridge. Had a very nice dinner and walked across the O’Connell Street bridge to the Abbey Theater to see Brian Friel’s "The Freedom of the City", a powerful drama about the 1968 beginning of the present troubles. The trip back to the Hotel was exciting – Bruce Springsteen was performing at the Lansdowne Stadium very near the Mt. Herbert. We met in a special room to discuss the play with Jim leading. Cathy and I left at 12 but heard that the discussion continued until 1 am.

After breakfast we joined the group taking the DART to Pearse Street Station. We walked the block to Nassau Street and stopped at the mural of Cuchulain, Bran, the Large Hound, and Queen Maedh on the stone wall next to the entrance of the Kilkenny Design Shop. Cathy and I left the tour for some serious shopping at the design center (pottery goblets in which to serve Mead), Blarney Woolen Mills (we thought of Beth), Brown Thomas – BIG disappointment, the lovely staircase is gone and the hole left is surrounded by an ugly circle of plastic – Fred Hanna’s Bookstore (no Somerville and Ross here either) and on to Hodges Figgis where I found the S & R for Liz. Hurray!!! With our feet worn to the ankles, we just made it to the Harry Clarke room with the stained grass windows on the first floor of Bewley's. (Liz, the Wedgewood teapotly teapots are in a glassed-in bookshelf on display.) After lunch, we walked to St. Stephen’s Green, through the arch, along the pond, under the canopy of trees that almost shut off the light, to the exit across from the Shelbourne and the taxi stand. Dinner at the Hotel and then to the St. Andrew’s Lane theatre off Dame Street. The theatre was not unlike the early Syracuse Stage with the stage almost a part of the audience. Tonight the play was "True Believers" by Joseph O’Connor, a young author and playright who came out and dialogued with the audience after the curtain. He looked and acted very much like Patrick O’Donnell and was very charming.

I spoke with Catherine Bulbulia yesterday. She is leaving on Friday with a UN group to moniter the elections in South Africa and has a luncheon engagement and meeting on Thursday afternoon but insisted that we meet at 10:15 at the Kildare St. entrance to Leinster House, the seat of the government of the Republic. Our cab driver was intrigued by our destination, saying that we would not be able to go in. We said that "yes we can, we are meeting with the assistant to the Tanaiste." He then suggested that I greet her with "Dias Mirra Guit" and said "that’ll buckle her knees". When the Guarda came out of the gatehouse and ushered us in, I had to look back at him. Then we saw Catherine coming across the plaza to greet us and answered our greeting in Irish. After hugs and kisses, we went into Leinster House and immediately were introduced to Mr. Noel Treacy, the Minister of Science, Technology and Education. He also has a role in the European Economic Council and when I mentioned the Fitzsimons who bought our cottage, "old Jim" was identified as a close friend. He then thanked Cathy for the American assistance in the peace process. Catherine then took us on a short tour on the St. Patrick’s blue Donegal carpets (dazzling with the white plaster-decorated walls and ceilings and crystal chandeliers). We saw the American Civil War 69^th Infantry banner – the division under the great Irish General Meagher – which listed all the battles they fought in (about 12 in all). It is displayed on a wall behind a blue drape that Catherine opened. JFK gave it to the Irish when he visited in the sixties. Then Catherine led us to the visitors’ gallery that is behind bullet-proof glass to the ceiling. It was also occupied by about 20 well-behaved schoolboys in red sweater uniforms. She identified Bertie Ahern, the Taoseach, and, next to him, her boss, Mary Harney, the Tanaiste. The whip sat behind Ahern, turning pages like mad and whispering to his chief what he needs to know about the proposals being offered. When this session started, Michael Collins’ great niece began obstructing – it had to do with the majority’s delay in issuing a welfare report until after the election. The minority did not approve of this tactic. Everybody talked loudly at the same time. Catherine identified Haughey’s son, a nice, quiet young man who is beng harrassed by the members for his father’s sins. Monty’s description of Haughey in a letter to the Irish Times as a "genial blatherskite" has been vindicated. Even Catherine agrees. We had coffee in the senate room with dark panels, lovely silver and upholstered sofas and chairs and talked families. Catherine walked to the gate with us and gave us directions to Greene’s used and rare bookstore on Nassau St. I’ve discovered that "Cooking the Books" is out of print but they didn’t have it either. Back to Dawson Street and to the Shelbourne for lunch in the bar. Back to the Hotel to rest for the evening. We took the DART to Howth and the Abbey Tavern. We thought the Tavern highly over-rated, both the food and the music. We caught one of the last DART trains to Lansdowne Road.

We were up early again but at breakfast our captain announced that Malahide Castle did not open until 10 am. Tony Doyle’s bus took us to the Castle (great memories, kids!) and the young man on the trip – Chris Chatterton, who went to St. Ann’s with Kate and Mike, went to the botanical garden that you all found. I couldn’t stir up any interest in the model trains. Too bad!!! Then, on to Newgrange. There is a very large Visitors’ Center across the Boyne now with a movie, plastic model of the entrance and a gift shop. I was "done in" so I didn’t do the walk up to the site (it was easier when we just parked and walked across the grass). We had lunch in the restaurant and off Cathy and the rest went. They were all tired when they came back and the bus ride back was quiet. The bus went from Drogheda to Balbriggan (a dual carriageway now cuts Balbriggan off) past the hotel where we ate the night we were starving and on to Mosney – there are Disney-style billboards approaching the Mosney turn-off and Jim Fitzsimons posters on every post. We ate dinner at the Hotel and had a wild, 100 mph ride to the Peacock Theatre which is on the lower level of the Abbey. The play was Friel’s "Living Quarters" about a dysfunctional family. After each play, we gather at the hotel to discuss the play of the evening. The general feeling was that this play was the least enjoyable so far.

I slept in until half nine – late to bed and early to rise does strange things to the inner timing. Cathy brought me room service – a plate of brown bread toast, rasher and cheese from the dining room. We left for the Jury’s and Berkeley Court gift shops to purchase what we hadn’t all week. We did find that we had missed a lot. We had lunch at the Berkeley court – grilled lamb and "salad" on Chiapatta –wonderful!! We walked back through the crowd going to the Northern Ireland-Republic of Ireland soccer game at Lansdowne stadium. We passed the same souvenir stands as at SU only a mass of green instead of orange. At the hotel, we packed and watched the game. The north won although the score was "nil" through most of the game. Cathy made reservations at the Gresham for a half-five sitting for dinner. Before we went in, we walked down O’Connell Street to see Anna Livia (the floozie in the Jacuzzi). The play by Brien Friel, "The Aristocrats" was the best yet, performed in The Gate, a most beautiful old theatre at the "top" of O’Connell St. There was a divided opinion at the discussion session. James thought the problem was Friel himself – "he could use a good editor" – I had to agree. To bed at 1 am.

The wake-up call came at SIX am. We dressed, put our bags out and had a quick breakfast. The hotel was most accommodating to our early leaving. The bus arrived at half-seven and we were at the "Aerfort" at 8. We then stood in the first of many long lines –(this was NOT Lufthansa, Beth). The Dublin Airport seems much busier than in the past and we were all tired and a little cranky. At last, we boarded and, we’re off at 10 Irish time. The plane trip back was the same old, same old – if I could walk on water, that is the only way I’d ever go. The sheep-pen in the basement of terminal C, waiting room for all the expresses, was lo-ong, but at last, Syracuse was called. We were lucky at that, because Rochester and Hartford flights were delayed for mechanical problems. We left practically on time with a small wait on the runway and arrived in Syracuse only a little late. Blessed Ed was waiting with the van at the baggage entrance. It was good to be home at the end of a memorable trip. Many thanks to the MacKillops!!!

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